1959 Mosrite Joe Maphis Guitar – Sunburst

This Joe Maphis Model is an important piece of Mosrite history! According to Andy Moseley (Semie’s younger brother), Mosrite produced 5 guitars in 1959 that ultimately became the prototypes for the Ventures models, and this guitar was part of that early run. While three of those examples sported “Mosrite of California” on the headstock, two of the examples (including this one) feature “Joe Maphis Model by Mosrite of California” instead. There was another short run of Joe Maphis guitars (from about 59-63) that featured transitional specs, and one of those guitars was owned and played by Nokie Edwards, which led to Mosrite’s collaboration with the Ventures for the brand’s most iconic models. All of this info is cited from a 1994 Vintage Guitar magazine ad. This example features many of the same specs that would later appear on the Ventures’ guitars. It has a nearly identical body/contour design, the same speed neck, small, flat frets, and the same electronics layout. The most notable differences are the headstock shape and the tailpiece. This tailpiece is recessed into the body, rather than mounted on top. Moseley applied a black plastic plate around the tailpiece, which he dubbed a “mistake plate,” meant to hide the edges of the route carved to house this early vibramute trem. This piece features 48th-week-of-1958 pots. It features nicely rounded shoulders on a super fast Slim C neck profile, currently set up with 11s that it plays very well with. Inside this guitar’s original case, you will find a copy of Vintage Guitar Magazine from November 1994, featuring this guitar on the cover and in an article.

Overall Condition: 9.5