Has anyone here picked up any of the budget friend options for a mosrite copy? There seem to be a number of chinese sellers offering these online. Just wondering if anyone here has taken the plunge.
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Joined: May 29, 2018 Posts: 16 |
Has anyone here picked up any of the budget friend options for a mosrite copy? There seem to be a number of chinese sellers offering these online. Just wondering if anyone here has taken the plunge. |
Joined: Mar 27, 2006 Posts: 195 Newington, CT USA |
Are you looking for one that sounds and plays like a Mosrite? I have serious doubts that any of those Chinese knockoffs could. Last edited: Jun 07, 2018 05:38:51 |
Joined: Jan 18, 2010 Posts: 672 Delaware |
Work in an original band with a weird old coot ( I'm another one ) that has a California Mosrite, it's been defaced with a poor matt black paint job but still has that "something" about it. The tiny frets and all the rest that add up to a unique guitar. Imitating them is a tough row to hoe, I've owned an Eastwood Sidejack that certainly looked like a Mosrite but sounded nothing like the original. Perhaps it's why they command such high prices used regardless of condition. |
Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 667 Sonoma, CA |
A Hallmark will get you 98% of the way there at a reasonable (not cheap) price. |
Joined: Jun 14, 2006 Posts: 858 New York City area |
Sublime, Hope this helps |
Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 401 |
IMO, stay far away from those those Chinese knock off guitars from sites like DH Gate and Ali Babba. Most of them are junk. As JohnnyMosrite said even the Eastwoods, Danos which IMO are generally of relatively decent quality are really just cosmetically similar but don't sound or feel anything like a real Mosrite. |
Joined: Apr 20, 2018 Posts: 47 |
JohnnyMosrite wrote:
Thanks for the heads up on Hallmarks. That Man or AstroMan? signature is calling to me... |
Joined: Jun 13, 2009 Posts: 274 |
I've seen a Wilson "Ventures" model, a Mosrite copy, at my local shop for consignment, I should've grabbed it, it was under $200 and went fast, it's the only one I've ever seen. I keep checking Ebay, CL along with Reverb to see if one pops up, it was well made and played well, the 22 fret neck was a plus. |
Joined: Jun 14, 2006 Posts: 858 New York City area |
Blackheartsfan, I've mentioned this before on the forum. It's a well known fact that Ventures Don Wilson didn't like the Mosrite. His rather large hands and the guitar neck were not a good match. So he goes back to the Jazzmaster. Ok. If you're just after some sort of Mosrite look, well, the WB or the others are for you. You just won't be getting the Mosrite sound. Again, the best value you're going to get in a Mosrite without the Mosrite price is a Hallmark model. |
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 1674 Georgia |
I've played a couple of the Wilson Bros guitars and they were ok. I think $200 for one is a steal. I do echo everyone else' recommendation for the Hallmark. Not what most of us consider "budget," but by far the best guitar for the money. —The Mystery Men? |
Joined: Oct 13, 2016 Posts: 23 |
Don't waste your time and money on Chinese Mosrite clones. I did it and I ended up doing a lot of tweaking to get the guitar sort of about where I wanted it to be. If I had to do this over again, I would just belly up to the bar with the dough and pick up a new or well maintained Fender Jaguar. There are so many many string options and manufacturers available now to get "the sound" you want once you've picked out the "right" guitar. Go, look and experiment. I like a heavy duty roadhouse sound so I opt for the Ernie Ball Mediums and Rotosound CG-11s. It ain't a perfect world but get as close as you can with your budget and go play.Life is too short. |
Joined: Oct 13, 2016 Posts: 23 |
Correction: The correct name of the strings are Rotosound Ultramag UM-11. They are very loud and cut through everything....definitely worth the dough. I also use Rotosound brights on my 5-string Chinese knock-off Ernie ball Corvette bass. These strings are worth every nickel and I buy them on e-bay since nobody carries them here. |
Joined: Mar 27, 2006 Posts: 195 Newington, CT USA |
If you want the Mosrite sound, a Jaguar isn't going to do it. But you can get 100% there with a Hallmark C60 or C65 for less money than a new Jag. Last edited: Aug 07, 2020 05:27:59 |
Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 401 |
I've played both the Dano 64XT and 66T (both were made in Korea) and they were both nicely made, excellent playing and sounding guitars....but ...and this is a big but....neither played or sounded remotely like a Mosrite. I would strongly recommend a Hallmark 60 or 65 Custom. at 999.99 the Hallmarks are basically a better deal than the Dano's because the Hallmarks come with a super nice faux gator hardshell case while the Danos don't come with a case. More importantly, as said by others, the Hallmark will get you 98% of the way there plus Hallmarks have impeccable build quality/fit/finish and play like a dream. I have a Hallmark 65 Custom and I would say that build quality is easily as good (if not better) as a USA made Fender. In short, you need one of these: > > Last edited: Aug 07, 2020 11:03:46 |
Joined: Feb 22, 2019 Posts: 190 |
I owned a Hallmark 65 Custom and they are very good, especially for |
Joined: Nov 22, 2010 Posts: 281 |
I love the sound of Mosrites, but never liked how they played: the necks are way too thin, and the frets are too small it feels like playing a fetless guitar. Does the Hallmark C60 or C65 have the same neck profile as the early Ventures Mosrites? |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 2061 Virginia, USA |
The 90's Kurokumo Mosrites are great! And probably about the closest to the real thing that you can get. $1300 - $1500 isn't exactly "budget" I guess, but still cheaper than most vintage models. There are few on Reverb right now —Paul |
Joined: Mar 27, 2006 Posts: 195 Newington, CT USA |
pavlovsdog wrote:
The Hallmarks have a slightly wider neck...1 5/8" at the zero fret. I've never owned an original Mosrite, but I've owned a couple of Fillmores and a Dana-Mo. I sold them because I found them unplayable, except for single note stuff. I find the neck on my C65 comfortable enough to play jazz chord arrangements without my fingers tripping over each other. |
Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 401 |
As Taijiguy said, Hallmarks do have slightly wider neck. I actually measured my Hallmark with digital calipers and it was actually a hair wider at 1.64 at the zero fret (think vintage Strat or Tele). As far as fret size, they do not have super low, flat frets. The frets are what I would call "vintage" size (think vintage Fender again) with nicely rounded crowns and combined with a relatively flat fret board radius of about 14" and 24 3/4" scale, bending is easy. The Hallmark necks, while not what I would consider chunky have a moderately shallow "D" profile. The other thing that I have found (at least w/ my Hallmark) is that the neck is incredibly stable. It's the only guitar I own that I have never had to touch the truss rod (I bought it new two years ago). Last edited: Aug 09, 2020 00:05:37 |