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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink A Crazy Parts-Rite Build

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I recently got my hands on a Mosrite guitar with a bit of a dubious history. A C-93 stamped body and neck which was given amongst a heap of factory 2nd parts in lieu of payment to a Canadian investor in the 90’s. At least that’s the information I’ve been able to dig up on the Mosrite forums and from a few contacts on the east coast.

Whoever pieced this guitar together before me certainly had an interesting vision, definitely far off from what I’m hoping to do. There’s some unnecessary routing to the top (the guitar was rear-routed to start with) and some poorly placed components. The neck had a crack running through it which has been somewhat repaired at one point.

I’ve stripped all the parts off of it and have ordered some nitro paint in Ocean Turquoise so I can fill as much of the unnecessary holes as possible and paint a solid colour over top. I’ve decided to keep and utilize the Burns vibrato unit that came with it, the original owner drilled the holes for the bridge at the wrong point for the scale length, so that should allow me to move the unit closer and get rid of the overhang that was happening with the German carve.

I’ve got some really cool pickups on order, I still have to find someone to do up a plastic control panel and mounting panel for the pickups to cover some of the routing, but that’ll come later.

I will try and keep the updates coming as they happen, in the meantime here are some pictures of the guitar as received and then taken apart.

Lots of fun!

-Grim Slim

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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Wishing you all the best in luck.
But -
I had a similar experience with a 1990s Nokie Edwards model. The bridge saddles were not drilled straight and this caused the string tension to pull the nut out of its neck "saddle" toward the bass strings. I had a correctly made bridge but then my luthier told me the FULL back neck split (similar to yours) would never be stable and advised that I get my money back. Ebay buyer protection had to kick in as the seller just would not respond. EBAY sent me a UPS shipping carton and (by confiscation of payment funds from Mr. Deadbeat-Seller) I got my money back.
Hope you can get that neck stabilized. There isn't much wood for the string tension on the slim neck of a Mosrite. You need all the intact grain you can get.
Best to you
J Mo'

Last edited: Jul 15, 2022 15:23:07

Thanks J Mo, I know it’s a bit of a daunting project, but I’ve luckily got another neck as a backup/spare if all goes wrong! This neck is significantly thicker than my ‘66 Mark I and I didn’t pay all that much for the project so at least I’ve got those things going for me!

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Grim
BTW
Your guitar looks like the three pickup V-88s that Mosely cranked out in the late 80s-early 90s.
To go further on the V-88 route -
- There were three mini DPDT mini-switches for pickup selection/phasing.
- And - No tone control; just a Master volume control.
which means -
- Get rid of that ridiculous electronics control layout. Yeah - you have to cut a new pickguard.

One other thing -
SIDE-JACK the sucker - like a '63 model. It tends to lend more value.
J Mo'

Last edited: Jul 15, 2022 15:16:57

Cheers J Mo', I wish there were a few more pictures of the V-88's floating around, just for inspiration!

So far the plan for the electronics is going to be a mini on/off switch for each pickup and a master vol + tone control. I'm going to use the extra cavity space that was carved out to install an onboard FUZZrite circuit as a push/pull on the tone knob too.

Good call on the side-jack, that's just way more comfortable anyhow.

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

First update! My tech has assessed and stabilized the neck, now he’s sprayed the first coat on and it’s looking very nice! I’ve got the gold roller bridge in the mail as well. Next is getting the body filled, prepped and sprayed.

image
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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:24:26

Tuners came in the mail! I got a deal on a more modern style tuner so I decided to roll with it, accurate Klusons repros would have cost twice as much to get them to me in Canada. The colour of the neck came out much better in this photo too, I think the tuners look great on it!

image
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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Another update, the body has been filled and prepped and the first coat has gone on. Already looking much better than before.

image
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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:23:20

Thanks Tqi, I’m getting really excited about it! There’s still plenty of work to do, but it’s looking very pretty for the moment. I’ve got three pickups incoming from High Spirit Guitars with really cool covers that will compliment the gold and turquoise well.

image

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

After the last update we found some rough spots on the top so we sanded, primed and sprayed again. Here’s some better shots, no clear yet but it’s looking great!

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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

GrimSlim wrote:

Thanks Tqi, I’m getting really excited about it! There’s still plenty of work to do, but it’s looking very pretty for the moment. I’ve got three pickups incoming from High Spirit Guitars with really cool covers that will compliment the gold and turquoise well.

image

hell yeah! i love high spirit. what are the specs on those pickups?

cosmonaut wrote:

GrimSlim wrote:

Thanks Tqi, I’m getting really excited about it! There’s still plenty of work to do, but it’s looking very pretty for the moment. I’ve got three pickups incoming from High Spirit Guitars with really cool covers that will compliment the gold and turquoise well.

image

hell yeah! i love high spirit. what are the specs on those pickups?

Such a cool design hey? We talked and decided his “Danger Dog” pickups were going to be the best fit. No they’re not a traditional high output Mosrite style pickup, rather they are a low output single coil, but he said they sound somewhere between a tele pickup and a P90 and I think that’s going to be a very serviceable surf tone! I’m really looking forward to giving them a go, plus they look so damn good!

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Slow on the updates here, handmade stuff is taking a while to get here. Here’s a good shot of the finished body though!

image
image

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:26:15

Tqi wrote:

I still don't have the last transformer for my Showman, any of the transformers for my secret project, and I haven't even found pickups or a functioning trem block for my Jagmaster.

So, no judgement from me.

The double routing here is definitely a case study in why I don't want to reroute the Jag for real JM pickups though. You can replace a pickguard, or a bridge, or a humbucker, but you can't really replace wood once you remove it.

Though I'd still be tempted to try with the Jag - and have someone custom fit an alder block to "un-swimming-pool" it, if I didn't have a pretty good idea of what that would cost and how little it would change anything about the guitar other than my personal OCD of how weirdly hollow it is under the scratchplate.

Yeah it’s really such a shame that the previous owner routed through the top when the guitar was purposefully designed to be rear-routed! I’ll find a way to make it work, but yeesh, totally avoidable!

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Got the bridge placement re-measured and correctly installed, tuners as well. Lining up the burns vibrato now and then getting everything dialled in before the electronics get installed.
image
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Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

Oh! And I forgot to share my mock-up of what the finished product will look somewhat like…

image

Tidal Baby

https://linktr.ee/deadwest
https://deadwestrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tidal.baby/
https://www.facebook.com/TidalBaby/

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Last edited: Feb 02, 2024 15:26:08

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