Description
This is Gene Moles Custom Dobro electric guitar made in conjunction with Mosrite in 1968 in the USA at the Bakersfield, California factory. It is a beautiful, double cutaway, thin, hollow body electric/acoustic instrument. The features include a sunburst finish, white binding on the body and neck, one single coil pickup with a metal surround, a Dobro resonator, two sound holes on either side of the pickup with diamond shaped perforations in a metal surface, an adjustable metal bridge with individually adjustable saddles, a trapeze-style tailpiece, two metal strap pins, a tortoise-shell guard plate on which all of the electronics except for the pickups are mounted, and another tortoise-shell plate between the pickup and the metal resonator plate/cone. Although this is a GM Custom guitar, it is a Mosrite D-100 resonator electric/acoustic guitar. Mosrite guitars were first established in the late 1950’s after Semi Moseley left Rickenbacker and joined Ray Boatwright. They merged their last names to create the name Mosrite. Gene Moles has played guitar with Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Red Simpson, Tex Ritter and many more. In addition to also writing surf-rock songs for the Ventures, he was the quality control person for the Bakersfield Mosrite factory which made instruments for a few country music stars of the late 1960’s. In 1969, he opened a guitar repair shop. This guitar is a beautiful find. Get your hands on this piece of guitar history. Description from VintageSilvertones.com
CONDITION:Description from VintageSilvertones.com
This guitar is 100% original and in good condition. The body of the guitar is clean except for one small barely visible scratch to the finish on the left side of the pickup. There is one very small divet to the surface and a smaller scratch to the finish at the center back of the guitar and s few very shallow scratches other place inthe back of the guitar. Otherwise, this guitar looks cool, plays fantastic and sounds great.
TUNERS:
The all original, closed back, individual, deluxe Mosrite tuners with silver, chrome buttons, which are a unique, flat, diamond, septagram shape are smooth and in great working order.Description from VintageSilvertones.com
NECK:
Very thin, straight, bolt-on neck, with 22 very low, Mosrite “speed frets” plus a zero fret and a metal nut on an Indian rosewood fingerboard and a 24.5″ scale. The frets are marked by two small dot inlays per marked fret except for the twelfth fret which has three tiny dots. There is fret wear on the first frets, but that does not effect the tone or playability of the instrument. The headstock, featuring a silkscreened GM Custom logo, and a natural finish is clean. The neck, which is kept straight with an adjustable truss rod, has two spots of playing wear on the upper sides and a few other spots of wear to the color of the natural finish on the back of the neck. This war does not affect the payability or sound of the instrument. The action is fast. Description from VintageSilvertones.com
PICKUPS:
The one single coil pickup, in the neck position, is in good working condition. The pickup has a clean, clear, strong and bright tone which is affected by the resonator. This guitar is good for a myriad of styles, especially blues, rock, gospel and country. This Mosrite has black, plastic, silver-topped, volume and tone knobs. All electronics work properly. Description from VintageSilvertones.com
The Dimensions are:
Overall length: 40.75″Description from VintageSilvertones.com
Body width: 16″
Body thickness: 2″ (2.5″ with neck)Description from VintageSilvertones.com
Scale: 24.5″
Width of the nut: 1 5/8″ (depth: 1.25″ approx.)
String height at 12th fret: 3/32″Description from VintageSilvertones.com