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The '66 Ventures model that I recently acquired has the tall 'M' knobs with the numbers 0-5, the '66 Ventures model that I owned previously had the low 'M' knobs. I don't recall maybe Vincent can advised, but comparing the ones on eBay it would appear that the low knobs have 1-5 T (tone) and 1-5 V (volume). I'm curious as to which one was used first and what years were they used.

According to Tym Guitars, the short knobs started in 1965 and the tall ones in 1967. My '66 Ventures model has the short "V" and "T" knobs and the NOS knob I've got for my V3 is the tall numbers only kind. Maybe the actual transition was sometime in 1966?

Danny, you have a '66 in which they did the transition with the knobs between July-August. However, Semie and Friends still had a bunch of "V" & "T" Versions only because they had just incorporated the first GEN Hat Knobs in late '65 (replacing the Jewel Knobs). The V&Ts were first, followed by the Tall Hat (Derby?) Knobs. So they were still using up V&T Knobs at the
same time they were using the tall ones.....OK, did I give you a mental hernia?

Ok, I'm assuming now, the first knobs were the aluminum lathe turned knobs called the 'jeweled ' knobs right? Now that I think about it, I believe the next knobs were brass lathe turned and chrome plated. Then for a short time, maybe one year or so they used the low hat knobs, then soon after changed to the tall derby knobs, is that correct? Now, what knobs was Semie using after the demise of the Bakersfield P Street factory? Did he continue with the tall derby knobs if not, then what was he using on all his newer guitars?

dubtrub wrote:Ok, I'm assuming now, the first knobs were the aluminum lathe turned knobs called the 'jeweled ' knobs right? Now that I think about it, I believe the next knobs were brass lathe turned and chrome plated. Then for a short time, maybe one year or so they used the low hat knobs, then soon after changed to the tall derby knobs, is thatcorrect? Now, what knobs was Semie using after the demise of the Bakersfield P Street factory? Did he continue with the tall derby knobs if not, then what was he using on all his newer guitars?

In Chronological Order:

1) Guild (Black Plastic Ridged) Knobs with the "G" Chrome Insert Rubbed out. Not too many used,
but they were on the early early '63s, and there are a BUNCH of them that still exist
mostly by owners in Japan.
Check out Tymguitars Mosrite Owners data on the early '63s.......
2) Aluminum Lathe Turned Knobs (I have NO idea how long these were used).
3) Brass Lathe which were Chrome Plated. Danny, I believe these are the knobs that Semie
had named them "Jewel Knobs." ('63 thru '65). AGAIN, some of these knobs have shown up
on early '66s. (e.g. MY OWN EARLY1966 Combo with NO BINDING on the F-Hole.)
4) Low Hat Knobs (V & T) were on the knobs from late '65 to mid '66. After changing to the
Tall Derby Knobs, they were still using up the rest of the Low Hats as late as early '67.
5) The last GEN were the Tall Derby Knobs.

After the demise of of the Bakersfield P Street Factory, Semie was using pretty much anything he could get his hands on. That is why we occasionally see Kustom Style knobs (with black ridges and Chrome insert) show up periodically. Also the Pickup Selector Switch also shows up every now and then with a black plastic cover instead of the metal lathed style. When Semie got the Mosrite name back as well as parts (leftovers?), or after Andy managed to get some of the machinery back, he then again had access to the original parts......

p.s. Pauly, our Bass Player- When he got his'72-'73 Bass off of E-Bay, it had the "correct" Tall Derby Hat Knobs with no V or T on the knobs. However, the switch cover had the Black Plastic tip on it. Now whether the previous owner had a metal one on there originally, and decided to keep it (for another Mosrite?), no one knows.....BTW, Pauly wants to get the lathed metal tip for it.....

To add to our compilation of knob information, here's a photo of a '64 with the brass chrome plated knobs. I got this off the Eldery Vintage Instruments website.

dubtrub wrote:To add to our compilation of knob information, here's a photo of a '64 with the brass chrome plated knobs. I got this off the Eldery Vintage Instruments website.

Yes! Those are the ones that I'm 99.999% sure that Uncle Semie called the "Jewel Knobs."
p.s. With the exception of my Celebrity I, III, and my J.M. Doubleneck, all my Mo's have the "Jewel Knobs" on them.....