NGD: 1971 V-1 (and my comparison to a Kurokumo)

[beatcomber]

A 1971 Mosrite V-1 (s/n V0525) was offered for sale on one of the Facebook Mosrite groups, and the seller was located about 2.5 hours from me, so I decided to drive out there and check it out. I've only played a "real" Mosrite once before, and that was years ago and only briefly. My experience with Mosrite-style guitars is primarily a Hallmark 65C that I regrettably no longer own and what I believe is either a Kurokumo-made Super Custom '64 or Super Excellent (I'm not exactly sure) from the '90s.

The finish on the V-1 sure looks and feels like polyurethane, but it has some finish cracks, which I guess can happen. I don't believe that many Mosrite Ventures-style guitars were given a black finish at the factory, but according to the database linked below, V0522 (three numbers away from my guitar) was also given a black finish.
SOURCE: https://hang10.de/lists/mosrite-venture ... res70-74v1



I took some measurements and the body of the Kurokumo is considerably smaller than the V-1, but the neck on the V-1 is wider and flatter. The Kurokumo is also much lighter than the V-1.

WAIST
V-1: 9.25"
Kurokumo: 8.75"

BODY WIDTH
V-1: 14.75"
Kurokumo: 14"

NECK WIDTH @ ZERO FRET
V-1: 45mm
Kurokumo: 41mm

NECK DEPTH @ 12th FRET
V-1: 20mm
Kurokumo: 25mm

NECK HEEL DEPTH
V-1: 19mm
Kurokumo: 10mm


'90s Kurokumo on left, '71 V-1 on right:



Interestingly, the overall feel and weight of the V-1 is a lot closer to the Hallmark I used to own, which surprised me. I had assumed that the Kurokumo was more or less a carbon copy of a vintage USA Mosrite, but it's not (although the Kurokumo is a great-playing instrument in its own right).

[beatcomber]

I took a look at the pot codes last night, and unfortunately there are blobs of solder in the way, but the fourth digit is definitely a 2, so I guess my guitar was made no earlier than 1972.

[beatcomber]

Interestingly, both pot values are 350k! The date code (243) indicates that the pots were made between October 23-29, 1972, so the guitar was possibly made in late '72 or early '73, depending on how quickly Semie used up his supply. I think it's fair to assume he wasn't making a lot of guitars in the early '70s, so it's possible the final assembly could have been in 1974 or later, I dunno.



A look at the wiring loom:



There appears to be some sort of resin beneath the coils. The leads are very short so I couldn't get a good look under there.



Ordinarily, on my guitars I use .010s or .011s - my Kurokumo has .010 pure nickel roundcore, roundwound Pyramid Classics - and I initially tried those strings on the vintage Mosrite, but it didn't respond so well. It felt a little too stiff (odd, because I often like heavier strings) and, with the action set at a comfortable height, the two E strings buzzed. I read somewhere that Mosrite's OEM strings were Ernie Ball and that Nokie Edwards' preference was .009s, so yesterday I picked up a set of Ernie Ball Rock'n'Roll nickel .009's and voila, perfection! [chef's kiss].

Pure conjecture on my part, but it seems likely that .009-.042 is the gauge that Semie had in mind for the V-1 because the vibrato arm is now set at the optimal height, instead of being parallel with the strings (ie: almost too low), as it was with the .010s. With the lighter strings, it was necessary to raise the action a bit, and now there is no E string buzzing and the amount of tension is just right.

[101Volts]

The bottoms of Mosrite Pups from the early 70s (including the 1973 Humbucker that I have) are supposed to be some sort of toothpaste-green dental putty, but it doesn't look like that's the case here. Maybe that's only for 1973 - 1974 models.

Thanks for the shot of the control layout, that's helpful. It's a lot simpler than the somewhat confusing 1966 Kay that I have, which... Let's not get into that. At least the Kay's more understandable than a cheap import I once bought for $3; it short-circuited, and it short-circuited my brain when I tried to understand it.

I'm surprised that Mosrite used 350k Pots here. I have 500ks in my 1966 model, but they're not original. SouthernVersion has a Mark V, and he put 250ks in his.

As for string gauges, I tend to use 11-56s on my 1966 model. However, I have a StewMac Neck Relief Tool to dial in the relief just right. I tend to go for 5 thousandths of relief on most of my guitars, because of this. It seems to be just right for a lot of playing.

Also, my 1966 model's truss rod can be removed if it has been fully loosened. I'm not sure how the truss rod channel is designed on Mosrites, but perhaps your truss rod also can be removed if it's loose.

- Austin