mosriteforum.com

This is a "question" that was asked of the person selling a green sparkle 50th anniversary Fillmore:

Q: technically this is not a real mosrite guitar. This was made in Japan after semie's death-there is no connection with semie or his heirs. These were made illegally and are in the process of being shut down from making any more. There is currently a lawsuit against the company that made this guitar (Fillmore and YUSA) to cease/desist from making more-from Loretta moseley-semie's widown-see mosriteforum.com for details. This is NOT a real mosrite and your price is way out of hand-this is a 1500.00 guitar as it is made in japan COPY and should not be confused with a vintage Mosrite which do go for that amount. Hopefully it is an honest mistake-as you may not know all this-although I do see alot of dealer types suggesting otherwise as some of them think they know all. I have been collecting mosrites since 1982. Sep-07-09

A: My apology. When I bought this guitar from Ed Roman, I was advised that it was the official Mosrite made by Fillmore in Japan. The guitar that I am selling is in "new" condition and there were only 50 made with the sparkle paint by Fillmore in Japan. I never stated that it was a "Vintage" Mosrite. A 50th Anniversary Commemorative Model could never be vintage. It is a well made guitar as most guitars that are manufactured in Japan (i.e Gretsch). Last, and not least, they are not illegal, but they might be in violation of the copyright laws as determined by the court case that was initiated June, 2009. Owning or having possession of this guitar is not illegal nor will it ever be.

Fillmore makes a 50th Anniv. Bass- a P-Bass clone in Black (gone!) and Silver Sparkle finish- (1) I saw at Roman's who offered me a good price on it- ALMOST bit!

I'm biased insofar as I own a Fillmore Ranger Bass-and I have the luxury of comparing it to my other instruments-ranging from an awesome '69 P-Bass to a $$$$$ Henman-Bevalacqua B4.
It hangs, quality wise, tone-wise, and IMO it IS a Mosrite Bass.

A Semie Mosely Bakersfield bass?? Nope, he's gone. But so is Leo Fender, and my '69 is CBS-era, but is supreme.

I had the funds to buy a "real" Mosrite bass-vintage. I didn't see one on the market that I liked, altho I'm sure there is one. That $45K one on E-Bay would do the trick!

Lawsuits over copyright aside, I truly think that on both the bass & guitar sides, Fillmore does the Mosrite name proud in the manufacture of the product bearing Semie's trade name.

I'm nowhere near as dedicated/experienced as a lot of forumites, but my props for Mosrite style, vibe, concept and sound are there.

My vote? The guy IS selling a real Mosrite.

I agree with Elnjay's views...Japanese craftmanship is awesome, whatever the name of brand they put on it.
Just my opinion but to me, the person that fired his or her (...) "question" at the seller seems to have "Mosrite Lawsuite interests" going -telling from the 'tone'. I must say the seller put up a neat defense.

Hey Jayson, very interesting...thanks for posting!

Here is the link to this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... TQ:US:1123

There has been even more stuff put up in the questions section. It is very interseting. Check out what this person "asking" the next question says about Ed Roman. This is getting good.

Japanese guitars are awesome. Tokai strats, 300 euros, play and sound better than modern american standarads by fender. Cant beat vintage of course, but still. For 300 a very very good deal.

A really nice guitar that green sparkle...just never can digest that "Mosrite of Classics" logo*. Can't be a judge for the price though...

*[edit] ...in which case I prefer "the HALLMARK by Shade"

may be mistaken but I believe the Mosrite of Classic was a way to get around the Mosrite of California infringement.

dubtrub wrote:may be mistaken but I believe the Mosrite of Classic was a way to get around the Mosrite of California infringement.

It seems so...Bob Shade wisely steered completely past it by using his own name. Hallmark's good reputation together with it's direct Mosrite link did it for me

My burning desire for a Mosrite bass was brought to the surface and ultimately acted out because of...YOU! and YOU! an YOU! hiding over there...! Yes YOU, the members of the Mosrite Forum. I thank you for the push over the edge. ('Cept now I have learned of and SEEN a mint Joe Maphis Bass which keeps me tossing and turning...) It's awesome.

Where else was I to go to get my preference, a "new" "Mosrite"- but the wonderful Fillmore product and no one had them but, yep. Ed Roman.

I had no trouble with his operation. He was premium-priced, but not ridiculous, he and his salesman knew what they were talking about, and most important-the Fillmore lived up to and exceeded my expectations.

Converting from yen, and given the scarcity and quality of the Anniversary editions, if you want one, he's offering one for 4 large.

High, well yeah. Worth it?

It is PRETTY cool. (For a guitarist )

I support the Fillmore product as a tribute to Semie Mosely and his guitars and basses.

Weren't there some out there for a while that said "Mosrite of Japan" on them? seems I remember seeing one at one time or another....