eBay of the day: Amazing 60s Mosrite/Von Dutch guitars

This kind of thing doesn't come along too often: These three guitars were made for the 60s psychedelic one-hit-wonders Strawberry Alam Clock by Semie Moseley of Mosrite (much more about him here) . As if that wasn't cool enough, Semie sent the surfboard-shaped guitars to Von Dutch to be painted. After the band played them in a film (possibly 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'), Semie got the guitars back. After his death, they were bought by food-supplement millionaire and ultimate guitar collector Scott Chinery (who also owned the Batmobile). Scott died aged 40 in 2000, and his family sold the entire collection to Michael Indelicato of E Guitars, who are now selling them on eBay, item #120026471951 (thanks, Joe) These guitars are strangely reminiscent of this classic from the archives...

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

WOW!!!!...

# posted by

Keith : 12:46 am

Yes, wow, but I always wonder what possesses a designer to put the pickup selector right below the rythm pickup like that. Trouble.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:59 am

(sidenote)
I hate instrument collectors.
I feel they take many of the best instruments ever
made from their purpose and from the musicians so they're never to be heard or played again, just stupidly drooled over in some glass cabinet.
Bloody fetishists.
(/sidenote)

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:00 am

It's all pink puffy-sleaved shirts and goldtop Les Pauls on Beyond Valley of the Dolls. I wonder where they did get used.

# posted by

15watt : 12:43 pm

Thanks, Simmeau. You can't imagine how long I spent trying to find a clip of their bit of that film on the web. There's a clip of them playing in Psych Out here, but I couldn't even find a pic of them in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. The 'they were played in a film' bit is the one part of the story that really doesn't add up.

# posted by

Tom Whitwell : 12:47 pm

those guitars do acid everyday.

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:45 pm

I understand the hatred of collectors, I used to feel the same, but if I owned some unique instrument like these, I wouldn't play it too often for fear of damaging it. Collectors are achivists in a way-- they protect treasures like these for posterity.

When I play out I use some newer guitar, maybe modeled after a classic, rarely a vintage instrument unless it's already damaged. Does one really need a vintage instrument for gigs? Is it the instrument or the player (would you rather hear some unknown playing a Selmer sax, or Charlie Parker playing a plastic sax?)

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:25 pm

These ceased being guitars a long time ago. Now they are no longer even art (despite how much the vendor tries to place them in the canon of american art). These items can more correctly be categorised as "investments".

As it happens, vintage guitars now outperform many traditional investments and are becoming ever more popular as such.

I read that the really really high end collector guitars, and I mean SERIOUS collector items, have quadrupled in value in the last two years.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:54 pm

Hey, Musicthing... you should link that story to this one you did a while back: http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2005/07/man-builds-two-string-bass-inspired-by.html

Design similarities exist, no?

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:00 pm

...they're butt ugly. And guitars are made to be played. What could you ever do with those things? Stick them in a cabinet I guess. Well, I'd laugh and poke fun at any man I met owning these.

They're about as sexy as an HR Giger Flying V. What a carry on.

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:57 pm

....what if you bought these for $20000 only to find that some dick has just cut a hole in a surfboard and slapped some cheap guitar in there, dropped acid and dawbed it in loud colours. Oh wait, that's exactly what they are. Did I miss the point?

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:02 pm

...I sent the seller an email sayng I quite liked the green one, but I only want that one he can stuff the other two. And did he have it in orange. He hasn't got back to me yet, I'll keep you all posted.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:05 pm

The guitar Dick Dale should've had. He had to settle for a hollowed-out surfboard as a mere instrument_case_.
These Moserites were built up from Ventures model axes, near the top of the price list then. The pickups + hardware isn't junk. Even the basses had a warm McCartney/ Hofner tone.
Would like to see these in a beach video.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:20 pm

I played the green one, saw the others. For some reason I remember thinking they really need gyroscopes built in.
I worked for Mosely in '77.
paganize@gmail.com

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:59 am

I totally agree with anonymous about people who collect gear only to look at it/ say they have it. My friend got into a bidding war with some random shmuck over a Hammond A-100 at a thrift store once, but the guy said he wanted it because it would lok nice on his hrdwood floors. People like that should be slain : )

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:38 pm

These may not have been for Strawberry Alarm Clock at all. I just found this note about them on Ed King's site.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:55 am

This comment has been removed by the author.

# posted by

Davey : 11:56 pm