I've been wanting a Mosrite for as long as I've been able to halfassedly play a guitar. The simple truth is that they're too rare and too expensive for me to feel good about buying one. And as cool as they are, the skinny, bolt-on necks and questionable build quality kept them in the maybe-one-day-but-probably-not category.
So I started researching the many Mosrite clones out there, and came across a small guitar company from the 60's that's since been resurrected.
Hallmark Guitars
Very cool stuff. The 60 Custom especially caught my eye. A gorgeous Mosrite Ventures style guitar with all the bad things, in my opinion, about a real Mosrite fixed into good. A Mosrite with a set neck, Gibson-like scale length, binding, etc. Awesome. I then ran around the net looking for reviews and found nothing but good things, so I emailed the owner, Bob Shade. He responded almost immediately and after about 20 email exchanges, all of which he responded to quickly and with all of my questions answered, I pulled the trigger. He didn't have any guitars ready, but was working up a batch, so he got me in there. This was Jan 4, 2013. He said 6-8 weeks. No prob. I waited patiently. Fast forward to saturday morning, Mar 2, 2013, the guitar was at my door in it's alligator case. Right on time, as promised, as scheduled. It's visually flawless.
$1038 bucks to my door w/ case. Bob Shade at Hallmark Guitars was very open, professional, and quick to answer any questions I had. If you're considering a new guitar and want something a little different but with great attention to detail and value, check out Hallmark Guitars.
And it plays even better than it looks. Fast and smooth. The build quality and fit and finish seems to be extraordinary. It's got a fast, low-action setup, and the rosewood fretboard has a tight grain so it actually kind of feels like ebony. The neck profile is slim and comfortable and the binding is clean, smooth, and flawless. The medium-sized frets are smooth and dressed perfectly. I've seen countless Gibsons that cost twice as much with way shittier necks than this one. Upper fret access is very easy and nonrestrictive on par with an SG. The vintage style trem, roller bridge, and zero-fret with no stupid nut means that I can surf wiggle the wang bar into oblivion and it stays in perfect tune. I haven't really blasted it yet through the Marshalls, but my first impression is that the single coils are pretty hot and midrangey and tonally fall somewhere between the bite and twang of a Strat/Tele and the fatness of a humbucker. Similar to P-90s. The paint is just amazing. I can't even begin to describe how deep and sparkly this thing is. The body and headstock are pure Mosrite. Of the many Mosrite clones out there, these are definitely the most aesthetically accurate by my estimation. A Mosrite clone with all the little visual details of a real Mosrite, but with a set neck and shorter scale just like I'd build for myself if I knew how to build a guitar. Lol. Check it out....
Woohoo!
So I started researching the many Mosrite clones out there, and came across a small guitar company from the 60's that's since been resurrected.
Hallmark Guitars
Very cool stuff. The 60 Custom especially caught my eye. A gorgeous Mosrite Ventures style guitar with all the bad things, in my opinion, about a real Mosrite fixed into good. A Mosrite with a set neck, Gibson-like scale length, binding, etc. Awesome. I then ran around the net looking for reviews and found nothing but good things, so I emailed the owner, Bob Shade. He responded almost immediately and after about 20 email exchanges, all of which he responded to quickly and with all of my questions answered, I pulled the trigger. He didn't have any guitars ready, but was working up a batch, so he got me in there. This was Jan 4, 2013. He said 6-8 weeks. No prob. I waited patiently. Fast forward to saturday morning, Mar 2, 2013, the guitar was at my door in it's alligator case. Right on time, as promised, as scheduled. It's visually flawless.
$1038 bucks to my door w/ case. Bob Shade at Hallmark Guitars was very open, professional, and quick to answer any questions I had. If you're considering a new guitar and want something a little different but with great attention to detail and value, check out Hallmark Guitars.
And it plays even better than it looks. Fast and smooth. The build quality and fit and finish seems to be extraordinary. It's got a fast, low-action setup, and the rosewood fretboard has a tight grain so it actually kind of feels like ebony. The neck profile is slim and comfortable and the binding is clean, smooth, and flawless. The medium-sized frets are smooth and dressed perfectly. I've seen countless Gibsons that cost twice as much with way shittier necks than this one. Upper fret access is very easy and nonrestrictive on par with an SG. The vintage style trem, roller bridge, and zero-fret with no stupid nut means that I can surf wiggle the wang bar into oblivion and it stays in perfect tune. I haven't really blasted it yet through the Marshalls, but my first impression is that the single coils are pretty hot and midrangey and tonally fall somewhere between the bite and twang of a Strat/Tele and the fatness of a humbucker. Similar to P-90s. The paint is just amazing. I can't even begin to describe how deep and sparkly this thing is. The body and headstock are pure Mosrite. Of the many Mosrite clones out there, these are definitely the most aesthetically accurate by my estimation. A Mosrite clone with all the little visual details of a real Mosrite, but with a set neck and shorter scale just like I'd build for myself if I knew how to build a guitar. Lol. Check it out....
Woohoo!
This one is called "Sunset Sparkle" or something like that.
