|
 MOSRITE |
| HISTORY: 1970S-PRESENT |
| Between the mid-1970s and the late 1980s, Moseley continued to find backers and sporadically build guitars. In 1972, Guitar Player magazine reported that "Semie Moseley is now working with Reinhold Plastics, Inc. to produce Mosrite of California guitars." Later that year, Moseley set up a tentative deal with Bud Ross at Kustom (Kustom Amplifiers) in Chanute, Kansas. Moseley was going to build a projected 200 guitars a month at his 1424 P Street location, and Ross' Kustom Electronics was going to be the distributor. This deal fell through, leaving Moseley free to strike up another deal in April of 1974 with Pacific Music Supply Company of Los Angeles, California. Pacific Music Supply Company had recently lost their Guild account, and was looking for another guitar line to distribute. One primary model in 1974 was the solid body Model 350 Stereo. The Brass Rail model was developed around 1976/1977. While shopping around his new model with "massive sustain," Moseley met a dealer in Hollywood Music in Los Angeles. This dealer had connections in Japan, and requested that Moseley begin recreating the original-style Ventures models. Moseley set out to build 35 to 50 of these reproductions per month for a number of months. Several years after Moseley recovered from an illness in 1983, he began rebuilding his dealer network with a number of models like the V-88, M-88, and Ventures 1960s Reissues. These models were built at his Jonas Ridge location. Moseley's final guitar production was located in Booneville, Arkansas. The Unified Sound Association was located in a converted Walmart building, and an estimated 90% to 95% of production was earmarked for the Japanese market. Moseley passed away in 1992. His two biggest loves were Gospel music, and building quality guitars. Throughout his nearly forty year career, he continued to persevere in his guitar building. Unified Sound Association stayed open through 1994 under the direction of Loretta Moseley, and then later closed its doors as well. Information courtesy of Andy Moseley and Hal Hammer [1996]; additional information courtesy Willie G. Moseley, Stellas and Stratocasters, and Tom Wheeler, American Guitars; Mosrite catalogs and file information courtesy John Kinnemeyer, JK Lutherie; model dating estimations courtesy Carlos Juan, Collectables & Vintage '95, Stuttgart, Germany. |