1960s Mosrite Serenade 00-Size Flattop Guitar
Actual vintage Mosrites of any type are pretty hard to find on the market and their acoustic models (flattop guitars, Dobros, what-have-you) are even harder to snag. I remember lust-searching this very model around Reverb for a while because I always have a half-simmering thing for Mosrites. Everything they designed that I've come in contact with has been quirky but sturdy, practical, and fast to play. Their necks are shockingly-stable, too.
This one walked-in via a friend of mine. It was mostly clean when it arrived, though the pickguard was lifting and the neck had been un-bolted from the body with all the hardware rattling-around in the case pocket. It didn't need a whole lot to get going, but now that it's dialed-in it's a treat to play. It's very lightly-braced and in an X-braced style and pattern that reminds me of something like if a late-'20s Gibson L-1 merged with a late-'40s Gibson LG-2. It's got tall, thin braces that taper. Because of that lightness, and despite the short scale, I think the top is only rated for 52w-11 gauges max, which is what I've got on it.
Its tone is fundamental, clean, woody, and warm. It's got a good chunk to the mids and a plainspoken, but very distinct, voice. Even though it looks space-age and rock-and-roll, I think its heart belongs to old-fashioned country-strumming or fingerpicking, to be honest.
The body shape reminds me of a Kalamazoo KG-11 or a Regal Junior Jumbo -- it's a bit "squashed" which makes it fit in the lap (and on the couch, for that matter) nicely.
Made by: Mosrite
Model: Serenade (acoustic)
Made in: USA
Serial number: FF-8082
Top wood: solid spruce
Back & sides wood: ply mahogany?
Bracing type: x
Bridge: rosewood
Fretboard: rosewood
Neck wood: maple
Tone: woody, warm, fundamental, clean
Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 52w-11 "custom lights"
Neck shape: slim C
Board radius: ~12"
Truss rod: adjustable
Neck relief: straight
Fret style: medium-small
Scale length: 24 1/2"
Nut width: 1 5/8"
String spacing at nut: 1 3/8"
String spacing at bridge: 2 1/16"
Body length: 18 3/8"
Body width: 14 3/4"
Body depth: 3 1/4"
Condition notes: it's crack-free except for two hairline cracks below the fretboard extension on the top. These have shifted that tiny section of top just a little bit, but it's stable and nothing to worry about. There are deeper finish cracks/raised grain in the finish on the lower bout, but they're not real cracks that run through the wood. The finish itself has a bunch of aged-related weather-checking/light cracking throughout. All the hardware is original save two of the bridge pins. The saddle is original but modified.
It comes with: a presumably-original hard case in good shape.
Comments
I posted this under the Youtube video, but I'm posting it here, too. I keep serial # lists for different Mosrite guitars, & I think this is more likely a Balladere. That said, I have a Serial # list for the Serenade, linked below. Because of this strange Mosrite acoustic, I expect to be starting a # List for the Balladere soon.
http://mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8075&p=71883#p71883
Balladere I - Set Neck, 3 5/16" body.
Balladere II - Set Neck, Metal Knob Tuners, deeper 5" body.
Balladere III - Bolt-On.
Balladere III-XII - 12 string version of the III, but I've never seen photos of the back of one. I don't know if these are bolt-ons or not.
Also, perhaps this really is a Serenade, just a rare example of a late one. It's hard to tell with my limited knowledge on the 1960s Mosrite Acoustics, even though I've been tracking these to piece the history together.
Here's my list of these guitars, so far. The white one with a strange number might be a Japanese reissue, now that I learned of that a few days ago.
http://mosriteforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8075&p=72317#p72317