Super Rare 'Storm Gray' The Ventures 'Hard-Tail' Model - Signed and Dated by Semie Moseley.

1987 Mosrite The Ventures Model (Hard-Tail).

This exceptionally rare, signed by Semie Moseley, custom-color, no pick-guard, 'Hard-Tail', 'Storm Gray' "The Ventures Model" weighs 8.80 lbs. and has a nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 24.75 inches. Solid alder body, scalloped on top edge. One-piece rock-maple neck with a medium-profile. Single-bound, slab-rosewood fretboard with metal nut, zero fret and 22 'speed' frets with small white dot position markers. Specially shaped "Ventures Model" headstock with "Mosrite of California", "The Ventures Model" and the Mosrite "M" logo decal in black. Individual Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. The serial number "1X" is stamped into the twenty-second fret of the guitar. Four-bolt neck plate with two-layer black over white plastic 'washer' plate. Two Mosrite single coil pickups with black plastic covers with "Mosrite of California" embossed on the lower edge and outputs of 7.12k and 9.66k. The underside of the neck pickup has "7a" written in blue ink, and the underside of the bridge pickup has "P.T. / '87", also written in blue ink. Two controls (one volume, one tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch and jack input, all on lower treble face of body. Mosrite metal 'hat type' knobs with "M" stamped on top, numbered from 1 to 5 (one with a "V" and the other with a "T". Mosrite bridge with six individually adjustable saddles and die-cast Mosely 'fixed' tailpiece. Four-layer black over white plastic control cover on back of body secured by two screws. The 'super-rare' Storm Gray finish is totally unfaded. The back of the headstock is signed in blue ink "Semie Moseley 1987". There is one small 'scratch/crack' on the body face, which runs between the volume control and the jack input. Otherwise this incredibly rare and possibly even unique guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition. Complete with an original hang tag which states "The Ventures 11 Grey Body 87 Yr.". Housed in it's original three-latch 'Elliptical' black hardshell case with dark blue plush lining (9.00). We have never seen another Ventures model built without a pickguard or a vibrato unit… another one from Semie Moseleys personal collection.

With over 110 million copies sold worldwide of well over 100 studio, live, compilation and box set album releases, The Ventures, founded in 1958 as The Versatones by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, remain unsurpassed for their impact on music and musicians.

“The Ventures – the quintessential guitar combo of the pre-Beatles era -influenced not only styles, but also a generation’s choice of instruments” (Guitar Player, Jan. 1987).

Over thirty star guitarists have named The Ventures as an early influence. The list includes George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Joe Walsh, Stephen Stills, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Peter Frampton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Fogarty, Mark Knopfler, Roy Buchanan, Ted Nugent, Gene Simmons, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Steve Howe, and even Elton John; they’ve all testified to the importance of Walk Don’t Run, amongst other Ventures hits, to their early musical education.

Walk Don’t Run, a rearrangement of Chet Atkins’ version of jazz guitar great Johnny Smith’s composition, was their first hit. They rerecorded it again in 1964, and it became a hit once more. The group remains the only act to win Top Ten spots for two different versions of the same song. After a few personnel changes in the very early 1960s, the classic lineup of Don Wilson on rhythm guitar, Nokie Edwards on lead guitar, Bob Bogle on bass, and Mel Taylor on drums was established. The guitarists would often switch roles.

Over the last forty-eight years, through various musical trends and changes in taste, the band has played non-stop and thirty-eight of the Ventures albums made it onto Billboard's Top 200.