Ash Mosrite: Complete

The Ash Mosrite build was finally completed today, and I'm very, very happy with the results. I am now the proud owner of two DIY Mosrite copies!

 

Twins. What father could ask for more?

The wood tones of the subtle burst combined with the black single ply pickguard give this new Mosrite a real vintage feel. The whole look has steered right away from the Ventures II look, but I'm very happy about that. It's more along the lines of Mosrite's other models, with its tummy and arm cuts, as well as the soapbar P90s. It just looks so awesome hanging there in front of a Ramones t-shirt ;).

Geez, whose gut *is* that anyway?

Even with the cuts it's heavier than the Johnny Ramone Tribute build (that one is Basswood), but really feels very nice in the hands and against the body - all in all a very comfortable guitar to play. Thanks to the Tru-Oil finish, the neck is nice and slick, and the 0th fret has allowed the action to come right down. The acrylic gloss coats came out really nicely in the end although, as usual, the Ash grain was a real pig to work with. Sooo many pinholes to deal with!

Anyhoo, enough about those pesky, pinholes. Let's see some glamour shots of the finished guitar and I can wrap this build up and get on to the next one. My stack of unfinished kits isn't getting any smaller!

Glossy, Vintagey, P90-enriched goodness.

So far as the sound is concerned, all the hardware is stock except for the set of Entwistle X90s. Boy do those boys growl! This guitar sounds like a beast. Plenty of middle and low end, with an edgy attach and real punch when over-driven. It's the perfect sound for me and my, ahem, *minimalist* playing style. Hey, if it was good enough for Johnny....

Ash Mosrite: P90 Pickguard Mounts

A little more work today on the Ash Mosrite build. I have decided to create adjustable pickguard mounts for the P90s. A bit late in the game for such changes but hey it's been that kind of build. I got some 20mm x 3mm aluminium bar and made some mounting plates, with holes drilled in the position of the existing P90 mounting screws (the holes near the centre). 

Mounts cut and drilled from 20mmx3mm aluminium bar.

Mounts added to P90s using the existing mount holes.

A couple of more holes in the ends of the bar and the P90s are now able mount like humbuckers to the underside of a scratchplate. I really am a fan of easily adjustable pickups, so for me this was a pretty important modification - if only I had thought of it sooner!

Mounted onto the pickguard with adjustment springs.

Looks great, with all the magic hidden behind the scenes.

The only problem now is that the pickup routes will need to be extended about 5mm on the left hand side to accommodate the new mounting plates. It's a bit of a bugger given the nice gloss finish I have created.

Original routes are not quite wide enough now.

I think some cardboard taped down over the finish will be good for the router to slide on, and should give enough protection from scratches. There's only one way to find out, so let's get routing!