Moseley Willie G. Bakersfield Guitars: The Illustrated History

Backbeat Books, 2021. — 392 p. — ISBN 9781493060634.The Ventures only endorsed Mosrite guitars for about five years. But the legendary instrumental band's use of the upstart guitar line in the mid-1960s was and is, for many musicians, the first band-brand affiliation they remember. That saga is part of the iconic guitar boom during that decade, which changed the American music scene forever. California's guitar-centric surf music genre was going strong in the early part of that decade...but there ain't no surf in Bakersfield, where numerous instrument builders and innovators were toiling in the gritty and dusty clime of Kern County. Bakersfield Guitars: The Illustrated Historycontains the compelling chronologies of numerous intriguing, born-in-Bakersfield guitar brands, including Mosrite, Hallmark, Gruggett, Standel (three different manufacturers), Encor, Epcor, Dobro (by Mosrite), GM Custom, Melobar, Osborne, and Acoustic…Mosrite
Early Days in the LA Area
Early Bakersfield Guitars and the Standel Assisted Birth of an Icon
The Advent of the Ventures
Glory Days
Diversification, Including Soundholes (None, One, or Two)
Beyond Stringed Instruments
The Gospel According to Semie
Storm Clouds over P Street
Rarities, One-Offs, and Experimental Instruments
Surname Instruments and the 1970s
The Gospel Goes Onward
Further Migration
Gospels in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Jonas Ridge Rarities
Finale in the Arkansas River Valley
Hallmark
Starting Solo with Sterling Instruments
The Standel Interlude
The Encor Initiative
The Swept Wing Takes Flight
The Epcor Project
“Rebirth” in Maryland
The Gospel According to Bob
Gruggett
Native Californian
Mosrite (Part 1) and Hallmark
The (Short lived) Saga of the Stradette
Custom Luthiery, Mosrite (Part 2), Back to Custom Luthiery
Ancillary Brands
Acoustic
Dobro
GM Custom
Melobar
Osborne
Standel: The Mysterious “Third” Manufacturer