8 lbs. 2 oz.
Okay, what do we have here?
Here's the facts;
-neck binding
-8 hole pickguard
-German carve body
-Mosely vibrato tailpice (not Vibramute)
-Pickups with polepieces embossed with M in circle, Mosrite by California.
-pots are dated 29th week of 1965.
-Guitar is all original including case EXCEPT changed tuners. (new Kluson Deluxe)
-unfortunately someone wood filled the serial number at the end of fingerboard and it is indistinguishable.
 
So, all signs point to us having a mid-to-late 1965 Mosrite Ventures Mark I—the neck binding, 8-hole guard, German carve, and Moseley vibrato all sit right in that transition period before some later spec changes. The pot codes (29th week of ’65) are especially helpful—they anchor the build to mid-’65, even without the serial.
 
And here's where things get interesting. Is this finish a faded Candy Apple Red as some have suggested OR is it a very rare Custom Ordered finish that appears to be some sort of Copper Metallic or Root Beer color? The finish is exactly the same color under the pickguard, pickups, and neck cavity area. We believe this is an original finish Custom ordered color. Very Rare.
 
So, we asked AI; and this makes sense.
If it were faded Candy Apple Red:
Original Candy Apple Red from that era was typically a transparent red over a metallic base (often gold or silver).
With UV exposure and age, the red layer does fade—but usually unevenly.
Protected areas (under the guard, pickups, neck pocket) almost always retain a deeper, more vibrant red tone than the exposed surfaces.
You’d also often still see a hint of the underlying metallic “sparkle” or gold cast where the red has thinned.
What you’re describing instead:
Uniform color across all areas, including fully protected cavities
No obvious difference between exposed and hidden sections
A tone that reads more like copper / brownish metallic (“root beer”)
That strongly argues against it being a typical faded Candy Apple Red.
Mosrite in the mid-’60s—under Semie Moseley—was known for doing small-batch and occasional custom finishes, especially on Ventures models when dealers or players requested something different. Documented examples include odd metallics, automotive-inspired colors, and one-off hues that don’t show up in catalogs.
So the most likely scenarios are:
Custom-order metallic finish (most plausible)
A copper/bronze/root-beer metallic that was sprayed as-is (not a red-over-base system), which would explain the uniformity.
Non-standard factory color
Mosrite sometimes experimented with finishes that weren’t formally cataloged but still factory-applied.
Refinish (least consistent with your description)
Usually you’d see signs: overspray in cavities, masked edges, or mismatch under hardware. Your “perfect match everywhere” actually argues against a later refinish.
Bottom line:
Given the uniform color in protected areas, it’s very unlikely to be a faded Candy Apple Red. It’s far more consistent with a rare factory-applied custom metallic finish—possibly copper or “root beer” toned.