Morales ZES-300, black, made in Japan around 1968. Morales was an offshoot of Zen-On, who were quite a big player in the Japanese instrument market in the 60s... apparently the brand was named after wrestling superstar Pedro Morales. They did some cool acoustics, as well as these Mosrite-style electrics. It's a pretty close copy of an original Ventures from a visual angle, although in terms of feel and tone it's a bit different. The slightly melted take on a german carve, funky hardware and cool curves make for a cool aesthetic. We had to arrange some wiring work on this, so it's got a new switch and jack and the neck pickup has been re-wound. It sounds great: it's got a nice balance of sweetness, clarity and kick. It's great for punk or surfy stuff especially. The neck doesn't taper much as you get higher up the board, and with the funky hardware the action only really gets to medium, not low, so it's a little bit of a wrestle to play, but the gooey sweet tone really rewards the effort. It's a cool little weirdo, no doubt.

Model: Morales ZES-300
Made: Japan, 1967-9 approx (no serial)
Finish: black, gloss urethane
Body: agathis (not verified)
Weight: 4.345kg
Neck: maple, approx 30-ply laminate, rosewood board, 25" scale length, 16" radius, slim D shape
Mods: neck pickup re-wound, switch and jack replaced
Pickups: soapbar single coil x2
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has some marks on the end and edges and some scuffs on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. A couple of screws in the neck joint have their heads snapped off, which is inconvenient but doesn't really compromise structural integrity. The back has widespread dimples and surface scratches but no major marks. The sides have scuffs and dimples the whole way around the body, as well as a couple of decent bald patches in the elbow area and near the jack. The front has a bald patch in the elbow area, as well as widespread dimples and marks around the whole body, most notably behind the bridge and in the elbow area, as well as some standard play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: good condition (7/10)

Playing condition notes: action is medium, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have some normal wear but are fairly even with no major buzz issues, 5/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 11/49 Moonshiners strings.