In praise of Roger Rossmeisl

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:37 am

Agreed!

dswp · Post by **dswp** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:42 am

Great point Walter.

I know nothing about the man....

Lost Coyotes · Post by **Lost Coyotes** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:57 am

See, I can learn something every day here.
Thanks for that information.
Interesting article here:
http://www.vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=133

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:20 am

You just don't find much written about him other than where he worked, what he designed and the fact that he was a fairly odd fellow, a loner.

blue330 · Post by **blue330** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 7:53 am

I agree! His designs were the hippest of anybody's. A very classy take on "space-age", but with satisfying references to tradition and quality. For example, the Rickenbacker "slash" hole is a really successful update on the ubiquitous, unquestioned f-hole, which always struck me as too stodgy and antique for most electric guitars. I mean, f-holes look fine, but, you know, why not try something more integrated into the overall look? Rossmeisl achieved this at Rickenbacker and I'm always impressed at how these guitars were more modern than anybody else's in so many ways, yet they escaped being seen as too crazy, like the Gibson "futuristic" guitars. (Which are totally cool, too bad the Gibson buyers weren't, back then.) It amused me to learn that he'd done things like the Thinline Telecaster, because in the late '60s the look of the Rickenbackers and those Rossmeisl Fenders gave me a similar sort of optimistic feeling...
You don't hear too much good about Rossmeisl's personal life, but in any case, he definitely deserves to be a lot better known and respected. Where is the deluxe coffee table biography with luscious photography?? I'm ready to pre-order!

wolfgang · Post by **wolfgang** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:18 am

there is an entry in the german wikipedia.
They say he came back to Germany in 1970.
As far as I know, he lived near Kiel
and died in 1979 as a poor man.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:28 am

I'm not going to comment on Rossmiesl's life after he left us other than to say he had some serious self-imposed personal difficulties which diminished the quality of his work and life, leading directly to his early demise.

It would be up to his family to elaborate further, although Phil Kubicki has written some articles that cover these years albeit with a fairly broad brush.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:39 am

Mitch, unfortunately, Rossmeissl can't be credited with the invention of the "slash" sound hole, as it predates his tenure at Electro String by at least 20 years, having been seen on archtop jazz guitars on both sides of the Atlantic pre-WWII.

I would rate his greatest legacy (at least aesthetically speaking)the body shape and trim details of the original 4000 bass.

Next would be the shapes of Rickenbacker guitars of the classic (pre-'63) era, followed by the delightful and quite playful details that make them such a treat for the eye: truss rod cover "dagger", "almond"-shaped pickguards, and use of contrasting woods in bodies and necks.

The double-cutaway Capris, both full-sized and short scale, are the most amazing, yet natural and nearly archetypal, silhouettes ever created for electric guitars--the idea of a double cutaway being a section of a 60 degree ellipse laid at an angle is sheer intuitive genius.

Rossmeisl did not originate the following beside the slash sound hole: checkerboard purfling (which we all misterm "binding"--myself included), finished fretboards, laminated necks, carved tops. I expect that Fireglo might be one of his translations, as well. I have owned some German archtops of various eras, and all of these exhibit these features, either one or several at once. I also have a wonderful Hemosch (East German, early '50s) archtop that's amazingly similar in nearly every way to a Rossmeisl/Electro archtop (itself having evolved into the legendary "Jazzbo"), and came from the factory with a finish very similar to Fireglo.

Anyway, if he's responsible for the whole concept of billet hollowbodies, there should be a national holiday in his memory.

I don't know a whole lot about him personally, but there have been hints of a tortured soul who turned to heavy drinking in later life. I suspect that people had difficulty getting close to him, and for that reason hold their tongues about the public part of his persona that may have been difficult to deal with.

blue330 · Post by **blue330** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:15 am

Hi Paul-
Yes, you're absolutely right and I never assume anybody solely invented anything! Just like with music, there seems to always be a surprising earlier version of everything. Or, as in how those fabled old Fenders were using AT&T patented circuits, etc. What I meant was- Rossmeisl really hit the right note in combining a lot of very pleasing elements into instruments which are not only lovely and truly distinctive but highly practical. Maybe what especially turned me on were, as you describe, the playful elements. The guitars had a fresh, modern look with enough historical references to keep them from becoming period pieces. I still can hardly believe the 4000 bass was designed in the 1950s!

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:50 am

Me too--they always say 1970's to me.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 12:24 pm

The cat's eye sound hole and the shark fin inlay are characteristics of the Mittenwald School, of which Roger was a graduate, and you can see these designs on guitars made in the 1890's. (The shark fin then was really a rectangle, diagonally bisected into black and white sections, giving the fin shape.)

If "dagger" TRC refers to the current scimitar design, that was created by my mom with a pair of scissors and paper.

Virtually all guitar amplifiers up until the early 1970's were done under license from Western Electric. However, in the later years it wasn't well enforced and the license fee was very nominal anyway. It was a little different than the usual life-of-the-patent agreements in that it provided for some cross-licensing of future patents under certain circumstances.

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:02 pm

Off topic and tacky to mention, but since John Hall and Mitch Easter are both commenting in the same thread, I hereby nominate Mitch Easter for the next signature Rickenbacker guitar. I'll take at least 2. And I don't even know what it would look like! --Jeff

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:57 pm

Hard to believe that he left in '62. Before the 12 string Ricken backer was even thought of. Before The Beatles. I wonder how that made him feel when Lennon played that '58 that he probably built?! And then when GH played the 12 string and lastly when Paul picked up the 4001 finally. Wow.

blue330 · Post by **blue330** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:29 pm

Rbksound_0- my kinda guy!

37012mgvp · Post by **37012mgvp** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:51 pm

I started out on a '59 345 Capri, and I was always in awe of the body style. That was in 1987, and I got a copy of Richard Smith's book on RIC guitars when it came out the following year. It didn't surprise me to find out the guitar was designed by a German. Much later, I got a Telecaster Thinline, and the body construction reminded me so much of a Rickenbacker. It even resonated in a similar manner when played acoustically. Sure enough, I found out that Roger was involved with that guitar too. Sad that he didn't stay with us longer to contribute more great designs.