Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

When I started my "Rickies from the Forest White days" thread I suddenly realised that with Forest White coming from Fender, Roger Rossmeisl who worked for Fender in the sixties came from Rickenbacker and was the driving force behind the 300 series semi acoustics.

So I thought I'd check on how Rick-esque the Fenders guitars were that came from his hand.

http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1985-1986_Fender_Telecaster_Thinline_A071177_front.jpg
This is without the best known Fender to come from Rossmeisl's hand: the Fender Thinline Telecaster. It bears all the hallmarks of Rossmeisl, the F-hole for example can also be found on his German built "Roger" guitars. The hollow body, routed out from behind and covered up with a piece of matching wood is done pretty much the same way as the Construction of a Rickenbacker 330. Later the model was revamped to wear Fender's "Wide Range" Humbuckers.

http://www.davesguitar.com/product/C14758.JPG
The Fender Coronado. In an efford to widen the appeal of Fender, Rossmeisl was asked to design a line of Fender semies meant to compete with gretsch and the Gibson ES series. The Coronado is the result of that. A very un-Fender like guitar it nevertheless carried Rossmeisl's signature F-hole and is very obviously his design. It also was the only Fender from that time period that used non-Fender made Pickups: DeArmonds. But the Feature that sealed it's fate was the Bolt on neck.

http://www.awa.or.jp/home/kuma/guitar/img/fender.jpg
The Fender Montego (the one in the middle) If the Coronado was very Un-Fender looking, the Montego and the top-of-the-line "LTD" (Which had his "German carve") were even less Fender looking Bearing a striking resemblence to the Rickenbacker Jazz-bo (which is also a Rossmeisl design) these guitars were meant to compete with Guild, D'angelico and of Course Gibson. But they once again featured bolt on necks and not many were made.

http://www.themusiczoo.com/MZC_FenderNewporterAcoustic15625.htm
Finally, Rossmeisl also was the brains behind Fender's first acoustic range of guitars (The model in these pictures is a "Newporter") and pretty much like the Coronado and the Montego they weren't exactly conventional acoustics, nor were they very good, with (again) bolt on necks and the pickguard made out of thick plastic and put into place by screws directly into the top of the guitar.

So, Rossmeisl's time with Fender did not lead to the envisoned acceptence from the Jazz guys and acoustic guys with his designs and ideas.

HOWEVER...
Fender still offers the Thinline Telecaster in both the single coil and Humbucker versions and even in Squier versions. Fender's more recent archtop guitars all featured Rossmeisl's signature F-hole. And Rossmeisl's acoustic designs also made a comeback albeit made in the proper way with set in necks and with a smaller and thinner version of the pickguard.

So all in all Rossmeisl's time with fender wasn't a total waste of time and energy.

Roger did not build "Roger" guitars...they were built by his father, Wenzel, and named after his son, then a youngster.

I don't know how you can credit Roger with the "F"hole, when it was seen in stringed instruments in the Middle ages and refined to perfection by Stradivari himself. EVERYBODY used the "F" hole.

Roger's effect/influence on the Fender flat top acoustic line was minimal, in a design sense, but probably more felt in the production lend of things. These guitars were not well-regarded, despite a raft of celebrity endorsements.

But, yes, the Thinline Tele is a stone fox classic, Wouter.

I always loved the Fender banana 12-string headstock.

I think it looks like a cucumber with an old sock over it.

The Coronado is such a beautiful ...dog.

I have never found one that didn't sound tinny and ******. But I looked, by Jesus, I looked. I wanted one badly! How could a gorgeous med/thinline electric with single coils go so wrong?

Paul I didn't say Rossmeisl invented the F-hole, what I meant was that he had his destinctive shape of F-hole. Different from Gretsch and Gibson F-holes. The typical shape of Rossmeisl F-holes can be seen on both the Roger guitars and the Fender thinlines he develloped.

When I was playing my 330 in a band, the singer wound up getting a Coronado. My impression upon playing it was, compared to my Rick, the Coronado felt like it was made of balsa. I don't have the attitude that no guitar comes close to a Rick, but that Coronado sure didn't come close - it just felt cheap.

I never said that headstock was beautiful, I thought it was kinda cool in a kitchy kinda way. Very '60's.
I always thought it looked like some kind of a gourd or something.

Off track a bit, watching a documentary on the Monterey Pop Festival, the lead singer of the opening band (all together now) The Association (!), was playing a Coronado looking guitar, Fender strat-style headstock, 12 strings. The tuning heads were staggered, Rick style on the north side of the head. Was that a fender?

I totally agree with you on the Coronado, Noel!

Hmm...wonder if toasters would fit?

Jerry, I'm a huge Association fan; just picked up a 50+ song compilation on Cd. They were accomplished folkies before hitting the rock genre, and their best stuff still resonates with me 40+ years later.

I never knew RR designed the thinline tele. Odd that, because it's always appealed to me...in fact I'm close to picking one up!

Paul my amazement was that they were there at all, my memories being it a counter culture type show. But in reality, counter culture music was being born, or I should say finally being exposed to the masses.

As they said in the documentary, "some bands came to Monterey stars, and went home nobodies, while some nobodies came to Monterey and went home stars". (Quote something to that effect).

I used to think these guitars were Coronado copies in a way (this is a 1970 model):
http://www.jolana.info/studio/STUDIO.jpg

Then I found this 1963 model, makes me wonder, although here there is obviously a Fender influence:
http://www.jolana.info/tornado/tornado.html

Then there's this very rare newer one, which actually has the so-called German carve:
http://www.muzikus.cz/pro-muzikanty-tes ... unor~2004/

I've tried the first one by the way, the neck is unplayable (but the body seems well-built), which seems to be a common problem with Communist era guitars.

The Association was one of the first 'professional' rock bands I ever saw. About 1966 I would say. I didn't want to go [ dragged there by girlfriend], but they were very good! Great harmonies and good musicians.