Description

During a visit to the Roscoe shop in early 2013, I asked Production Manager Gard Lewis whether they could make a Standard Plus bass using a thin Buckeye Burl top. The immediate answer was "no". Buckeye Burl essenatially crumbles as it gets thinner and thinner. After I left, Gard chatted with Keith and Tony to see if they could come up with a way to do it efficiently, and to my pleasant surprise that "no" turned into a "yes".

At the same time, I had been watching Roscoe's South American retailer do his thing with a Limited Edition Standard Plus bass that sports a holly top AND a matching headstock. Gard told me I could do the same thing, I'd just have to use a wood different than Holly. I put two and two together and came up with Buckeye Burl for my first Rocket Music Limited Edition series.

The final wrinkle was the introduction by Aguilar of several new pickup offerings that I was anxious to try in a Roscoe bass. The DCB models were most appropriate in my mind with a bass that has a Buckeye Burl top. If you're a guy who's into Buckeye, a modern soapbar sort of tone is probably right in your wheelhouse.

So long story short, Rocket Music will soon be offering at least 10 of these RMLE (Rocket Music Limited Edition) basses. They'll come in a variety of body shapes (LG, SKB and Century) and string counts (4-, 5- and 6-strings). They'll all feature a Mahogany body, Buckeye Burl top and matching headstock, Wenge (fretted) or Diamondwood (fretless) fingerboard, 3-piece maple neck, Aguilar DCB pickups, Aguilar OBP-3 preamp and black hardware.

I've ordered 5 initially, and I'll have to order at least 5 more within a reasonable amount of time. I'm leaving those second 5 orders open for now in case anyone wants me to order something specific that I might not otherwise order (like, say, a 6-string fretless).

Features

• Model: LG Standard Plus 5 RMLE, Left Handed (+$175)
• Body: Mahogany
• Top: Buckeye Burl
• Matching Headstock
• Finish: Satin Natural
• Pickups: Aguilar DCB's
• Preamp: Aguilar OBP-3
• Neck: 3-Piece Maple Neck
• Fingerboard: Wenge, Fretted
• Hardware: Black
• Case: Roscoe Single Gigbag