Homegrown Century Std. 4 Plus (AKA From tree to bass)

[fishdds]

Since it's officially been ordered, I will start a thread.
It's not every day you get a new Roscoe made (well, that goes for me anyway. Some of you guys... ) This one has a cool story:
This summer, a large yellow maple tree came down in my parents' front yard during a particularly gusty storm. This tree had some sentimental value to me, because my brother and I used to climb it when we were young. We even built a small platform in the tree to sit in and look out over the horse pasture across the street. I didn't want to just chop this tree up for firewood, so I started thinking about what I could do with it, and of course, one of the first things that came to mind was a bass. (I have also made a bowl and some spoons and things with some of it since then, but I digress) I figured there might be some interesting figure or spalt in the tree, based on what I saw from where it was broken, but I wasn't setting my hopes too high. After all, it was just a tree that came out of my parents' front yard. The main point was the sentimental value it would have for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what Keith was able to find inside the huge stump I delivered to his shop. First, specs:

Century Standard 4 plus
Left Handed
Mahogany body, homegrown maple top
Pau Ferro fingerboard
Bart JJ pickups
Bart preamp
Black Hardware

Now, some pics:




The master at work:


Looks like there might be some actual figure here:

Flame maple!

Let the bookmatching begin!

And finally, the top I settled on out of several possibilities:

Thanks to Keith for being willing to do this for me. This is a prime example of exceptional customer service, folks; one of the things that makes Roscoe Guitars so special. I realize I may be preaching to the choir here, but if you're just checking out Roscoe for the first time, take notice.
I'll try to post in progress pics as I'm able to drop by the shop (living in Roscoeboro has its advantages...and liabilities)

[VroomVroom]

Absolutely outstanding. Great story, and one heck of a great bass. Just awesome.

[Joel B]

How long will this wood need to cure before use?

[JOME77]

Wow! That is so very cooll!

Talk about sentamental value in a bass!
Not many guys can say that they use to climb the tree that the wood for the bass that they play came from.

How neat is that too that Keith was willing to go along with the idea and make it happen! This needs to be a PBS special!

[Darkstrike]

MY WORD.




That is on truly incredible top..... incredible.

Congrats, can't wait to see it progress, some mighty specs you've chosen.

[fishdds]

Thanks, guys.

Originally Posted by Joel B

How long will this wood need to cure before use?

The tree fell in July, and Keith cut it up a few weeks later. It was very wet at that point. In fact, the pic of the top above was taken right after it was resawn, and wasn't wetted with anything. The pieces were stickered (stacked with separating stringers in between and a weight on top of the stack) for a couple of months to dry. Keith has since glued the top together, and it's ready to go at this point. I believe 10% moisture content is the general target, but I don't think it's quite as critical since the wood is being used as a top, and not something like a neck. Also, the pieces are fairly thin (less than 1 in.) so they dry pretty quickly. Gard can correct me if I'm way off base here.

[Joel B]

Originally Posted by fishdds

Thanks, guys.



The tree fell in July, and Keith cut it up a few weeks later. It was very wet at that point. In fact, the pic of the top above was taken right after it was resawn, and wasn't wetted with anything. The pieces were stickered (stacked with separating stringers in between and a weight on top of the stack) for a couple of months to dry. Keith has since glued the top together, and it's ready to go at this point. I believe 10% moisture content is the general target, but I don't think it's quite as critical since the wood is being used as a top, and not something like a neck. Also, the pieces are fairly thin (less than 1 in.) so they dry pretty quickly. Gard can correct me if I'm way off base here.

This is definantly one of the coolest stories I've heard dealing with the source of the wood involved.

Just be very careful with THIS one. It looks like the guys at the Roscoe shop made a rare mistake on your other two, and attached the neck to the wrong side of the bass.

[Marial]

That is extremely cool.

[LilRay]

AWESOME! I'M IN!

Congrats man.



God Bless, Ray

[RocketMusic]

Thanks for sharing those pics, David - that's so cool to see your childhood tree come back to life as a bass top!

I've got two boys (8 & 9), and they do the exact same thing in our front yard. There are 2-3 trees that they always seem to be up. I'll have to look more closely when I get home, but I think they're oaks or poplars. Maybe future flooring or cabinets for their houses?!?

[Bipslapper]

Cool Beans! As an arborist, owner of 2 Roscoe basses and bass hack; I have subscribed to this thread. I love the family connection and as a father myself of 2 girls who play music, I say kudos. Curious as well to the curing period required for the wood to be at optimum hydration for Keith and Tony to work their mojo. Best of luck and thanks for the nice story.

[LightGroove]

Love the thread and concept..im actually doing something very similar.
Typically wood is cut and air dried for 3-6 months then slow kiln dried for another month or 2 to bring it down..There are products to speed up this process (alcohol based) but require the wood to be saturated for a period of time...Based on my research the ideal moisture content for stable real world use is 6-8%... this will fluctuate even after stabilization based on living conditions and finishing materials. Biggest concern I would have would be checking/cracking should the top dry too fast ..this would prob. become moot if you go with the thick Roscoe finish...oil finish may warrant something a little different.

Point being your top should be close but could prob. use a bit more time.

[bassWR]

What a fantastic story.
Count me in.

Had a tree in my yard blow down in a storm a few years ago that just happened to be the last tree my father (one of the worlds great gardners) planted.
I was out of town on business so my nephew stopped by and cut it up for my wife. Well lo and behold a few months later he suprises me with a bowl he turned from a piece of the trunk.

It's amazing how something so simple can bring back fond memories when you see it. Especially when it has the warmth and character of wood.

And ya gotta love the connection between boyhood fun and your music as an adult. This is gonna be a fun build to watch.

Kudos to Keith and the Roscoe crew for bringing life to an heirloom instrument.

[BartmanPDX]

Very, very cool. A great story to go with a great bass.

[fishdds]

Thanks, guys. Here are some pictures of some of the other things I have made with the wood from the tree. It's cool how many different colors and patterns there are in the same tree, mostly from the spalting and mineral streaking in the dead areas of the tree. Turns out, there was a huge colony of carpenter ants going up the very center of the tree. They were going everywhere when my brother was using his chainsaw on the stump.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1173750&type=1

[Basso Gruvitas]

Very cool story! How often does this happen?

I think that's very considerate of Keith to be willing to use this wood. Since it looks like some beautiful figuring, I'm sure he didn't mind at all!

At two different stages of life, you get to play on this wood!

[DannyV]

That's wonderful! My wife's father gave me part of a walnut stump, and I have hopes of taking it to Keith and company one day, perhaps to become a top.

Keep us updated, please!

[JHandley]

GREAT story,
subscribed!
Climbed alot of trees in my own childhood yard, and this story made me wonder what if............?
Thanx for sharing this
Jeff

[Kevmon66]

Great story! I know that Keith is planning on doing something similar with a tree on his land. I will keep my eyes open for some good wood that I can donate as I am a builder and often have to take down large trees... I love stoking the woodstove, but as many have said, this is most definitely a higher purpose! Can't wait to see the finished project!

Kevmon

[fishdds]

This bass is coming right along. Here are a few low quality cell phone pics I got a couple weeks ago: (top is dry, so lighter and flame doesn't show as well as it will with finish)