Eric "Roscoe" Ambel - Producer, Guitarist, Songwriter
Words by Diane Gershuny
Pictures by Paul Thomas

Bottle Rockets, Go To Blazes, Mojo Nixon, Marshall Crenshaw, Run DMC/Everlast, Steve Wynn, Ryan Adams, The Backsliders, Nils Lofgren, Steve Earle… what do all these artists have in common? Eric "Roscoe" Ambel! He's lent his chops—on stage and in the studio—to all these artists as a songwriter, player and producer.

Roscoe's written with some of the best songwriters—from Steve Wynn and Dan Zanes to Brian Henneman and Ryan Adams. His production chops, working with like-minded players including the Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Blue Mountain, and the Blood Oranges, among many others, have earned him a legendary reputation in the world of roots rock.

As a player, he was an official Blackheart in an early incarnation of Joan Jett’s band in the early ’80s, moving on to later in the decade to form The Del-Lords with Scott Kempner (formerly of the Dictators). They recorded a half-dozen rockin' major label discs between '84 and '90, after which he left to focus on a solo career. Roscoe's Gang was formed at the end of the decade and their self-titled debut, released in '88 to cricital acclaim, featured a host of talented pals including Syd Straw, Peter Holsapple (Continental Drifters), and drummer Will Rigby (dBs, Steve Earle). The raunchy Yayhoos came together in the mid-90s with ex-Georgia Satellite Dan Baird, and their disc, Fear Not the Obvious on Bloodshot Records, hit in 2001. Currently, Roscoe's traverrsing the globe with Steve Earle & The Dukes—and his brand spankin' new Gretsch Spectra Sonic—in support of their recent release, Jerusalem (Artemis). To read more about Roscoe, check him out on the Web!

We exchanged a flurry of emails with him over the course of a few weeks in early March... So, without further ado, here 'tis!:

Who were some of the players early on who influenced you to become a musician and why? What about musical idols?
Well, I was doing my homework one Sunday night when I heard my parents laughing really hard at the TV. Had to see what the commotion was about. I saw four guys doing this really complete thing in a way that was unlike anything else I'd seen before in my life. Although I'd been into music since I was a really little kid, seeing the Beatles do it their way was a mind blower. It was also the beginning of thinking for myself, 'cause I sure wasn't laughing…

As far as guitar mentor/idols go, they would have been the Beatles, Stones, Kinks and the Big 3 Brit guitar guys (Beck, Clapton, Page). Fogerty and Creedence were a big deal 'cause they were a band you could actually sound like. And if you happened to be born between '56 and '59, you might have also dug Mark Farner and Grand Funk the way I did. They were the hard rock Creedence.

When did you first realize that you were going to make a career/living playing music? Was there a pivotal point in your career?
I didn't really think that much about the dough, so it wasn’t like a career, more like a mission. I just knew I absolutely had to play. I tell people to quit if they can. No way could I ever really quit.

What about any musical highlights in your career as a player or producer?
Lots of them… some not recorded like playing "Rebel Rebel" as the guitarist for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1981 at the Pier in NYC with the Coasters singing with us!

Working with the Bottle Rockets on their song "Radar Gun." It started out as a regular "ronka-ronka" tune but I brought Mötley Crüe’s "Kickstart My Heart" to the studio and we copped the train beat from that one. Brian Henneman's high E-string is totally flat but it was a great take and it actually got on classic rock radio and sold close to 100,000 copies.

The first time I recorded with Steve Earle was also real cool. We cut "Two Girls" for a Townes Van Zandt compilation. When I realized we were really cutting the track with the vocal and all the guitars live it got real exciting. The booklet had triple space printed lyrics but no musician credits....

Tell me about your first Gretsch experience?
I first became aware of the Gretsch guitar watching George Harrison play one on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Monkees, who had some of the world’s greatest songwriters and musicians crafting their records, used them too. I got my first Gretsch in '79 in Hollywood, CA. I was playing guitar with Rik L Rik and Top Jimmy, and I auditioned and became the original guitarist for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. I had a real nice G Corvette (the 3 x 3 headstock type) that I believed to be from the '60's. I used that guitar with Joan and then I sold it to Brix Smith who played in the Fall and also had records under the name of the Adult Net. In the Del Lords, I used a fantastic '60s Nashville model that belonged to Ross "the Boss" from the Dictators for quite a while.

How did you become aware of the Spectra Sonic?
I saw a product profile on the Spectra Sonic in Guitar Player magazine a year or so ago. To me, the Spectra Sonic looked like a pre-customized Gretsch that’d work well for a live player with simplified/streamlined electronics (no extra pots or switches), the great TV Jones** Filtertrons, The best Bigsby (with the tension bar), and a very cool vibe to it.

Have you done any mods on the guitar?
I haven't even had to intonate it! I just put my strings on there. The only mod I did was to put a .001 capacitor across the free legs of the volume pot. I do this to all my guitars, and it gives you the ability to actually use your volume pot. As you turn the guitar down, the treble doesn't go away. It’s a fabulous fifty-cent mod and it works on every single guitar. The only thing I would suggest is that the buttons on the tuners could look a little more vintage to match the look of the guitar.

How have you incorporated it into the Steve Earle gig?
I had been looking for a guitar with a Bigsby on it for the Earle gig. The Bigsby and the difference in string tension that comes with the Spectra Sonic makes you play a little different, and that’s fun. I used the Spectra Sonic guitar on stage with Steve the very first day it showed up!

You told me that Steve was so smitten with the guitar when it showed up that he had to have one immediately, too!?
We were both really knocked out by the guitar when it showed up. Steve uses Epiphone John Lennon Casinos on stage and in the studio. The Spectra Sonics guitar has to be one of the coolest-looking new guitar designs in the last 30 years. Steve wanted one, too. His took the long way around the country via Fed-X, who decided to send it to a bunch of places that we had been and gone. I was getting nervous 'cause he kept eyeing mine. The more he saw it, the more he wanted one. Steve's son Justin (my tech), who is a great fingerstyle player, has gravitated to the Spectra Sonics model, too. When I get to soundcheck, Justin is always thumping away on that thing! We all really dig the look of the guitar and the large body.

In the current set list with Steve, what songs do you both play the Gretsch on?
"My Old Friend the Blues", "Someday" and "Tanytown".

What do you love about the guitar?
The style of the thing is really fantastic. It's great to hold on to a guitar with a body that big—it's almost acoustic-sized. I always think of George Harrison when I have it in my hands. I have the strap shorter than my other guitars and I try to hold the guitar level to the ground the way George played. The Bigsby and the difference in string tension make you play differently than with a Tele or a Les Paul. The neck feels a little more like a Rickenbacker than the standard Gretsch neck. The string bending is different, too. You have to think about it a little, which is cool. Also, the Bigsby arm is located in exactly the right place for me.

Tell me about the other guitars you're playing on tour?
I use several P-90 equipped Les Paul’s ('57 Jr. '60 Special & '54 Goldtop) all with wrap-around tails. I also have several Telecasters—a '66 Custom with a Maple ‘board, an ESP with a B-Bender, and two custom-built Tele's painted by Todd Hanson and assembled to my spec at 5th Ave. Fretshop in Columbus, OH... one of which has a '67 Fender neck. Also, I use a Jerry Jones electric 12-string.

What amp(s) are you playing through?
Right now, with Steve Earle and the Dukes, I am using three amps through two cabinets: a Dr. Z MAZ 18 Jr. NR through a '62 Fender Bassman cabinet loaded with new 25W Jensen Alnicos and an Oahu Dual 6V6 head that feeds half of a Gibson Goldtone cab and has a power amp out circuit that feeds the input of my Blonde '62 Bassman head. The Gibson cabinet has two 10's, an open back, and two 12's closed. The Oahu side gets a Mojotone 10 and a Celestion Vintage 30, and the Bassman side gets new low-watt Jensen Alnicos. All the amps stay on and all three are miked to the house. I also use two Fender Pro Jr.'s into a Bassman cabinet in some situations, and rely on the Pro Jr. as a mainstay in my recording studio.

How about effects?
I have a pedalboard that was built by two guys in Nashville. Ferg of Fergs Amps started it and Randy of Techstar finished it. The signal goes into Fergs splitter/standby box and is split to a Boss TU-2 that stays on. Then it goes to a Fulltone Clyde Wah, Fulltone Supa-trem, Ferg Loop Selector that activates a Danelectro "Back Talk", Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Maxon Analog Delay (the big box vintage one) and finally to the Fulltone Choral Flange before being routed back to the Ferg Splitter.

And strings?
I use D'Addario strings. They're a custom gauge on all my guitars: 12, 15, 20 plain; 34, 46, 56 wound. The big strings are a big part of my sound. They have much more output and are a lot easier to play accurately in tune. Resistance is a very good thing.

Any players you’ve seen recently that have knocked you out?
Shelby Lynne's NYC Bowery Ballroom concert a few years back (I Am Shelby Lynne) was just fantastic. She sang great and every word she said hit home very hard with me.

The most exciting musical thing in a long time for me has been to watch Robert Randolph take off. He's a real wizard on that pedal steel! He’s coming from a completely different place, but his technique and emotion has him standing on the same step as Jeff Beck in my book. Seems that he can do absolutely anything. He's capable of executing any idea that comes to him in a really fluid manner. I recorded his very first demo and he played his first non-church gigs ever at my bar, the Lakeside Lounge in NYC. He's a completely pure musician.

** Stay tuned for an up-n-coming interview with guitar maker/pickup guru, TV Jones!