Century 3006-J. Oh...okay

[VroomVroom]

Like many of us, I was all-kinda' excited when Roscoe announced they were dipping toe in the J-bass pool. From that moment, the concept really resonated with me. That flavor of tone just fits nicely with what I hear in my head (no, not those voices...that's something else entirely) and it seems to me to be the absolute perfect merger of...however you want to label it...old/new, traditional/modern, and yes, even high-volume/boutique. I knew right away I'd have to have one, but I wanted to mull things over for a while until the ingredients merged into a hearty stew. SKB or Century? Standard or sig (i.e flat or carved)? Ash or alder? Top or no top? Maple or rosewood? Five-string or six? Solid or trans, and at that...what color?

Lots of questions - including the, "How in the hell do I pay for this?" one, and it took time to be comfortable with the answers. Getting to play a Century sig really helped - both in terms of body style and in addressing the carved/flat shape. Leveraging Greg @ Rocket's willingness to jump in head-first by ordering basses...and then sharing sound clips...was HUGE. Thanks, Greg - you totally cemented the idea in my head, and validated that the tone from these things is simply ferocious. The rest came down to really defining my goals and reconciling the approach in my mind:

- A bass that covers a lot of sonic ground. Comfortable on R&B and funk gigs as well as behind a jazz vocalist with other trio mates. Warmth, bite, grind, oomph...needs to be in there. Meaty fingerstyle tone with some bark on-tap, and a mean, cutting slap tone.

- A bass that, in both looks and sound, fits the bill on any gig or session. Not that it has to match an old Fender in sound or a Century Signature in looks, but that it cruises through each of those neighborhoods without drawing a pull-over from the gendarmes.

So, mission accomplished (including, hopefully...how to fund it...anyone wanna' buy a Sadowsky? ). The two hardest decisions? Five-string or six, and ash/maple or alder/rosewood. Both were answered at roughly the same time, simply by studying what I've already got....essentially a number of five-string basses that I love...a couple of them in ash/maple, and one six-string that I love (fertile myrtle).

Still with me? Here we are. Some quality chat time with Gard, and we've got an order happening. Here's the skinny:

Century 3006-J
Alder body & standard maple top
Pau Ferro fingerboard w/ no 12th-fret inlay
Bart electronics
Lake Placid Blue finish

What's with the top and the pau ferro, you ask? The result of input from my local guru and the Saints Fan. My request for some bite and "snap" to the sound was received with suggestions for both. Bada boom. Gard will select the ugliest possible top so that covering it with blue will be a favor instead of a crime against huge manatees.

Finally...what in the heck does a Roscoe look like when dressed in Lake Placid Blue? Great question. Given that my photoshop skills in this area create results almost as good as those of a sugar-overdosed six-year-old with a box of crayons, I called on the expertise of our favorite Irishman for a quality rendering. And, in the true spirit of forgiveness-over-permission, he started with an image freshly pilfered from the Rocket site. Many thanks to both Bill and Greg! Ka-ching, here you go...coming soon to a Roscoehead in JerryBrownLand....may I present:

...

...

...wait for it.

...




Badass or what?

[Darkstrike]

This is gonna be such a crazy bass, can't wait to see it coming together!

[VroomVroom]

Bill, thanks again for your time and expertise! I was drooling when I sent you the original pic. Upon receiving your artwork I've had to go buy extra diapers.

[CrashClint]

One suggestion, go with Alder, you will be glad you did.

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

Bill, thanks again for your time and expertise! I was drooling when I sent you the original pic. Upon receiving your artwork I've had to go buy extra diapers.

You're welcome man, I was only delighted to help! Espcially when it's a bass as awesome as this is/is going to be!

[RocketMusic]

Nice, Jerry! I just received another Roscoe "J" today (that four string that's been floating around in another thread), and it's possibly the most "J" of them all so far. The 6 string was very much in "J" territory, and the 4 certainly is, too.

So this is really cool. I hope your custom order goes peachily!! If that's even a word... regardless, congrats!!

[LilRay]

Uber Badass indeed Jerry.

Here's a bit of pseudo irony for ya;

Welcome to the whirl of BLUE Roscoe.

Can't wait to see it or hear it in your very capable hands..

But you do know you'll hafta be known as Papa JB Smurf right????





God Bless, Ray

[Bipslapper]

Way to go Jerry! More voyeuristic happenings here.

Love the blue. Must grab more popcorn for this build flick.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

Standard or sig (i.e flat or carved)? D

What's the difference between them? The body on my C5 is contoured - is a sig even moreso?

I've wondered about 6-string. I need to stop wondering. It is bad for my budget.

As for yours - none more blue.

[CactusmanDoug]

Originally Posted by CrashClint

One suggestion, go with Alder, you will be glad you did.

...hey Sparky, he's already got "Alder Body" spec'd in his build description.

I think you've got a new favorite bass on the way, Jerry!

[jebmd]

That bass looks vaguely familiar I think you'll be really happy with the results Jerry, once you decide on wood species you like. The pups along with their placement really make a world of difference. But I personally dig the neck pup a little closer to the neck.

And so you don't feel all alone, I've spent some time considering letting my Sadowsky go after a couple days with J6.

BTW you won't regret the Pau Ferro board.

[LilRay]

Originally Posted by CactusmanDoug

...hey Sparky, he's already got "Alder Body" spec'd in his build description.

I think you've got a new favorite bass on the way, Jerry!

Clint can't read to well tonight Doug. See Mrs. Crash "dotted" both his eyes for selling the Roscoe she liked.





God Bless, Ray

[RocketMusic]

Originally Posted by nostatic

What's the difference between them? The body on my C5 is contoured - is a sig even moreso?

Ah, what a tangled web... the Roscoe product line has really evolved over the past couple years, hasn't it? It probably makes sense to those of us who've been keeping up, but I imagine it is a tad confusing to others... let me try to 'splain as best I can.

You've got the 3 basic body styles: LG, SKB, Century.

Each of those body styles can come in several different variants:
- Standard (3-pc Maple neck, Swamp Ash body w/ non-carved top)
- Standard + (3-pc Maple neck, Swamp Ash body w/ fancy veneer but still non-carved top)
- 300X (3-pc Maple/PH/Maple neck, customizable specs, carved top)
- 300X Signature ("Wedge" neck, customizable specs, carved top)

I'm glossing over many a detail there, but that's the basic story. Check out the back pic of my bass to see a "Wenge Wedge" neck.

[nostatic]

ahh, I see the point of my confusion. I was considering a 300X as "standard" rather than the actual "Standard." Confusion is my standard operating procedure however, and I am a standard bearer in this field.

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by nostatic

and I am a standard bearer in this field.

Ahhh, but are you a "Standard" bearer, or are you a "standard bearer"....?

[nostatic]

to quote your sig, "oh yes..."

[Darkstrike]

Super! An old fashioned SSB in this day and age!

[CrashClint]

Originally Posted by CactusmanDoug

...hey Sparky, he's already got "Alder Body" spec'd in his build description.

I think you've got a new favorite bass on the way, Jerry!

I guess I had a dyslexic moment. Jerry you are going to love this bass and Lake Placid Blue is going to look hot.

[FretNot]

From the above picture, I take it that you're going pickguardless...
I like the specs though!

[nostatic]

Pickguard? Hmm...interesting thought.



Maybe a clear one?