The Dream Will Be Reality

[Bassist19]

I spoke with Gard for the first time this afternoon after doing a couple emails about getting my new dream Roscoe. I was just going to try to upgrade my LG 3005 but the push came from my wife who said get that custom built, no more talk, just do it!!

Gard suggested I throw this out to you guys and get some feedback. The bass will be either a SKB 3005 or Century Signature V with swamp ash body figued bubunga top maple board on possibly a wedge neck I'm thinking wenge. Nordstrand pickups and Audere preamp will be in it for certain. Wife wants me to get the estate ivory nut. I'm having a hard time trying to justify the extra expense of the body and the neck (not to mention the nut) so I need some advise as to the sonic differences between all the upgrades I mentioned. .

I need your feedback. Are they The Century body and the wedhe wenge neck) worth the extra cash? And what Nordstrand pickups really pop? The DCs or the Fat Stacks?
I am really pumped about placing this order and would appreciate any advise as to which extras you all think would make this bass an even more musical work of art.

[Groovin]

Maybe its just me but a nice custom with a burl top and a PLAIN maple board doesnt look right. I would have em throw a spalted board or a birdseye maple on there to get that last asthetic touch.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by Groovin

Maybe its just me but a nice custom with a burl top and a PLAIN maple board doesnt look right. I would have em throw a spalted board or a birdseye maple on there to get that last asthetic touch.

I actually used to think this way, but have come to a different conclusion now - I find that a VERY BUSY top paired with a VERY BUSY fingerboard is just VERY BUSY...asthetically, it's TOO MUCH.

Pairing a crazy top, like buckeye burl, with a more subdued fingerboard, like straight grained maple or pau ferro is much more pleasing to the eye, gives both color and figure contrast without clashing.

Someone once commented to me that doing a bird's eye fingerboard with a buckeye burl top is like putting seersucker with plaid!

[T. B. Player]

Originally Posted by Gard

I actually used to think this way, but have come to a different conclusion now - I find that a VERY BUSY top paired with a VERY BUSY fingerboard is just VERY BUSY...asthetically, it's TOO MUCH.

Pairing a crazy top, like buckeye burl, with a more subdued fingerboard, like straight grained maple or pau ferro is much more pleasing to the eye, gives both color and figure contrast without clashing.

Someone once commented to me that doing a bird's eye fingerboard with a buckeye burl top is like putting seersucker with plaid!

Have to agree - if your board is more plain, it allows your fingering to stand out as well in a performance situation.

For what it's worth, if you're torn, go for the Century - just my 2 cents....

Z

[Groovin]

Originally Posted by Gard

I actually used to think this way, but have come to a different conclusion now - I find that a VERY BUSY top paired with a VERY BUSY fingerboard is just VERY BUSY...asthetically, it's TOO MUCH.

Pairing a crazy top, like buckeye burl, with a more subdued fingerboard, like straight grained maple or pau ferro is much more pleasing to the eye, gives both color and figure contrast without clashing.

Someone once commented to me that doing a bird's eye fingerboard with a buckeye burl top is like putting seersucker with plaid!

Hmmm... Interesting. This makes sense. I'm more of an Mac Ebony/ darker F-board kinda guy anyway but yeah, I can see your point here. That and the fact that you've seen and played many many many more than me!!

[xkimsungminx]

You might want to give the FatStacks a try. People that have them in their Nordy's seem to be enjoying them, and another TB'er I met a month or so ago had an SKB 3007 and had Carey build him Fat Stacks and said he liked them a lot in his bass. He made a comparison to the Nord DC's but I can't remember right now what he said exactly.

[Basso Gruvitas]

boy, is your wife nice! If MY wife said, "get on the phone and order that bass!" and "I don't care what it costs, get the Ivory nut", I would think she was:

A) suddenly lost of her senses
B) abducted by body-snatching aliens, and replaced with a clone, or
C) a Stepford Wife!!


Okay, ONE guy's opinion here....
1. I agree that you need to balance out the aesthetics with a less over-the-top looking fingerboard.
2. I think the bubinga top/maple board thing is being overdone (no offense Gard - it was new and cool when you thought it up.)
3. WHAT TONE ARE YOU AFTER!!!?????? Don't buy a bass on aesthetics - think about what you want the thing to SOUND like.


Whew, I'm done.

[Gard]

John, the reason for #2 IS #3.



You think we were just talking about what looks good?

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by Gard

I actually used to think this way, but have come to a different conclusion now - I find that a VERY BUSY top paired with a VERY BUSY fingerboard is just VERY BUSY...asthetically, it's TOO MUCH.

Pairing a crazy top, like buckeye burl, with a more subdued fingerboard, like straight grained maple or pau ferro is much more pleasing to the eye, gives both color and figure contrast without clashing.

Someone once commented to me that doing a bird's eye fingerboard with a buckeye burl top is like putting seersucker with plaid!

+1

Kind of like this....If the straight grain ever bores you just flip the bass over and look at the wenge/yellowheart/maple/yellowheart/wenge on the back of the neck.

As for the other spec's, I'd go for at least the wedge neck. The century is probably a better bang for the buck but only if you really like the extended horn. Personally I kind of prefer the std. SKB body but I'm a creature of habit!
The Std. SKB body with the wedge neck would also save you a few bucks that you could apply elsewhere (on the bass).

Definitely go with the Nord p/u's. I can't really comment on the Audere since I've yet to hear a Roscoe version. The comments of late on this forum are real positive on the Audere though. Of course I've got no problem with the Aguilar OBP-3. It's tried and proven and there's something to be said about that.......

[Bassist19]

Thanks for the advise and some very good answers and yes I did forget to tell you what sound I'm going for , But the "you think we just talk about what looks good?"

Well yea I do.....no I know but at the same time I may have forgot to mention my other basses are an old Tobias Signature with chamgered body and 9 lam neck. One of the only 5 made 5th Aniversity 535 that Mike Tobias made. I mean this is not my first time around quality gear but the people on here seem to go to the heart of the matter alot about tone and looks cause that is part of the package or we all would think simply be playing a half finished J bass beat to hell and think we were all Jaco.

My sound is alot of low midrange clarity and balls in the clear sense. the sparkle of treble I like is the finger tip against new stainless steel round wounds but with character and not that P-Bass clank treble. I play alot of notes but I ike to have a bige fat round whole note to dop in the cross hairs of the geasy groove. I like clean with just a pinch of eefects from my trusty Lexicon.

I need to be able to have tone from the bass more than I need to buy and put it in the bass. Andby the way I ordered it tonight with the Audere Nordstarnd DC with a coil split ivory nut, And the Spamp Ash stays and I'm going to look at a piece of Crazy figured Bubinga that I was told may be big enough for a one piece top. If I love the top it will be a matter of which style will it fit. If Century okay and if a LG okay, maybe but it will also have a contrastting color for the body against the top instead of just being unfinished.

I almost went for Zircote but I don't want alot of weigght. The closest I can describe the sound I hear wouild be ; Jonas Hellborb complete . If yout ook his sound from the begining and distilled the graet tones it's that. Punchy, clear as a bell with notes that jump and dance. Does that kinda answer your question?