Keith, you have ruined music stores for me forever...

[Danksalot]

Ever since I got my SKB 3005 I can't even go into a music store and have fun any more. I used to look at all of the pretty basses and dream of one day owning one of the fancy ones hanging on the wall. Just like going on vacation to a beautiful resort, but somewhere you could never hope to live. My Roscoe is by no means "fancy" compared to what you're making now, but it puts to shame every bass available for purchase within 100 miles of my house. Now it's like I go on vacation expecting a beautiful resort, and the whole time it is pouring rain.

Since being inducted into the Roscoe family, every time I go into a music store, I can't wait to put down whatever bass they have there, and run home to my Roscoe. As far as tone and playability, nothing else even comes close.

There's even more to it than that though. From the first day I got it, my Roscoe feels like home to me. It's effortless to play, and the tone I want to hear just comes out. I can't tell you how happy I am when I come home to my Roscoe from the disastrous "vacation" that was my trip to the music store.

Thank you!

Danksalot

[CrashClint]

I was just in Orlando on business so I sneaked away and had to go to Bass Central one day. I played all the basses except the $17,000 Alembic (my credit limit wasn't high enough on my credit card.) I played a LG3000 that played like a dream. I grabbed a Sadowsky import and just started comparing. Though the Sadowsky had a real nice punchy tone, to me it didn't feel as nice as the Roscoe in my hands. The Roscoe had much better action, it was lighter in weight and the neck felt sweet.

When I am in Toronto next month I will be stopping by Club Bass to check out their Roscoe basses.

[Danksalot]

That would be really cool. The choices I have in music stores here are:

1. A poorly set up cheap Fender

2. A poorly set up expensive Fender

That's about it. Everything else (meaning one Ernie Ball Stingray) is kept far from reach. Right now though, I'm actually typing with my Roscoe in my lap, so I'm happy.

Danksalot

[Fishheadjoe]

Op... thanks for putting into words, the feeling I have every day! The only attribute I would add, would be the Roscoe ability to record like a dream!

Crash Clint... enjoy your visit to Club Bass! Dave's a great guy, who really knows his stuff. He understands bass guitars and the people who play them. But most of all, Dave really cares about his customers... hence the name, Club Bass!
Fishheadjoe

[davecheng]

Clint, see if you can make a trip north of the city to Cosmo Music, about 45 minutes north of the downtown core, conveniently off the Don Valley Parkway/404 highway. Absolutely huge new store, and it's easy to spend an afternoon in there--especially considering there's an espresso bar too.

Cosmo has a few boutique brands in stock, including F Bass and Suhr. They'll likely still have a few F Bass BN5 and VF5 models, as well as an AC5 fretless, which is in a league unto itself as far as fretless tone. There are a bunch of decent Markbass and Aguilar amps around to audition.

The bass stuff is also confined to its own room, so you don't have to listen to any of the guitards. There's a nice guy in the department named Rail who is an absolute tone junkie, and really knows his stuff.

Club Bass has a few Roscoes, Sadowskys, and Laklands in stock. Their Roscoe selection isn't too extensive--a few Century Standards, and the only thing worth drooling over, this bookmatched flame maple LG-3005 with the spalted purpleheart sapwood fingerboard. A good selection of Sadowskys, though, and great Bergantino/Markbass amps on the floor to try out.

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by Danksalot

Ever since I got my SKB 3005 I can't even go into a music store and have fun any more. I used to look at all of the pretty basses and dream of one day owning one of the fancy ones hanging on the wall. Just like going on vacation to a beautiful resort, but somewhere you could never hope to live. My Roscoe is by no means "fancy" compared to what you're making now, but it puts to shame every bass available for purchase within 100 miles of my house. Now it's like I go on vacation expecting a beautiful resort, and the whole time it is pouring rain.

Since being inducted into the Roscoe family, every time I go into a music store, I can't wait to put down whatever bass they have there, and run home to my Roscoe. As far as tone and playability, nothing else even comes close.

There's even more to it than that though. From the first day I got it, my Roscoe feels like home to me. It's effortless to play, and the tone I want to hear just comes out. I can't tell you how happy I am when I come home to my Roscoe from the disastrous "vacation" that was my trip to the music store.

Thank you!

Danksalot

+1

I know exactly what you talking about. Even when I go to the Atlanta Bass Gallery, where Jim has a sample of just about everything, the Roscoe is still the clear winner!

[jimb213]

ha! now y'all know how I feel... I'm a lefty, so pretty much every music store I go into has a bunch of instruments I don't care about. Fortunately, though, I'm more into amp and effect shopping (probably because that's stuff that doesn't mind that I'm a lefty), so I can still sorta enjoy music stores...

[CrashClint]

Unfortunately I will not have a car, how is public transportation there?

Originally Posted by davecheng

Clint, see if you can make a trip north of the city to Cosmo Music, about 45 minutes north of the downtown core, conveniently off the Don Valley Parkway/404 highway. Absolutely huge new store, and it's easy to spend an afternoon in there--especially considering there's an espresso bar too.

Cosmo has a few boutique brands in stock, including F Bass and Suhr. They'll likely still have a few F Bass BN5 and VF5 models, as well as an AC5 fretless, which is in a league unto itself as far as fretless tone. There are a bunch of decent Markbass and Aguilar amps around to audition.

The bass stuff is also confined to its own room, so you don't have to listen to any of the guitards. There's a nice guy in the department named Rail who is an absolute tone junkie, and really knows his stuff.

Club Bass has a few Roscoes, Sadowskys, and Laklands in stock. Their Roscoe selection isn't too extensive--a few Century Standards, and the only thing worth drooling over, this bookmatched flame maple LG-3005 with the spalted purpleheart sapwood fingerboard. A good selection of Sadowskys, though, and great Bergantino/Markbass amps on the floor to try out.

[davecheng]

Originally Posted by CrashClint

Unfortunately I will not have a car, how is public transportation there?

Transit to Cosmo exists, but not the greatest.

The TTC subway system doesn't get you that far north into the suburbs. It is serviced by York Region Transit buses, though frequent service during midweek/midday amounts to one bus every 30 minutes.

If you want to give it a go, get yourself on the TTC to the Don Mills subway station (map). There, you have to transfer to the York Region Transit (YRT) bus, 90 Leslie South, and take the northbound bus about 10 miles into Richmond Hill, getting off north of Major Mackenzie Dr at the store.

If you want to make a half-day trip of it, I'd say it's probably worth checking out, since most of the stores in and around the city have disappointing bass selections for someone used to playing high-end stuff.

Even the downtown Long & McQuade (largest Canadian retail chain) at Bloor & Ossington is not worth your time. (Usual assortment of mass-produced Fenders, Warwicks, and EBMM basses.)

Feel free to email me if you want clarification.

[T. B. Player]

I like to classify stores in two groups - ones that cater to musicians, and ones that cater to soccer moms.

Bass Central, Bass Specialties, Blueberry Hill Bass - musician stores...

Guitar Center - soccer moms. What nailed it for me was seeing a 10 year old kid sitting and playing (not bad either, but right next to him was his mom, going through her coupons for the next leg of their shopping trip).

The soccer moms store either boast of humidified rooms to care for the woods (too bad they kill the strings) or a nice selections that may hang around for a while, but warping is rampant.

Indeed, Roscoes are the basses you can't put down once you pick them up.