Love my LG3005 fretless BUT...

[BigOldHarry]

I'm making the switch back to 34"...

Does/will Roscoe make 34" 5 string basses?

If not, I will be a-selling mine shortly...

[LightGroove]

Yes they will but I believe there is a $300 or so charge.

[VroomVroom]

Best of luck with your decision. I went through this about four years ago. My first Roscoe was an SKB3006 fretless. I LOVED the sound, but so rarely got calls for fretless that I just didn't play it enough...and when I did, intonation was a huge issue.

A coupla' years ago I bought a 34" scale fretless, and was able to intuitively play it in tune with fairly good success. Reading charts was still an issue, as was muscle memory when I let too much time go in between practicing/gigging with it.

And then...just recently...another SKB3006 came into my life. Basically, I've forced myself (forced...ha!) to play it, and to pick it up every day, if only for a few minutes. I've found that intonation is still an issue, but it's improving. And, I love the sound so much that I'm using it on gigs, even if only for one set.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent here. I just wanted to share my experience in case you might be in the same boat - essentially the sound of the Roscoe is so perfect for me that the extra work and commitment is worth it. Good luck...

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

Best of luck with your decision. I went through this about four years ago. My first Roscoe was an SKB3006 fretless. I LOVED the sound, but so rarely got calls for fretless that I just didn't play it enough...and when I did, intonation was a huge issue.

A coupla' years ago I bought a 34" scale fretless, and was able to intuitively play it in tune with fairly good success. Reading charts was still an issue, as was muscle memory when I let too much time go in between practicing/gigging with it.

And then...just recently...another SKB3006 came into my life. Basically, I've forced myself (forced...ha!) to play it, and to pick it up every day, if only for a few minutes. I've found that intonation is still an issue, but it's improving. And, I love the sound so much that I'm using it on gigs, even if only for one set.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent here. I just wanted to share my experience in case you might be in the same boat - essentially the sound of the Roscoe is so perfect for me that the extra work and commitment is worth it. Good luck...

Yeah, I'm not such a great player that I can play a 34" bass for 8 songs, switch to a 35" fretless and NOT sound like crap - I've worked very hard at being a decent fretless player, but changing scale length just hoses me up. So I'm going all 34" basses (which is also nice since I can now comfortably buy four strings without issue!)

About my Roscoe: It is, without doubt, the prettiest instrument I've ever owned, and Keith was nice enough to shape my neck for me (I bought it used and the neck was a bit thick for my tastes - for a modest amount of $$, he thinned it out, cleaned it up, fixed a minor pot issue and put on new strings! Great service!) I am not 100% satisfied with the sound. The cedar body / bartollinis result in a very dark, earthy sound which records great but is lacking in mids - particularly compared to my Ken Lawrence Brase (Another 35" that I don't play so much anymore - but that I likely won't sell, having had it built for my 40th birthday by Ken...)

Anyway, thks for the info

[Gard]

Harry, yes we can do the 34", as was mentioned, there is a $300 retail upcharge for the option (the dealer will discount that some, of course).

If you do order a new bass, I would highly recommend something paired with swamp ash for the body, and diamondwood for the fingerboard, based on your comments on the tone of your present fretless.