Making inquiries

[Claus_L]

Hello all!

I'm a bassplayer from Denmark and I am considering getting myself a 6 string Roscoe. I really like the sound of the bass in this YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKXeMj27jDg (Jimmy Haslip ) The thing is I have tried other hi-end basses and have usually run into 3 problems: "dead spots" on the neck, a B string that sounds like crap when played above the 7'th fret (sounds like the fundamental is lost to weird overtones) and last but not least "neck dive".

So my question is, would these things be an issue on a Roscoe 6 string like the one in the clip (LG3006, right?) or if I want to avoid "neck dive" I should choose another model?

I should explain that a perfectly balanced bass to me is a bass that feels like it raises the neck a little.

Think that's it for now. TIA!

Claus L.

[Gard]

Claus -

Hello!

I will try to answer your three concerns as best I can:

1) Dead spots - wood has certain resonance points, and some necks will have a resonance point that will coincide with a particular frequency or set of frequencies (I have noticed that the same "pitch" on different strings reacts quite differently, due to the harmonic content of the note on different strings not being identical). My experience is that a stiffer neck will have a resonance point that is very high, and typically either not on the fingerboard at all, or on a note that is very high up and thus not typically an issue to most players (it's rare to hold that C on the 24th fret of a 6, right? ). Our necks are VERY stiff, and while I cannot say that they never exhibit these types of interactions, I can say that it is rare, and I've never heard a full on DEAD note, just one that may not sustain quite as well as its "neighbors".

2) B string response - I personally play 6's (which I will comment further in a moment), and have never noticed any problems playing on the B string up to about the 17-19 frets on either of my basses. Setup can strongly affect this issue, typically the "warbling" or "double beating" that is heard on the low strings higher up on the neck are caused by the pickup being close enough for the magnets to affect the vibration of the string. I personally check every single note on every bass that goes out, and listen to how it rings for at least a second on each note. I do not hear any "oddities" on our B strings, until you get above the 17th fret or higher. Another issue in my experience is taper-wound strings, they REALLY let the pickup magnets affect their vibration, and will exhibit those "warbling/double-beating" sounds more easily, and lower on the neck. We do not use them for this reason.

3) Balance - as much as I love the LG model, and respect the heck out of Jimmy, I typically don't suggest the body shape for a person looking for a 6 string that balances well. It isn't awful by any stretch (i.e. Warwick Thumb NT 6, which the first time I played one damn near took my left knee out! [I love the way they sound, by the way...but ergonomically... ]). The SKB is the most common model for the 6, and balances very well in my experience (each bass is unique, and will feel different on a strap), especially with the woods that you would choose to get a "match" to the Haslip tone (quilt maple/mahogany body, pau ferro fingerboard). However, I can tell you that the BEST balance for a 6 is easily the Century Signature, of which I own two. My fretless is a beast, weighs 11.5 lbs, and when I put it on, it balances so well that I forget it is there until I take it off. My fretted bass is so stupidly light and well balanced that I literally have forgotten it was on my shoulder...

Please let me know if there is anything else we can help you with!

[Baird6869]

I have a SKB3006 and it is so good I sold my other 6ers.

Great balance, amazing B string (I play it up to about the 17th fret regularly and it sounds great), and very versitile.

Roscoe basses are very comfortable (for me anyways) to play. I love the ergonomics.

P.S. I sold all of my 5ers too (and I had many) and just play my SKB3005 5er.

[lwrthnwhalepoop]

Claus,

I can vouch for the huge but well-controlled sound of the B-strings on both my Roscoe 6-strings, one fretted and one fretless. I tried 5-string basses when they first came around and was pretty disappointed in the feeble sound of their B strings. Once I'd played a Roscoe, I found a B-string that was actually useful for real playing and not just for the "novelty" value. I find the B-string sounds great up to and past the 12th fret, which is as high up on the neck as I typically need to play on that string. The fundamental is as solid there as it is on the 1st fret or the open B.

As for balance, both my 6-strings are the SKB body style and are pretty well balanced - even the lighter Swamp Ash-bodied one. The Century body, either Standard or Signature, should be balanced even better since it has a longer top horn which will put the center of the two strap attachment points closer to the middle of the bass.

None of my 3 Roscoe basses (also have an SKB3005 that I just got) has any obvious "dead spots" on the neck, though I find the 5th fret A on the E string of the fretless sustains a bit less than adjacent notes. It's nothing compared to other basses I've owned. On my '71 Jazz there were several spots on the fretboard where you might as well have drilled a hole to hold your cigarette or some spare change for the pop machine, 'cause you sure weren't going to be using them for anything music-related.

Keep trying to find an opportunity to play a Roscoe and see for yourself. If you buy one and it's not to your liking, databass5 will buy it off you - provided that I don't get it first.

Good luck in your search, Claus!

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by Gard

Claus -

Hello!

I will try to answer your three concerns as best I can:

1) Dead spots - wood has certain resonance points, and some necks will have a resonance point that will coincide with a particular frequency or set of frequencies (I have noticed that the same "pitch" on different strings reacts quite differently, due to the harmonic content of the note on different strings not being identical). My experience is that a stiffer neck will have a resonance point that is very high, and typically either not on the fingerboard at all, or on a note that is very high up and thus not typically an issue to most players (it's rare to hold that C on the 24th fret of a 6, right? ). Our necks are VERY stiff, and while I cannot say that they never exhibit these types of interactions, I can say that it is rare, and I've never heard a full on DEAD note, just one that may not sustain quite as well as its "neighbors".

2) B string response - I personally play 6's (which I will comment further in a moment), and have never noticed any problems playing on the B string up to about the 17-19 frets on either of my basses. Setup can strongly affect this issue, typically the "warbling" or "double beating" that is heard on the low strings higher up on the neck are caused by the pickup being close enough for the magnets to affect the vibration of the string. I personally check every single note on every bass that goes out, and listen to how it rings for at least a second on each note. I do not hear any "oddities" on our B strings, until you get above the 17th fret or higher. Another issue in my experience is taper-wound strings, they REALLY let the pickup magnets affect their vibration, and will exhibit those "warbling/double-beating" sounds more easily, and lower on the neck. We do not use them for this reason.

3) Balance - as much as I love the LG model, and respect the heck out of Jimmy, I typically don't suggest the body shape for a person looking for a 6 string that balances well. It isn't awful by any stretch (i.e. Warwick Thumb NT 6, which the first time I played one damn near took my left knee out! [I love the way they sound, by the way...but ergonomically... ]). The SKB is the most common model for the 6, and balances very well in my experience (each bass is unique, and will feel different on a strap), especially with the woods that you would choose to get a "match" to the Haslip tone (quilt maple/mahogany body, pau ferro fingerboard). However, I can tell you that the BEST balance for a 6 is easily the Century Signature, of which I own two. My fretless is a beast, weighs 11.5 lbs, and when I put it on, it balances so well that I forget it is there until I take it off. My fretted bass is so stupidly light and well balanced that I literally have forgotten it was on my shoulder...

Please let me know if there is anything else we can help you with!

Wow!

That's exactly what I was going to say!

[VroomVroom]

Lots already well-covered, so I'll just add some tidbits.

There is no better balanced or playable six-string, in my opinion, than a Roscoe SKB.

I generally don't use the 'B' string above the eighth-or-so fret on any of my sixers, fretted or fretless. You've covered the reasons, and out of habit I generally avoid that real estate. However, for occasional end-of-tune chord voicings or long glissandos, I've never had issues with any of my Roscoes. Intonation is solid and the tones are even.

Good luck with your decision.,,

[Claus_L]

Thank you very much for your answers

See, as I mentioned I live in Denmark, and Roscoe basses are hard to come by here ( = impossible ), and the closest dealer you have in my 'area' is in England. I am asking these questions because I wanted to be a little more certain that if I take the trip to England to try your basses I wouldn't be disapointed. In my search for the ultimate 6 string I recently had one custom made by another hi-end bass builder (won't mention any names) and it unfortunately had an annoying dead spot around the D on the G-string, and no matter how much I lowered the pickups, or tried other types of string gauges and types, the "wobbling" of the B string wouldn't go away

....ohhhh I wish I could try a 6 string Century Signature....but they don't have them at bassdirect.co.uk....

Anyway, thanks again for your answers, I think I'll take the trip to bassdirect and try whatever they have there

All the best!

Claus_L

P.S A few weeks back I tried a Warwick Thumb BO 6.....that's where I learned about 'neck dive' the hard way