r Roscoe's slap monsters?

jazzy grille · #1 08-26-2006, 09:23 PM

I have not had a chance to play a roscoe. I bought a Warwick Thumb bass and it just isnt cutting the cake

. So needless to say i am in the market for a replacement...

If you guys have any clips of the Roscoe Slap sound that would be great. I dont live near any dealers, the closest is bass central and they are 3 hours away

.

Any comments on the tone of these would be great. Thanks!!

Brian

JPJ · #2 08-26-2006, 10:02 PM

If by "r" you mean "Are"...then yes.

But, just like anything else, it depends on what you're looking for. You haven't mentioned what type of tone you are looking for in general, what type of a slap tone you like (other players and recordsings as a reference) and what specifically you don't like about the tone of the bass that you currently have.

Whether a Roscoe will deliver what you are looking for depends on the pickups, preamp, and woods used in the construction of the Roscoe AND on what you are trying to achieve from a tonal perspective.

J.Wolf · #3 08-27-2006, 09:18 AM

there was a video posted fom the bowlus bass borg GTG a while back where someone was slapping on an LG and I thought it sounded great, really great actually. I'm not sure if those vids are still online, but you may be able to PM someone from that partay and get them to send it to you.

I would think it would depend greatly on the wood choices. For example, if I was putting together a slap bass, I would probably go for an ash body, maple fingerboard and some nordy DC's. Hmm, maybe I can put that on the list as my next bass........

I guess I should wait till I recieve one bass before GASing for another

Gard · #4 08-27-2006, 12:49 PM

"Slap Monster" basses are defined by the player and his/her taste, so the answer in all honesty is "maybe for you, maybe not for you".

For me, some have been - check out Basso Gruvitas' SKB 3005 for an example of one! - and some have not been.

If you're really interested, feel free to hit me on the phone (go to our website, the number is listed there), or PM/e-mail me with some specifics of what you're looking for.

In a general sense, what Jake suggested will be a good starting place - I definitely would suggest an ash body and maple board, from there we can "tweak" things to fit your personal preference.

And Jake, no, there is no rule that states you can't GAS for a new bass before the next new one is done!

(and you got a screamer coming...although I'm a bit prejudiced!

)

Wilbyman · #5 08-27-2006, 01:02 PM

Andy (emjazz) has sent me some really awesome sounding slap clips from his various Roscoes, the last being the mahogany/katalox combo with Demeter pre. That was a great sounding bass and gave up a nasty modern slap tone.

J.Wolf · #6 08-27-2006, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

And Jake, no, there is no rule that states you can't GAS for a new bass before the next new one is done!

(and you got a screamer coming...although I'm a bit prejudiced!

)

Enter the consummate enabler!!!! One bass at a time, thats the mantra.

I'm really stoked about my new fretless now. Since its starting to take shape, I'm getting more and more antsy. The Gard special is a good recipe indeed

Wilby, I saw your century on Friday night. Dayum!! That is really sick. The century body style looks really nice as a 4, and your top is just beautiful.

Wilbyman · #7 08-27-2006, 03:34 PM

Cool, thanks for the report. I was there when they were doing final sanding. I'm really excited about it. Shouldn't be too too much longer...but I say that with optimistic skepticism

I think it's going to look really nice with the jet-black ebony board and custom pickup position (a little more towards the center, kind of a 60's jazz setup).

J.Wolf · #8 08-27-2006, 05:33 PM

Thats why the pickups weren't routed, I remember now. Yeah, it looked pretty sharp. What Pu's and pre ?(I'm sorry, I'm just too lazy and tired to do a search right now!!) And when is it supposed to be done?

As for a slap Roscoe, http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attach...1&d=1156717898

throw a demeter pre in there, and maybe some Nordstrand DC's,
biggidy-bam!

Wilbyman · #9 08-27-2006, 05:49 PM

Hey Jake, it's going to be passive (just three knobs in-line) with the Bart Classic dual coils. I think I'm going to get them to wire it for series/single coil switching. That way, you'll be able to isolate the outer coils, which will be in the 60's jazz position. Three knobs and a switch. When is it going to be done...pretty soon or "couple of weeks", they've just got to get the neck finished so they can spot the pickup position from the nut. I take some responsibility for the delay, I'm being fussy about the pickups.

J.Wolf · #10 08-27-2006, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilbyman

Hey Jake, it's going to be passive (just three knobs in-line) with the Bart Classic dual coils. I think I'm going to get them to wire it for series/single coil switching. That way, you'll be able to isolate the outer coils, which will be in the 60's jazz position. Three knobs and a switch. When is it going to be done...pretty soon or "couple of weeks", they've just got to get the neck finished so they can spot the pickup position from the nut. I take some responsibility for the delay, I'm being fussy about the pickups.

Thats very cool. Its kind of refreshing to see people going back to passive electronics on "boutique" (or high end, or whatever) basses. To me, it seems somehow to put more emphasis on the importance of the quality of how the instrument inherently sounds. I like onboard EQ's, and my roscoe will have an Audere 4 band, but I will say, There have been a few nights (not many, but a couple) with my Fbass when I couldn't get the right sound out of the preamp, and fussed with the EQ till I was pretty annoyed. When that happens, I switch it to passive mode, and 9 times out of 10 it sounds just right.

There is something about the elegant simplicity of a good sounding passive bass.

I don't know that I've ever heard a Bart CB pickup. Definitely curious to know how its going to turn out.

Wilbyman · #11 08-27-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfbass1025

Thats very cool. Its kind of refreshing to see people going back to passive electronics on "boutique" (or high end, or whatever) basses.

Thanks, I'll be very curious about the result. The Bart CB's are great, I would recommend them to any Roscoe customer who wants a more vintage-like tone without giving up the nice big Bart low end.

jazzy grille · #12 08-27-2006, 09:13 PM

thanks for the help guys!

I am sorry i was so vague about woods and electronics. But i think i would go with swamp ash body and Maple fretboard. as far as electronics i really dont know..

I have been hearing about Mr. Nordstrand making quite a good pickup so i might go for that. .... serious GAS here...lol

I think what i am gonna do is go over to bass central next weekend and spend 10 hours

there....lol, and mess around with the different roscoes they have there and see what i like. Hell, i might even leave with one

But, i am really looking for that "modern" full slap tone that sounds good to my ears. So, i will just have to wait and see

Basso Gruvitas · #13 08-27-2006, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzy grille

I have not had a chance to play a roscoe. I bought a Warwick Thumb bass and it just isnt cutting the cake

. So needless to say i am in the market for a replacement...

If you guys have any clips of the Roscoe Slap sound that would be great. I dont live near any dealers, the closest is bass central and they are 3 hours away

.

Any comments on the tone of these would be great. Thanks!!

Brian

Hey Brian,
Take a look here. This is the bass Gard is talking about in his post. For me, this is "the one" for slap. Scoll down the first page for some sound clips.

ROSCOE #3 -- NEW!! w/ NORDSTRANDS!

BG

Wilbyman · #14 08-28-2006, 09:19 AM

Hey guys...while this thread is going, what do you think of this knob layout? The switch would be for series-single coil (outer) operation.

W

Joel B · #15 08-28-2006, 09:57 AM

Wilby, isn't that basically a Jazz configuration?
I think I would prefer, for myself , to have the knobs follow the contour of the lower part of the bass in a slight curve.

I think the angle of the line of knobs is disturbing the over all flow of the lower portion of the bass in the pic.

If the knobs were to be placed in a SLIGHT high/low/high variation, I think it would look better, and I would place the current lowest knob a bit further back and maybe a quarter of an inch higher .

Perhaps line it up with the outer edge of the output jack, and then sweep the knobs around the contour of the lower curve of the bass.

But short answer, I think it would look nice.

I thought the century body would look too big for a four string, but that looks fantastic!!

Wilbyman · #16 08-28-2006, 10:18 AM

I see your point...that would be tantamount to an Elrick/Nordstrand layout. If there were 4 or 5 knobs, I would agree. But I think this is the best way to do 3 knobs...trying to make a contour with three knobs looks sort of clunky to me.

With the tobacco burst, this bass is going to have a pretty strong jazz vibe. I think this knob layout accentuates that.

jimb213 · #17 08-28-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

And Jake, no, there is no rule that states you can't GAS for a new bass before the next new one is done!

hee hee...

I'm already thinking about what I want for a fretted instrument (to replace my warwick thumb, btw), and my fretless is still 4 months away! But man, I can't wait to get it in my hands. There's so many times when I'm playing that I think to myself "the fretless would be perfect for this song!"

Joel B · #18 08-28-2006, 10:34 AM

Wilby, I think that if you are going with a tocacco burst, you could have green knobs on it and it would still look killer.

Keith has the industries BEST tobacco burst, in my opinion.

My roscoe that was stolen was tobacco burst, and without fail, everyone that saw it when I was out, commented on the looks of it.

The century body with the setup you mention should be amazing.

Is this going to be passive, and which pickups are you going to use?

maurilio · #19 08-28-2006, 11:03 AM

Hey, it looks great! .....

Personally, I would have the knobs layout in a way (probably the standard Roscoe one) so you will not have problems if one day you decide to go active (space inside the control cavity).... you never know, you may change taste on babes

Just my .02 pesos...

Mo'

tombowlus · #20 08-28-2006, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfbass1025

there was a video posted fom the bowlus bass borg GTG a while back where someone was slapping on an LG and I thought it sounded great, really great actually. I'm not sure if those vids are still online, but you may be able to PM someone from that partay and get them to send it to you.

They will be up again soon!