Roscoe Century Standard 5 pics and review (if you can call it that)

[kmikey]

Okie Dokie. been meaning to put up pics and a quick review of my CS5 that I purchased last week. don't know if anyone (but Gard ) will read this, but I feel like writing about it!

first let me say that i am terribly wishy washy when it comes to any major purchase. i typically wait too long taking time to find out as much as i can and trying all the different options (be it cars, basses, a house, etc) and often that lack of "pulling the trigger" has bitten me in the @ss. that is to say, i wait so long trying to decide, that someone swoops in and takes whatever i am mulling over, leaving me back at the drawing board - being all wishy washy all over again.

i decided I needed a good 5 string about 8 months ago. i tried MANY MANY MANY basses including various Modulus, Elrick, Sadowsky, MusicMan, Lakland, MTD, Ken Smith, Spector, and even one really high end Warwick. I'm sure there were a few others in there too. i nearly bought a few of them, but just never felt quite good enough to go through with it. for 8 months I've been on CL, ebay, at my local shops, running around trying everything I could get my hands on and never found what I was looking for.

all that said, i played my Roscoe twice at the store. Then I bought it.

i hope that translates the way i intend it to. it's a big compliment.

so onto the bass. WOW. what an instrument. when i play it i don't notice any difference between it and a top of the line Roscoe. it feels perfect, it sounds fantastic, and it's light as a feather. I won't turn this into a "specs" post - you guys can go see what all the bass comes with (in terms of hardware, preamp, pickups, etc) on the roscoe site. But let me assure you, the stuff it comes with is awesome. i could go on and on about how great it is, and if you have any questions, feel free. but let me sum up the PROS of this bass by saying, i've had it 5 days and it's my new favorite instrument over the one i've been playing since '94.

oh, and I have to mention this, at least... the graphite reinforced neck has already saved me a ton of money. (i'm exaggerating, but...) My wife knocked it over THE SECOND DAY I HAD IT!!!! and it fell flat on it's face, headstock first. but i took it to my local guy, and he said nothing had changed. now, i'm not saying that a hit like the one it took SHOULD have changed anything, but it sure could have on a lesser instrument.

okay okay... i'm gushing. BUT - i DO want to mention two CONS... duhn duhn duhn.... sorry Gard...

con the first: the battery cover. why oh why does ANY bass manufacturer put a battery in a bass that you need a screwdriver to get to?!?!?!?!?
there are so many possible ways to make the battery more accessible. use something with a tab, or one of those pop out jobs, or heck, maybe a cover that is held on with a magnet! but any bass player who has ever lost his battery during a show knows that you better have a backup bass on hand if you don't have easy access to the battery. you can't change them mid set! and if you're on a budget (like i assume we all are) then you don't want to change your battery at the beginning of every show.

con the second: and it's a little tiny one. this bass has a dramatically recessed cable jack. imagine a cereal bowl recessed into the breakfast table until the rim of the bowl is flush with the table. it's kind of like that. it IS a very heavy duty awesome jack, so don't get me wrong. BUT, i already have had just a tiny bit of trouble with some of my heavier duty cables not being able to make it all the way to the "bottom of the cereal bowl" due to the width of their shielding, and thus not making a good connection. and it certainly can't work with a right angle cable (if you're into that). it DOES work with most cables, and my wireless , so again, it's a teeny gripe.

that's about it. this is getting too long. i just wanted anyone who was considering a Century Standard to hear it from a working class player (as opposed to a dealer or manufacturer). This is a really really awesome bass. If you're thinking about it, you won't be disappointed. This is still a really high end instrument, and it's made in the US! and it buries anything from the other high end guys that is coming from overseas (with the same price point).

thanks!

the first pics are the ones from my local shop where i bought it in "indoor" light. the others are all in direct sunlight.

[VroomVroom]

Excellent review - thanks! And that is just one SHARP looking bass. I love everything about the look - the finish, the grain accents, the satin hardware, the grain on the fingerboard...everything! It just looks like a bass that has some serious music in it.

Just my take on the cons...to me they're actually pros. I've seen 'tool-less' battery covers that either break or simply lose tension over time. I have no objections to using a screwdriver to swap batteries. My trusty ol' Grainger magnetic four-bit screwdriver takes away any worry of losing screws. And the recessed jack...I'm all over it for the added security. There are obviously some cables that don't work - Planet Waves come immediately to mind - so I do get where you're coming from. My ancient Pocket Rockit headphone amp is a little difficult to line up just right too, but again...I'll take it for firm fitment and no concerns about damaging the jack.

Anyway, congrats on a great bass, and thanks again for the review!

[Gard]

Mike -

Thanks for the review, and the (mostly) positive remarks.

On the two gripes, here is our reply:

Battery cover - pop-up battery compartments are in my experience unreliable. We build a bass with the firm and full intention of being functional for the LONG HAUL, not to be cool today, a PITA next week. The battery life on our preamps is very long (I have still not changed the original batteries in my fretless, and it was completed in January of '06!), and if you're reasonably observant, you will never end up with a dead battery in a playing situation - it will "warn" you (i.e., noticeable volume loss, slight distortion on transients and extreme low frequency notes) that the battery is getting down in life expectancy.

That said, we have looked at and considered a few alternatives in the magnetic cover range, because of regular comments. However, a pop-up battery compartment is a "never gonna happen" department, as neither Keith nor I trust them.

Output Jack Plate - Well, we just plain like it. It's rugged, and reliable, won't bend or break, and hey, it looks nice! The only players that are having any difficulty with it are guys that use shorter versions of the right-angle plugs, and there is a fix for that, so anyone that is having that issue, just call me at the shop, and I'll describe how to make the problem disappear.

Thanks for the kind words, I've been really impressed with each of these that I've QC'd (and that's all of them), they stand up with everything else we do for playability and tone, I think they look wonderful, and they have a unique yet still "Roscoe" tone to them.

[JOME77]

Congratulations of the new Roscoe!
Great looking bass! I think that the Black onyx with the maple board just became my favorite looking Century Std.!

On the subject of your 2 cons, I've owned a couple basses with the quick access batery compartment and based on my experiences I prefer the screws. I had trouble with the ones that I owned staying latched.

The only problem that I've had in the area of the Electrosocket is with the right angle (90 degree) ends. My problem was caused by the end of the output jack not exruding out far enough (of the Electrosocket assy) . I simply removed the Electrosocket assembly, removed the female jack, removed the additional nut and washer and reinstalled the jack and Electrosocket. This allowed the output jack to extended out further in the assemly and allowed me to plug in the 90 degree cored without interference. Howeverm if your male cable ends are farly wide (diameter wise) it may not solve your problem but it would be worth looking at.

[kmikey]

Originally Posted by Gard

The battery life on our preamps is very long (I have still not changed the original batteries in my fretless, and it was completed in January of '06!), and if you're reasonably observant, you will never end up with a dead battery in a playing situation - it will "warn" you (i.e., noticeable volume loss, slight distortion on transients and extreme low frequency notes) that the battery is getting down in life expectancy.

really? wow! 3 year battery life and still going? it's the energizer bunny of preamps! no but seriously, that's good to know.

and i know about all the warnings. i've owned active basses since my second year of playing (and i've been playing 22 years - and yes i'm only 33). I just have a tendency to squeeze every last bit of life out of a battery and like to know i can change them quickly in a pinch. it's all good.

Originally Posted by Gard

That said, we have looked at and considered a few alternatives in the magnetic cover range, because of regular comments.

any chance of a retro fitted one being available to current roscoe owners?

and i like the pop outs. admittedly, i have had to replace them before (once on a bass i've had for 15 years and once on another i've had for 13 years), but the added convenience is worth the potential RARE trouble, IMHO.

Originally Posted by Gard

Output Jack Plate - Well, we just plain like it. It's rugged, and reliable, won't bend or break, and hey, it looks nice!

i agree on all counts! i actually like it too! it was really a teensy weensy gripe. in fact, for me it's not much of a gripe at all (i have plenty of cables that i like and nearly all of them work with NO problem.) i just wanted to include that bit of first hand knowledge in my post.

BELIEVE me, i was struggling to find anything wrong with this bass!!!!

[Baird6869]

Great bass! That is my favorite Standard config.

[CLJMB]

I have to agree on the recessed jack plate. The ONLY gripe I have about my Roscoe, and it is a very minor one, is just that. I like it being somewhat recessed, but not as deeply recessed as it is. It is difficult to find right angle plugs that work well with it and I don't like using straight plugs cause they just stick out too far.

[Gard]

Originally Posted by CLJMB

I have to agree on the recessed jack plate. The ONLY gripe I have about my Roscoe, and it is a very minor one, is just that. I like it being somewhat recessed, but not as deeply recessed as it is. It is difficult to find right angle plugs that work well with it and I don't like using straight plugs cause they just stick out too far.

Hey man, good to see you 'round!

Check out Joe's post up there (JOME77), for a solution to the problem.

[CLJMB]

Hey Gard. Thanks. I have found that Butch's (Bayou Audio) right angle plugs will BARELY work (plus his cables sound great) so I've solved the problem that way. But I may try Joe's fix and see if that makes it mo betta.

[Ryan L.]

I had to do the jack "mod" on a couple of the Roscoes I owned. No biggie, and it took care of the issue with right angle cables 100%.

[BKing]

I got my onyx CS5 on Friday last week. THE BEST 5er I've ever played. I couldn't put it down this past weekend. Ultra low weight, and the extended upper horn really is the ticket for me; very comfortable. I'd always stayed away from 5ers because they tended to be too heavy for my bad back, then I found the LG3005. Nice and light, but the shorter upper horn was a problem, albeit minor, for me in terms of comfort. I should've tried a Century 1st! IMO, the Roscoe team has hit a Grand Slam with the the Century Standards.

Ben

[dataBASS5]

Originally Posted by BKing

Nice and light, but the shorter upper horn was a problem, albeit minor, for me in terms of comfort.

Is it rude of me to be thankful for your issue w/ the LG short horn?

Glad you found something that works for you now!

[BKing]

Originally Posted by dataBASS5

Is it rude of me to be thankful for your issue w/ the LG short horn?

Not at all! I was thankful you didn't have an issue.

[dataBASS5]

Originally Posted by BKing

Not at all! I was thankful you didn't have an issue.

If you ever want to A/B your new CS5 w/ your old LG5, hollar at me. I've been eyeballing the Standards, you know, for grins.

NOT that I would buy one to just to take to practices. Hang on, I'm going through the couch cushions now. . .

[Gard]

...everyone duck, the sniper has now got his sights on the Standards too!!!

[kmikey]

Originally Posted by BKing

I got my onyx CS5 on Friday last week. THE BEST 5er I've ever played. I couldn't put it down this past weekend. Ultra low weight, and the extended upper horn really is the ticket for me; very comfortable. I'd always stayed away from 5ers because they tended to be too heavy for my bad back, then I found the LG3005. Nice and light, but the shorter upper horn was a problem, albeit minor, for me in terms of comfort. I should've tried a Century 1st! IMO, the Roscoe team has hit a Grand Slam with the the Century Standards.

Ben

post a bigger pic of yours. i see it in your avatar, but it's too small! looks like it's just a purdy as mine!

*pssst* we need to stop telling everyone how great these things are or else EVERYONE will have one...

[dataBASS5]

Originally Posted by Gard

...everyone duck, the sniper has now got his sights on the Standards too!!!

I DO NOT!!! I have enough on my plate just spec'ing my "top secret" special project with you guys. Oops! I just mentioned the unmentionable!