Roscoe SKB 3005 modification?

Zanderwestcoast · #1 05-31-2012, 08:03 PM

I own a Roscoe SKB 3005 Ash/walnut Burl top, maple FB over purple heart maple neck. Bart pickups and electronics. I love the bass and neck to play and the B string is super focused. The only thing is that I am not quite in love with is the sound and think that it may not be ideally suited to my playing style and taste.

The bass is virtually brand new and came with black beauty strings that look awesome but may be taking more edge off the sound than I would like. Before doing anything I will change these to see how the bass sounds.

Secondly, I find the preamp quite noisy and not particularly usefull for me.

I am think of putting dual coils in the bass and having the preamp taken out. Has anyone out there done this and played the bass passive??

Another idea is to have dual coils put in and have a Mike Pope pre installed. I like the idea of switching between single coil mode or humbuckers for versatility. I like the idea of active/passive switching as well as having a passive tone control installed. Any thought on this guys?

**Pacman** · #2 05-31-2012, 08:11 PM

If you have Barts in that bass, they *are* dual coils.

Zanderwestcoast · #3 05-31-2012, 08:23 PM

They are Roscoe Barts.....any suggestions for being able to switch into single coil mode? Or an active/passive tone control?

**Pacman** · #4 05-31-2012, 08:25 PM

I don't think they can switch (but Gard will be along to tell me if I'm wrong). You could definitely do active passive, though.

Gard · #5 06-01-2012, 05:38 AM

If they're the "stock" Barts, they are quad coils, and can be run in numerous configurations without fear of 60 cycle hum. Any decent tech can wire them up to run series, parallel, and/or single coil.

As for passive operation, yes, it will work, there will be some (and potentially a significant) difference in output, as the pickups themselves are not particularly "hot", but they still have ample output. If you're running the Bart 3-band preamp, there is an output gain control that you can use to adjust the preamp output to match the passive gain.

I don't recall if the blend control works with the preamp out of the signal path, but I don't believe it will, so using the passive option will put you in "both pickups, full on, no tone control, only master volume"-land. This is why I tend to suggest against this option most times, as it really is only useful as a "fail-safe" in case of battery failure, and that is a rare issue if you keep an eye on things (change your batteries once every 6 months or so and you'll never have to worry about it).

The strings may be a bit "dark" for some folks, although I personally love them.

Your noise issue may just be that the gain control for the preamp (small white screw visible through the control cavity cover) is set too high - try reducing the gain a bit, and see if that cleans things up.

Let us know if any of this helps, or if there is anything else we can help out with!

CrashClint · #6 06-01-2012, 07:58 AM

About 6 years ago when I only had one Roscoe, the Bart preamp went out and I hot wired the pickups directly to the jack while waiting for a Demeter preamp to come in. I just ran my amp in passive mode and the volume was fine. Bart preamps are some of the most quiet so if it is noisy check the gain as Gard has said and do a visual on the solder joints to make sure everything is good.

If you are looking for a more modern tone there is the option of Delano and Aero will make you a set for about $600.

Zanderwestcoast · #7 06-01-2012, 11:52 AM

I read that Nordstrand makes dual coils for a Roscoe as well....anyone tried them?

I really like the idea of a volume pan between the two pickups. Or volume/volume control for each pickup. A passive tone control roll off, and switching that enables single coil operation if needed as well as active/passive.

I guess anything is possible if you throw enough money at it!

CrashClint · #8 06-01-2012, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanderwestcoast

I read that Nordstrand makes dual coils for a Roscoe as well....anyone tried them?

I really like the idea of a volume pan between the two pickups. Or volume/volume control for each pickup. A passive tone control roll off, and switching that enables single coil operation if needed as well as active/passive.

I guess anything is possible if you throw enough money at it!

I had a set of DCs in a bass, to me they sounded similar to the Bartolini Classic pickups. The only thing I didn't like about they was the magnets were so strong it caused intonation problems past the 15th fret on the E & B strings. I know, I know bass players have no reason to play that high on the neck but it was still irritating.

Jim Nazium · #9 06-04-2012, 11:31 AM

I suggest trying the following, in this order:

1. Change strings first, as you said. That's the easiest, cheapest, most reversible way to dramatically change the sound.
2. Experiment with changing the pickup height. IME, lowering the pickup height just a bit can reduce midrange harmonics and make it sound more "open".
3. Consider swapping the pickups to Bart CBs, which are less "punchy" but more "airy". I know those are vague terms, but you really need to hear them and decide for yourself. There are lots of sound clips & videos on this forum of Roscoe basses with CBs.
4. I wouldn't change the preamp until the very last step, if at all. IME, the Bart preamps are very clean, quiet, neutral-sounding, and reliable. They do everything I want an onboard preamp to do (buffer the pickup blend and volume controls, provide a modest bass/treble boost/cut for quick onstage adjustments) and nothing I don't want it to do (add noise or imprint its own tone). All of my current basses have Bart pre's.

Do whatever floats your boat, of course, but that's my 2 cents. Good luck.

DamienLangkamer · #10 06-04-2012, 12:21 PM

My SKB 3005 has an active/passive switch, single/dual coil switches for each pickup, and I even have a passive tone stacked under the volume knob. Honestly, in a practical environment I don't really use them.. The single/dual coil switches are nice and the tone knob can be useful but at best I'll use them every now and again for some variety, 90% of the time I don't touch any of them.

I have the bart pre in one of my Roscoes and it's pretty silent. I would try changing strings/ switching to the bart CB's before trying any major mods.. as nice as it is to have some quirky extras in mine realistically I can get any tone I need from the standard setup.

Zanderwestcoast · #11 06-04-2012, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the input guys.....personally I would definately use the switch between dual and single coil mode as I love the sound of single coils. I also love Roscoes super playable neck and killer B string and like the idea of having a bit more flexibility with controls and tone? Fodera does this with there DC Mike Pope pre combinations....

Any chance someone can post a link to some audio with the Bart CB's vs Roscoe Barts?

Regards

mwbonsall · #12 06-04-2012, 08:11 PM

Sound Clips Featuring Greg Bump

You should be able to find what you want in this post.

Mark

T. B. Player · #13 06-06-2012, 06:58 PM

You should be able to get any sound you want out of this one from that sound clip thread - this goes into the "Dream" stash:

New Arrivals 11/12/09 - USED 2008 Roscoe Century Signature VI (Koa, BEM)

As for the strings, I have a set of Black Beauties on an Ibanez Ashula - and they don't have the punch that a set of D'Addario flats have on my trusty cheap Brice six stringer with stock pickups and Bartolini pre-amp.

All depends what you're playing and what you like. IMO, Barts make the sound a bit "darker," so they go nicely with brighter woods (love the Barts on my all maple sixer with ash back); if you have more tonal woods like mahogany and walnut, you might want to go with a clearer pre-amp to let the sound of the wood come through. I had Darth Roscoe, and although the playability specs were right on it, the sound just wasn't what I thought it would be. When I found out it was a mahogany body with Barts, that helped to explain why I really had to boost the treble on it to get something close to what I was listening for.

Z

VroomVroom · #14 06-06-2012, 07:39 PM

I'm always reluctant to post in these threads, but if I can add any value, here goes...

OP - you didn't say what you don't like about the sound, just that it doesn't seem well suited to you. Can you be more specific? What isn't working?

Others have mentioned this, but to me, here are the absolute most important steps:

1. Change the strings. Go with your favorites, or for a true "Roscoe" benchmark, go with D'Add nickels.

2. Resolve the noise issue. These instruments are notoriously silent in that regard. Trim pot, batteries...and if needed, do the 'self clean' procedure by rapidly turning all the knobs. A/B against another instrument cable, and even another amp, if necessary. The takeaway here is that noise is not good, and the issue needs to be fixed before you can fully determine if it's got the sound you're after.

Now, for the boring stuff. These electronics are designed to work together, as designed/configured by Bartolini and Roscoe. Very rarely do I hear an instance where someone starts modifying and swapping stuff, only to end up happy. So...

Experiment with the blend and EQ. You mention single coils, so I get the impression you're after a more burpy, lively, perhaps grindy tone? If so...try this: bias the bridge pickup, and boost the lower mids a wee bit. Or, boost the treble...again, a wee bit...to see if that add some 'crunch'.

How does the bass sound in a mix? What kind of music are you playing? What amp/cab combo are you using? Answers to these questions can generate more feedback from the tried & true Roscoe cogniscenti.

If none of this works for you, I'm going to be the grumpy old cynic of the bunch and suggest that you sell the bass. Making these kinds of mods is going to remove some of the good along with the bad, and time after time I see people going into an endless loop of trying different pickups and pre-amps, adding switches, yada yada...trying to make the particular instrument into something it was never meant to be. We've all been there - sometimes a bass that sounds great in the store, or on a particular gig, leads us down a road we probably shouldn't have followed.

Good luck...

NJL · #15 06-06-2012, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

If they're the "stock" Barts, they are quad coils, and can be run in numerous configurations without fear of 60 cycle hum. Any decent tech can wire them up to run series, parallel, and/or single coil.

Not in San Antonio, unfortunately. I've been really wanting to have this done, but would only trust you guys to do the work. Scary sending my bass over a few states, though.

Pickebass · #16 06-06-2012, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJL

Not in San Antonio, unfortunately. I've been really wanting to have this done, but would only trust you guys to do the work. Scary sending my bass over a few states, though.

Try Larry @ Century Music. He's done some custom wiring for me on my basses. Actually my Roscoe is there now!

NJL · #17 06-06-2012, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickebass

Try Larry @ Century Music. He's done some custom wiring for me on my basses. Actually my Roscoe is there now!

I can't use him. He was the last guy left in town, too.

I've know him since I was a kid and one of my brothers worked at Century back in the Sunbelt days.

**Pacman** · #18 06-07-2012, 04:47 AM

Take it to Austin. Bass Emporium is up there.

MrLenny1 · #19 06-07-2012, 05:17 AM

Before you dig in too far change the strings.
I have Barts on my basses and they are very quite.
Go for the easy stuff first.

Pickebass · #20 06-07-2012, 01:15 PM

To the OP's original question. You may want to have the electronics looked at carefully. I had a similar problem with mine. Lately, I had a little hum and volume would drop unexectedly. I thought it might have been the preamp, but it turns out solder joints were loose. Re-soldered a few wires and everything is OK now.