Spanish Cedar / Swamp Ash and FB ???'s

[GRoberts]

I just played a gorgeous SKB3005 with Flame Maple top/Spanish Cedar body /Cocobolo FB while visiting Seattle last week. My enthusiasm and excitement about Roscoe's is peaking after hearing and playing that bass! I'm not into the antique yellow tops, otherwise I might have put some money on it. I've never played a Roscoe with Spanish Cedar before. I have previously played a Mahogany bodied Roscoe howeverand it didn't have the presence or tone I heard from this bass. I was very impressed with the punch and mid growl, not to mention a wonder slap tone! (Standard Bart's and Bart 3 band pre)

I always thought it would be a Swamp Ash guy or nuthin. But I was wrong.

What differences does Spanish Cedar exhibit versus Swamp Ash? How much influence does the Cocobolo FB play into the sound of Roscoe's? My previous Roscoe had Ebony FB and it too bright and snappy sounding in the highs. (It was an LG3005 with Swamp Ash/Bart PU's/Aggie OBP-1 preamp)

I am really digging the SKB3005 and am now on a quest to determine what my optimum spec's for a Roscoe would be. I am thinking SKB3005, but maybe the Century 5. I loved the Cocobolo FB. Having heard the Spanish Cedar, maybe that would be best since I already own an F Bass BN5 and Nordy Vj5, both with Swamp Ash/Maple.

I welcome any and all feedback. I suppose I should solicit questions about Nordy PU's versus Bart's as well? I LOVE the Nordies in my Vj5. Gary

[Gard]

Hey man!

Well...there are so many variables with this that it's impossible to give an "absolute" answer, but here's my $0.02 worth:

Mahogany: fat/warm, slightly naturally compressed
Spanish Cedar: fat/warm, more "open" sounding than mahogany
Swamp Ash: punchy, slightly edgy without being overly bright

Fingerboards: So many to choose from, and they make a very small difference (but still noticeable to me) in tone. For cocobolo, it's brighter than rosewood (which it actually is a species of), not as edgy/funky as ebony.

[JPJ]

Mahogany: fat/warm, slightly naturally compressed
Spanish Cedar: fat/warm, more "open" sounding than mahogany
Swamp Ash: punchy, slightly edgy without being overly bright

I'm right there with Gard on this one.

[GRoberts]

Thanks guys. I was shocked at how much I liked the sound of the Roscoe with Spanish Cedar. Wish I could do an A-B of a similar spec'd Roscoe to hear the difference in body wood. That said, I was reminded at just how exceptional Roscoe basses are. Based on your descriptions however, I might still prefer Swamp Ash. I do favor a lighter weight bass.

Would Swamp Ash make a noticeably lighter bass than the same spec's with Spanish Cedar?

I'm also interested in Nordstrand PU's and possibly an Audere Pre. I'll PM or call you guys so we can spend more time discussing spec's and how these things affect the overall tone.

But maybe I shouldn't mess with success. I plugged in that Spanish Cedar/Flame Maple SKB3005 with Bart's and it was instant punch, growl and great slap tone. Hmmm.

Then there's the Century body style versus the SKB. Does that affect the tone or balance much?

Decisions, decisions.

[Gard]

Well, there are pieces of swamp ash that will be heavier than Spanish cedar, but TYPICALLY yes, swamp ash will be lighter than cedar, but not a LOT lighter.

The pickup/preamp discussion would definitely be easier and more efficient on the phone, so feel free to give me a call anytime (PM me if you need the number).

I will say that each bass is unique....and that one was pretty impressive....but I won't talk you out of a custom order either! (I'm sure we can spec something that will be at least as good as that one!)

Century vs. SKB tonally is not a huge difference (all things being equal for specs), but I do find the ergonomics a bit better with the Century for ME. May not be true for everyone.

[JOME77]

I can't add much to what's already been stated but I will add that if you went with the ash body with Nord p/u's/Audere pre, IMO you'd be on the opposite end of the sound spectrum as compaired to the Spanish cedar with Bart/Bart.

Both are great sounds but significantly different.

You might be safer going with an ash body with Bart p/u's and the Audere (since you really dug the SC/Bart/Bart bass.)

Regardless though either sound is awesome!

Good luck!

[Basso Gruvitas]

Hey Gary,
Sounds like you are the "warm and punchy" type of tone guy rather than the "edgy and slicin'" type of guy....yes?

The reason I say this is you LOVED the spanish cedar, cocobolo board and Bart outfit. To me, that would have lots of punchiness, pretty expressive, as much mids as you would like, but not having an exessively bright glassy tone.

If you liked the Bart/Bart electronics, no reason to go on a "quest" with the Nordstrands or Audere IMO.

Hope this helps.

[Jeff Moote]

I agree with much of the above: if you've found something that works for you, definitely go with it!

I'd give the cocobolo more credit than some others, at least for many of the things you described about the bass you tried. I haven't played a Roscoe with a coco board, but the basses I have tried with it have had a great presence and mid tone without being too aggressive - just as you described. Slap tone was great too, being somewhere between maple and wenge as far as I'm concerned. My fingerboard preference is ebony as it has a very polite high mid response but with a very acute treble response - very "quick" and punchy to my ears, with lots of articulation. If ebony was too "snappy" for you before, it would make a lot of sense that you like maple boards (such as your F and Nordy) or cocobolo in this case

Spanish cedar is definitely my wood of choice for Roscoe bodies having tried ash and maple as well (I still want to hear a mahogany bodied one!). My new bass is a cedar body with ebony board, Nordstrand DCs and Audere preamp. For me, this is just the right balance of thick and wooly with modern and articulate. I can go from Jaco funk on the bridge pickup to some P-bass-y fun by rolling to the neck and switching to Low Z. Switch to single coil mode, pan centre and slightly scoop EQ and I have a great modern slap tone. That's my experience, but if you liked the Bart/Bart combo then definitely roll with that. I have it in my fretless (for sale ) and it's great too.

[GRoberts]

Originally Posted by Basso Gruvitas

Hey Gary,
Sounds like you are the "warm and punchy" type of tone guy rather than the "edgy and slicin'" type of guy....yes?

The reason I say this is you LOVED the spanish cedar, cocobolo board and Bart outfit. To me, that would have lots of punchiness, pretty expressive, as much mids as you would like, but not having an exessively bright glassy tone.

If you liked the Bart/Bart electronics, no reason to go on a "quest" with the Nordstrands or Audere IMO.

Hope this helps.

Thanks! It was Barts with an Aguilar OBP-3. Not the Bart 3 Band Pre. You guys are probably right. If I loved the bass with the Spanish Cedar, then perhaps I should stick with a bass that has those woods. Again, the 'only' reason I didn't get serious about the bass I played was that the color didn't speak to me. It was an otherwise stunning bass!

[GRoberts]

Originally Posted by Jeff Moote

I agree with much of the above: if you've found something that works for you, definitely go with it!

I'd give the cocobolo more credit than some others, at least for many of the things you described about the bass you tried. I haven't played a Roscoe with a coco board, but the basses I have tried with it have had a great presence and mid tone without being too aggressive - just as you described. Slap tone was great too, being somewhere between maple and wenge as far as I'm concerned. My fingerboard preference is ebony as it has a very polite high mid response but with a very acute treble response - very "quick" and punchy to my ears, with lots of articulation. If ebony was too "snappy" for you before, it would make a lot of sense that you like maple boards (such as your F and Nordy) or cocobolo in this case

Spanish cedar is definitely my wood of choice for Roscoe bodies having tried ash and maple as well (I still want to hear a mahogany bodied one!). My new bass is a cedar body with ebony board, Nordstrand DCs and Audere preamp. For me, this is just the right balance of thick and wooly with modern and articulate. I can go from Jaco funk on the bridge pickup to some P-bass-y fun by rolling to the neck and switching to Low Z. Switch to single coil mode, pan centre and slightly scoop EQ and I have a great modern slap tone. That's my experience, but if you liked the Bart/Bart combo then definitely roll with that. I have it in my fretless (for sale ) and it's great too.

Thanks Jeff! A very helpful post. You're right, black ebony, while gorgeous and striking is not for me. Definitely Maple or Cocobolo. (With my strong preference at this point going toward Cocobolo!) It's amazing wood, feels great, looks awesome, sounds wonderful ... and is different than my two maple FB Basses. (Nordy and F Bass) Again, what I played was Bart/Aggie OBP-3. Not Bart/Bart. I do however have an Audere on my Nordy and it is just so totally musical and natural sounding that it becomes a tempting choice.

Thanks to Gard for his time on the phone the other day. My dogs were going balistic at the door so I had to cut the call short. I definitely want to revisit the conversation about Nordys/Audere, or Barts/Aguilar OBP-3. There are some awesome basses at Roscoe dealers right now that I am looking at. So I am narrowing them down, and will then do my best to find the one that meets the criteria. Thanks again.

Gary

[Gard]

Gary -

Always good to talk with you, been too long man! Sorry the conv got cut, but I understand about the dogs situation...got 4 myself, and one of 'em may need a vocal-cord-ectomy if she don't calm the @#Q%#$^ down with the barking thing soon!



I can strongly recommend the Nordy/OBP-3 combo for the tone you're looking for. I think you MIGHT find the Nordy/Audere a bit TOO polite.

That said, I think you should seriously get the ONE we were talking about on the phone, if you can....even though it has a swamp ash body....it's just too cool of a bass!