What makes a Roscoe?

Cavem · #1 09-29-2006, 09:04 PM

Hi all,
This is my first post on TB. I'm looking to purchase my first high end custom bass next year. Unfortunately I live in New Zealand where we only get to see Warwicks & Fenders, nothing else.
I have considered & looked at MTD & Smith basses but stumbled onto Roscoes having never heard of them before.
So some help would be great from the Roscoe owners - what makes a Roscoe special & unique for you? Why are they your bass of choice. Why would someone like myself purchase one of these basses without ever hearing one or playing one (sound clips aside)?
Secondly with all the talk of preamps, pickups, woods etc, what would make a killer funk, R&B bass which has a phat bottom end, crisp highs (without slicing heads), punchy mids that would kick slapping & with fingers?
Lastly is the spacing on the 6 string SKB (or Century) neck base wide enough for comfortable slapping, or do most of the players here use 5 strings (note 6 string basses are pretty rare across the board!!)
Sorry for the long first post but I'm eager to hear the various views...look forward to all your replies

JPJ · #2 09-29-2006, 10:11 PM

Well...other than the obvious answer (Keith Roscoe

), there are a couple of elements that are constants across the entire line of Roscoe basses. Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, but I have talked about this a lot with Keith and Gard Lewis (Keith's sales manager and fellow TBer) and we tend to agree on a lot of these elements.

First, the neck plays a key role in the Roscoe sound. Roscoe basses have an extremely strong, stiff, and rigid neck. The large purpleheart (or wenge) stringer, flanked by two pieces of maple, result in a very rigid and very stable neck. This allows more vibration to be transfered from the string back into the body of the instrument and also improved sustain and note clarity and definition. The 35" scale length is also a contributing factor here. This is why many Roscoe owners feel that Roscoe basses have one of the best B-strings available.

Another major contributing factor is is the Bartolini soapbar pickup and preamp package. Granted, this has somewhat shifted over the years as new preamps are made available, but when a new preamp is added to the list of options, it usually only makes the list after it has been tweaked or altered somewhat to help retain that "classic" Roscoe tone.

The last element that really makes a Roscoe a ROSCOE is the totality of all of the elements on any given bass. Body woods, top woods, pickups, preamp, nut material, fingerboard wood, neck wood, etc. All of these elements have an impact (some greater than others) but when you add everything up, you get the unmistakable sound and playability of a Roscoe.

poptart · #3 09-30-2006, 07:29 AM

JPJ + 1 on the above - plus the pick up placement I believe plays a factor.

Gard · #4 10-02-2006, 01:22 PM

What makes a Roscoe?

...well...wood...finish...electronics...wire (fret and electronic)...

...then the magic dust that Keith sprinkles on 'em when no one is looking...

...I may have already said too much...

Basso Gruvitas · #5 10-02-2006, 02:16 PM

Cavem,
Welcome to Talkbass. It's a cool site where you get to hang out with other bass players and dissect stuff like "the Roscoe sound."

First, a Roscoe is more than the wood and materials. I agree with poptart in that it's also the pickup placement. They are both a bit closer to the bridge than a Fender so they have more punch and slightly more overtones. But Roscoes are expressive instruments. They are very responsive to the player's fingers and style (their fretless will make you cry). They have a very even tone and record well. Even when you drop in a preamp with a bright treble, the Roscoes are very even and not harsh. And they have a consistently awesome B string!!

I do a lot of slap in my playing and just acquired my 3rd Roscoe. I find that the 18mm string spacing is just right for fast fingerstyle, but also for accurate slap. To give you some reference, sound samples of this bass are on the first page of the thread below:
ROSCOE #3 -- NEW!! w/ NORDSTRANDS!

They balance well on the player, and if you're okay with 35" scale, they are very comfortable. They have a very fast comfortable neck that does not fatigue my hands.

Keith is a very nice guy whose been doing this for years. I trust his input on what works and what doesn't work. Gard's okay too....once you get past his completely Foreboding Demeanor.

Deep · #6 10-02-2006, 05:10 PM

The normal string spacing on the Roscoe is 18mm? Is a 19mm available? And if it is......will the neck at the last fret be wider too? I like wider necks at the last fret like a Sadowsky or a Lakland has. I believe they are 3" or more at the last fret.

Gard · #7 10-02-2006, 05:40 PM

Deep -

4 strings: 19mm
5 strings: 18.15 mm
6 strings: 18.3 mm

19 mm is available on 5's & 6's, $300 retail upcharge.

gkbass13 · #8 10-02-2006, 07:21 PM

everytie i see that display pic of your new century with nordy's in it i go crazy basso gruvatis. amazing. the oen in gard's pic is what initially started my never endign gas for a roscoe. ...oh, and they dont sound or play too bad either;-)

Basso Gruvitas · #9 10-02-2006, 09:43 PM

Thanks GK. I'm really diggin' the bass.

(Just for the record, it's an SKB

)

Cavem · #10 10-03-2006, 01:34 AM

Thanks everyone for your comments & thanks Basso Gruvitas for the thread link, very helpful. sorry to be ignorant but what is the difference between playing 34" & 35" scale? Also how do the Demeter & Aguilar preamps differ - the only point of reference I have is the Sadowsky?

Modulrob · #11 10-03-2006, 09:07 PM

Hi Cavem. I don't currently own a Roscoe, but did order a custom 6 string fretless from him in 1999 after trying out a fretted 5 string in a store. I have since decided that I am a 4 string fretted player and no longer own it, but I must say that the neck was absolutely fantastic to play (as well as the fretted I had played). I believe he uses an asymmetrical curve which is very comfortable. I am not a Bartolini pickup lover, but it did sound good, and these recent pictures I've been seeing of Nordstrand DC's in Roscoes has me gasping!!! I prefer the Aguilar OBP-1 preamp over OBP-3 because of the low/high frequeccy selection as long as there is a way to manipulate mids sompelace else, but the OBP-3 is still very usable. I'm very interested in checking out the demeter onboard preamp, but have not yet. Good luck!!!

- rOb

JOME77 · #12 10-03-2006, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavem

Thanks everyone for your comments & thanks Basso Gruvitas for the thread link, very helpful. sorry to be ignorant but what is the difference between playing 34" & 35" scale? Also how do the Demeter & Aguilar preamps differ - the only point of reference I have is the Sadowsky?

Cavem,
The 35 scale basses have a slightly wider fret to fret distance than the 34 scale basses. The slightly longer neck results in a much tighter and defined low B string.

The Roscoe Demeter pre sounds great in the Roscoe. It's specially tuned (or voiced) for the Roscoe bass. It has smooth lows, subtle but useful mids and very glassy highs (very hi-fi sounding). The Aguilar OBP-3 also has smooth lows, very nice mids (capable of more mid boost than the Demeter) and clean (not harsh) highs. IMO the Aggie pre sounds a bit more old school. Both excellent sounding pre's in the Roscoe though.