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Bartolini v. Aguilar (for Roscoe bass), which one?

svoncampe

svoncampe

Jul 10, 2008
165
37
Norfolk, VA
#1
Hi! I am considering purchasing a Roscoe (5 string) bass sometime in the near future and am, among other things, trying to figure out what electronics to choose. My roomate owns a Roscoe with Barts preamp and pickups, and I love the sound that it gets. While I know that the wood plays a major role, the sound none the less is noticeably different than any of my other basses. I own three, all of which have Bartolini pickups and preamps as well: Ibanez BTB1205, Tobias Basic, and a custom fretless by David Pushic.

While I would love to get the sound my roommate's Roscoe gets, and even though the Roscoe Bartolinis are specifically made for Roscoe, I would not mind ordering this bass with something other than Bartolini, since all of my other basses already have Barts. However, I will stick to Bartolini for all of the good reasons I mentioned if I'd be sacrificing tone or quality in any way.

Can anyone out there give me advice and/or comparisons between the 3-way Bartolini and 3-way Aguilar preamps, be it in direct relation to Roscoe or any other bass? As far as the pickups go, I am also debating which way to go: Bartolini or Norstrand, the latter being an upgrade Roscoe offers.

Thanks! :bassist:
 
#2
Svoncampe,

You should try to visit Roscoe section of TB.
There are plenty of Roscoeheads who have a pretty solid experience about different electronics in a Roscoe.

You may already know that you can also choose between several pickups : Bart/Roscoe, Bartolini CB soapbars or Nordstrand dual coils.

The whole electronics setup (pickups + preamp) has in my opinion as much importance as wood in a bass.

As to your precise question, the Aguilar preamp in Roscoes is usualy seen as a more agressive preamp more suited to rock players or slapping cats.

I had a complete Bart setup in my freted Roscoe and it had been removed. It was in my opinion too dark, muted and compressed.

Best of luck and see you in the Roscoe forum.
;)
 

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