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NBD! Roscoe Beck V!

OkayistBassist

OkayistBassist

Bass player ordinaire.
Supporting Member
Jun 17, 2017
725
2,342
42
Pensacola
#1
Welp. I said I wouldn’t do it. Then I did it.

A friend of mine enlisted me to sell this bass for him. Sure, no problem.

I had heard this bass live once and was impressed. I questioned why he would sell it. Just liked his Lakland more, I guess.

After he brought them over for me to take pictures (he tasked me with selling two other basses as well - MIM Geddy and a Peavey Fury V), I set them with aside. Got to the picture taking later that morning. For grins, I plugged in the Roscoe. “Wow, like that sound!”

I then looked up to see what all of the controls did. “Man, I heard these were crazy versatile, but now this makes sense!”

I plugged it in again today, this time using my headphones. Wow.

It’s currently strung with Roto flatwounds. I really want to try some rounds just to see what it sounds like.

I’m thinking this one is going to impress the blues jam crowd on Monday evening. There are gigs this week I think but will make an appearance, too!

Pics shamelessly stolen from my own FS thread!

IMG_0623.jpegIMG_0624.jpegIMG_0625.jpegIMG_0626.jpegIMG_0627.jpegIMG_0628.jpegIMG_0629.jpeg
 
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#3
The best five-string Fender ever made, or for that matter, ever will make. It floated around in prototypes as RB wanted a 5-string equivalent tone-wise of his vintage Jazz Basses. This went nowhere until they brought in the late Bill Lawrence who worked his genius once more to make these pickups with wonderful low B response, one of the last projects he worked on. RB also held their feet to the fire to include that crazy Gotoh locking bridge (I once field-stripped that same bridge on a BB5000A2, and all I can tell you is, DON'T do it). The swtiching from single to humbucker plus the three way switch makes this a tone monster, in many ways an ultimate example of how good passive pickups can be, at least when done by a master.

A big axe, but well worth it. A landmark five string by any measure. This needs to be a regular catalog instrument again.
 
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#4
OkayistBassist said:
Welp. I said I wouldn’t do it. Then I did it.

A friend of mine enlisted me to sell this bass for him. Sure, no problem.

I had heard this bass live once and was impressed. I questioned why he would sell it. Just liked his Lakland more, I guess.

After he brought them over for me to take pictures (he tasked me with selling two other basses as well - MIM Geddy and a Peavey Fury V), I set them with aside. Got to the picture taking later that morning. For grins, I plugged in the Roscoe. “Wow, like that sound!”

I then looked up to see what all of the controls did. “Man, I heard these were crazy versatile, but now this makes sense!”

I plugged it in again today, this time using my headphones. Wow.

It’s currently strung with Roto flatwounds. I really want to try some rounds just to see what it sounds like.

I’m thinking this one is going to impress the blues jam crowd on Monday evening. There are gigs this week I think but will make an appearance, too!

Pics shamelessly stolen from my own FS thread!

View attachment 7273839View attachment 7273840View attachment 7273841View attachment 7273842View attachment 7273843View attachment 7273844View attachment 7273845
Click to expand...
Beautiful bass! Congrats!
 
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#16
When Fender came out with the Dimension series, I saw a few similarities in the design to the Roscoe Beck. I was hoping they would have been a success, but apparently not.

I had the metallic green Roscoe Beck. Great bass, but I could never get the neck to straighten out enough for me.
 
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#19
Geri O said:
Very nice!

I’ve become a one-bass kinda guy lately, but I’d love to have a Roscoe Beck V like that as part of the “collection” that is slowly being whittled down.
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I have finally gotten mine down to a respectable level. I know that is relative lol.

I moved to the Gulf Coast from the Midwest three years ago. I found out late in the moving process that there are no basements here. There went my music space. I sold off a bunch of stuff. I brought 4 basses, a smaller pedalboard and an amp / cabinet. Two of those four are still in my possession.

I’m still whittling things down. I’m thinking this Roscoe is going to be my #1 from here on out.
 
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#20
J Wilson said:
The best five-string Fender ever made, or for that matter, ever will make. It floated around in prototypes as RB wanted a 5-string equivalent tone-wise of his vintage Jazz Basses. This went nowhere until they brought in the late Bill Lawrence who worked his genius once more to make these pickups with wonderful low B response, one of the last projects he worked on. RB also held their feet to the fire to include that crazy Gotoh locking bridge (I once field-stripped that same bridge on a BB5000A2, and all I can tell you is, DON'T do it). The swtiching from single to humbucker plus the three way switch makes this a tone monster, in many ways an ultimate example of how good passive pickups can be, at least when done by a master.

A big axe, but well worth it. A landmark five string by any measure. This needs to be a regular catalog instrument again.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the history on it! I knew of the man himself as a bassist, but not the story behind the instrument.

It’s such a great player. I can’t put it down.
 
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