Along with the rest of us. I've asked him about potential future models on his website so we'll see if we get an answer.
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Roscoe Beck Forum?
- Thread starter Ezbass
- Start date
Along with the rest of us. I've asked him about potential future models on his website so we'll see if we get an answer.
Agreed, I'd love a 5er sometime, or a 2nd 4 string to yank the frets out.
I've often thought about trying to whip one up from Warmoth gear, espcially as I could get a 5er with medium-tight string spacing.
To the players of these very interesting basses, how capable is an RBV in getting a credible P-bass sound? More than or less than a Jazz neck pup? Or??? And what settings would you use? I'm trying to decide between an RBV and an Am Std P V. I have no doubt that the RBV is much more versatile, but there's no opportunity to test one. And I definitely want to be able to get a P sound.
Thanks,
Al
Thanks,
Al
Thanks Darkstrike and Ezbass. I appreciate your feedback. Turns out the RBV I was thinking about may have been sold. If not...
Thanks again,
Al
Thanks again,
Al
yeah, the neck pickup is really fat...you can get a nice solid punchy tone from it. Glad to see this thread up again. I've been enjoying my RBV, it's my number one right now and doing a great job!
OK folks, another RBV question. Is there any appreciable difference over the various model years regarding quality or anything else? For instance, I know that Fender kept refining the graphite neck reinforcement since they first incorporated it in the 95 Am Standard series. And I've read that some of the early RBVs may have been mis-wired. I guess I'm asking if there's any reason to look for a later, rather than earlier model. Or, perhaps, vice versa?
Thanks,
Al
Thanks,
Al
I'm going to chime in here.
I bought my Shoreline Gold RBV in 1998. I ordered it without ever having seen one in the flesh, as it were; from reading Roscoe's comments on the bass, and talking to the occasional person who HAD played one, it sounded like the right thing for me. I'd been a Jazz Bass player since the mid-70s, so the neck spacing and other stuff seemed right.
Yeppers! I've modified mine slightly since I got it; it's now set up V/V/T like a Jazz bass, with a custom white pearl pickguard made by Kevin McPhail. Still has the series/sc/parallel switches for each pickup, though.
Invalid Link Removed, on Flickr
bass body, on Flickr
Do I get a number?
I bought my Shoreline Gold RBV in 1998. I ordered it without ever having seen one in the flesh, as it were; from reading Roscoe's comments on the bass, and talking to the occasional person who HAD played one, it sounded like the right thing for me. I'd been a Jazz Bass player since the mid-70s, so the neck spacing and other stuff seemed right.
Yeppers! I've modified mine slightly since I got it; it's now set up V/V/T like a Jazz bass, with a custom white pearl pickguard made by Kevin McPhail. Still has the series/sc/parallel switches for each pickup, though.
Invalid Link Removed, on Flickr
bass body, on Flickr
Do I get a number?
I saw recently a Fender poster from sometime in the mid-late 90s that showed photos of most or all of Fender's offerings for the year. One of the items they featured with a larger photo was a Roscoe Beck V with V V T and no pickup selector switch.
Has anyone seen one of these in the wild?
Has anyone seen one of these in the wild?
I gig with mine using a gig bag all the time. I don't think I've ever used the hardshell case for gigging purposes at all. The tweed is nice to kook at, but if I had to take the bass on the road in a HSC, I'd probably opt for one of the newer Fender SKB bass cases.
As one who has been a confirmed "GLeek" for the last 4 years or so, I have always had at least one L-2500 in the stable as a "go to" 5-string.
Having read a lot about the Roscoe Beck V, I looked for one for about a year, and finally turned up a teal metallic V on Craigslist in CA. With a bit of coaxing, I was able to get the seller to ship it to me in TN, and I couldn't be more delighted with this instrument. The range of tones is incredible, and they are all "musically useful". I love the "old-school" passive vibe. The B string is as solid as any I have ever played, including instruments that cost 3 or 4 times as much as this one when new.
In experimenting with the settings, I have been able to get very convincing versions of the following sounds:
J bass "burp"
A reasonable P-bass emulation
A reasonable MM emulation
Original SC P-Bass
...and many others in-between.
In addition to doing a lot of "sound-alike" tones, the RB has a character of its own. It's the "better than Fender" Fender.
I have long told people that a G&L L-2500 is the "Swiss Army knife" of basses, and still believe that is true, but the RB is extremely versatile, able to do all but the most extreme ends of the L-2500 spectrum.
In fact, I like it so much that I am a convert, and recently sold my "go to" L-2500. I still have tons of love for the G&L, but the RB just feels and sounds "right" in just about any kind of music that I play. No, it won't do the completely angry "snarl" that an L-2500 can get in active mode, but it has plenty of cut-through, and the "old-school" thump is amazing.
The young man who owned this instrument had listed it on CL as a "Fender Jazz Bass", and I was able to find it only because Google pulled the search term out of the text of his listing. I won't post what I paid for it, as you would all accuse me of theft.
Another thing I love about this bass is the way that most people see it as very "normal Fender" looking at first glance, then start to cast a quizzical look when they realize something is "wrong". This is followed by the "What kind of bass is that?" question.
The only negative comment, and it is a small one, is that the neck is a bit of a challenge when coming from the L-2500. Not that it is "bad" in any way, but definitely different. This minor adjustment has been worth it because of the incredible tone.
Did I mention the fabulous sound?
Photos to come soon.
Having read a lot about the Roscoe Beck V, I looked for one for about a year, and finally turned up a teal metallic V on Craigslist in CA. With a bit of coaxing, I was able to get the seller to ship it to me in TN, and I couldn't be more delighted with this instrument. The range of tones is incredible, and they are all "musically useful". I love the "old-school" passive vibe. The B string is as solid as any I have ever played, including instruments that cost 3 or 4 times as much as this one when new.
In experimenting with the settings, I have been able to get very convincing versions of the following sounds:
J bass "burp"
A reasonable P-bass emulation
A reasonable MM emulation
Original SC P-Bass
...and many others in-between.
In addition to doing a lot of "sound-alike" tones, the RB has a character of its own. It's the "better than Fender" Fender.
I have long told people that a G&L L-2500 is the "Swiss Army knife" of basses, and still believe that is true, but the RB is extremely versatile, able to do all but the most extreme ends of the L-2500 spectrum.
In fact, I like it so much that I am a convert, and recently sold my "go to" L-2500. I still have tons of love for the G&L, but the RB just feels and sounds "right" in just about any kind of music that I play. No, it won't do the completely angry "snarl" that an L-2500 can get in active mode, but it has plenty of cut-through, and the "old-school" thump is amazing.
The young man who owned this instrument had listed it on CL as a "Fender Jazz Bass", and I was able to find it only because Google pulled the search term out of the text of his listing. I won't post what I paid for it, as you would all accuse me of theft.
Another thing I love about this bass is the way that most people see it as very "normal Fender" looking at first glance, then start to cast a quizzical look when they realize something is "wrong". This is followed by the "What kind of bass is that?" question.
The only negative comment, and it is a small one, is that the neck is a bit of a challenge when coming from the L-2500. Not that it is "bad" in any way, but definitely different. This minor adjustment has been worth it because of the incredible tone.
Did I mention the fabulous sound?
Photos to come soon.
It is metric, the bridge was made by Gotoh in Japan. I don't remember the size though.
Update - found a case! It's a WolfPak polyfoam. Fits the RBIV very snugly. Not as bullet-proof as a true hard case, but it has pockets on the outside, hideaway backpack straps, and plenty of storage inside.
Originally wanted one of the newer SKB hard cases, but it just didn't fit as well.
Originally wanted one of the newer SKB hard cases, but it just didn't fit as well.
Time to revive this thread 
Would a RBIV made in 2008 still be susceptible to the intonation problems (using flats or round) some have experienced, or is it something that was ironed out?
Would a RBIV made in 2008 still be susceptible to the intonation problems (using flats or round) some have experienced, or is it something that was ironed out?
