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Roscoe Beck V

#21
It's been about two weeks since I last posted about by RBV, so I feel that at least some of the "new bass high" is gone.:smug: Simply put, the RBV is the best Jazz-inspired passive bass that I know of. Between the coil taps, and push/pull tone knob, there is no jazz sound this bass can't play, and the series setting is very close approximation of an active Jazz to boot. I've gotten used to the body size, and I have fallen in love with the neck too. One bonus is that the big bridge is pretty nice for anchoring my hand when I play pick style since I have decided to get decent with a pick again after re-examining Bobby Vega's work on Sly Stone's "I Get High On You.":bassist:

That said, I have come very close to selling it this week.:hiding: As many of you know, there is Sadowsky Metro for sale at a very low price, and I feel a huge temptation to sell my bass so I can drink the Sadowsky Kool-aid for an extended period of time.:D

Oh well, whether I keep it or not, the RBV is the most innovative bass that Fender made since the original P and J. I don't count the great active Deluxe or Plus series since active electronics were not an in house design like the P, J, or RBV.:cool:
 
#22
Oh Boo Hoo Doc!:p:hiding:

I've got the Best Jazz bass Fender has ever made and I'm considering selling it for a Sadowsky.:help::help::help::help::p

WHAT A DILLEMA!:D

I wish I had those "Problems".:spit:

I hope your able to choose whichever you think you'll keep. But keep in mind the RBV is discontinued. Sad Metro's aren't. Though that is a fantastic price.

If you choose to sell the RBV I'm just mad I don't have the $ to take it off your hands.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Best of Luck in this traumatically difficult decision.:D:D:D:D

God Bless, Ray
 
#23
LilRay said:
Oh Boo Hoo Doc!:p:hiding:

I've got the Best Jazz bass Fender has ever made and I'm considering selling it for a Sadowsky.:help::help::help::help::p

WHAT A DILLEMA!:D

I wish I had those "Problems".:spit:

I hope your able to choose whichever you think you'll keep. But keep in mind the RBV is discontinued. Sad Metro's aren't. Though that is a fantastic price.

If you choose to sell the RBV I'm just mad I don't have the $ to take it off your hands.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Best of Luck in this traumatically difficult decision.:D:D:D:D

God Bless, Ray
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Seriously, thanks alot Ray.:cool: I know that in the great scheme of things, I am blessed to have such a nice bass, and although the Metro may be nicer, I'm pretty sure it won't blow the RBV out of the water either.:) A more practical thing to do might be to just save a bit of the money I got from letting my Jazz go (it truly became redundant with the RBV around) and just get a really low cost back up like an old USA Peavey.;)
 
#24
Dr. Cheese said:
Seriously, thanks alot Ray.:cool: I know that in the great scheme of things, I am blessed to have such a nice bass, and although the Metro may be nicer, I'm pretty sure it won't blow the RBV out of the water either.:) A more practical thing to do might be to just save a bit of the money I got from letting my Jazz go (it truly became redundant with the RBV around) and just get a really low cost back up like an old USA Peavey.;)
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I don't know man, As they say you only go around this world once.;)

If the Sadowsky is something you really want. I say go for it. Especially when you've got a chance to snag one at a great price. I was just clowning with you. It really is a nice dillema to be in:cool:.

I'm stingy though. I'd be looking for other stuff to flip and keep the RBV. You can always go to evilbay:ninja:.

Muddy Waters had a song that fits this perfect. He said "You can't lose what you ain't never had"

Good Luck in choosing.

God Bless, Ray
 
#25
Sweet bass Doc! The RBV was truly the first Fender in my eyes that really grabbed my attention when they first came out. It was just so revolutionary & broke the mold from the typical jazz basses prior to it. Bet it sounds incredible! Congrats!
 
#26
Try not to sell that RBV until you've had a chance to play it side-by-side with the Metro!

I had an RBV that I sold because I couldn't get comfortable with the left-hand geometry, but that bass had the most incredible pitch integrity along the entire length of the B-string that I've ever experienced on any 34" bass, including a NYC Sadowsky I briefly owned. The RBV is one of the great axes of all time, especially when you factor in the sheer value offered when you --necessarily -- buy them used. I really wish I could have gotten comfortable with that axe!
 
#28
kirkm24 said:
I am very interested to try one of these out. This bass is passive? How is the passive sound?
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It's passive, but very versatile with high output pickups. The pickups can be run together or separately as humbuckers, single coil, or series parallel. Single coil is the perfect passive Jazz bass tone, humbucker with both pickups is nice and punchy, but passive sounding. Series parallel sounds like an active Jazz bass. If you pull the tone knob up, it sounds like a jazz bass with the bridge pickup slightly favored. It think series parallel with the bridge coil soloed delivers a hyper Jaco sound. The neck pickup soloed as a humbucker does a very good Precision imitation.:)
 
#29
Joebone said:
Try not to sell that RBV until you've had a chance to play it side-by-side with the Metro!

I had an RBV that I sold because I couldn't get comfortable with the left-hand geometry, but that bass had the most incredible pitch integrity along the entire length of the B-string that I've ever experienced on any 34" bass, including a NYC Sadowsky I briefly owned. The RBV is one of the great axes of all time, especially when you factor in the sheer value offered when you --necessarily -- buy them used. I really wish I could have gotten comfortable with that axe!
Click to expand...

My RBV is certainly a quality bass! I don't doubt for one minute that it would compare very favorably with an actual boutique bass. Hey, I'm just a GAS-y amateur who spends more time on the computer than he does practicing.:hiding:

To state the obvious, if it's good enough for Roscoe Beck, it for damn sure is more than good enough for me!:D
 
#30
My J-5 roster is currently:

Lakland USA JO5
Sadowsky UV70-5-ASH-RW
Sadowsky MV5
RBV
Cheese's old '08 USA J-5 coming tomorrow :D

The RBV definitely hangs with any of them, and has its own vibe. It has huge round fat punch, and a really grindy top end, the band loves it, and the parallel setting lets it get a nice modern tone. I usually just use the standard J-bass sound, strait up. The neck is big, but I set it up super low with hi beams and it turns into a ripper. Sits great in the mix, especially when I put my Maxon CP9-Pro+ on it.

I love all these basses :D The only non-J I have at this point is my 55-94 and 72P.
 
#31
pickles said:
My J-5 roster is currently:

Lakland USA JO5
Sadowsky UV70-5-ASH-RW
Sadowsky MV5
RBV
Cheese's old '08 USA J-5 coming tomorrow :D

The RBV definitely hangs with any of them, and has its own vibe. It has huge round fat punch, and a really grindy top end, the band loves it, and the parallel setting lets it get a nice modern tone. I usually just use the standard J-bass sound, strait up. The neck is big, but I set it up super low with hi beams and it turns into a ripper. Sits great in the mix, especially when I put my Maxon CP9-Pro+ on it.

I love all these basses :D The only non-J I have at this point is my 55-94 and 72P.
Click to expand...

Enjoy my old Jazz. It is a great bass!:bassist:
 
#33
Dr. Cheese said:
Single coil is the perfect passive Jazz bass tone,
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Yup! Bill Lawrence designed the pickups so the single coil mode matched Roscoes '62(I think I have the year right, its 60's for sure though) Jazz, both tonally, and output wise.:cool:
Dr. Cheese said:
My RBV is certainly a quality bass! I doubt for one minute that it would compare very favorably with an actual boutique bass. Hey, I'm just a GAS-y amateur who spends more time on the computer than he does practicing.:hiding:
Click to expand...

I'm just a hobbyist amateur(too much computer too:ninja:), is all, but I can tell you, IMO, it hangs with any bass, boutique or otherwise.:)
 
#36
Darkstrike said:
Yup! Bill Lawrence designed the pickups so the single coil mode matched Roscoes '62(I think I have the year right, its 60's for sure though) Jazz, both tonally, and output wise.:cool:


I'm just a hobbyist amateur(too much computer too:ninja:), is all, but I can tell you, IMO, it hangs with any bass, boutique or otherwise.:)
Click to expand...

I meant to say that I don't doubt that it can hang with a boutique Jazz.:o
 

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