Sometimes something very special is already in your hands. 
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Roscoe Club
- Thread starter JOME77
- Start date
Yes. Do not overlook why you have while dreaming about what may be.
Gigged both Roscoes on Friday and Saturday nights. Wedding dance on Friday night, outdoor event on Saturday night. To say I’m extremely happy would be an understatement.
I’d also like to publicly thank both Donovan at FretSpot and @MattLplaysBass for what I feel were very fair deals on a pair of amazing basses. Highly recommend both of these guys!!
Each bass definitely has its own character, with the Bart/Bart Century Custom being a bit bigger, fuller, more classic Roscoe sounding, and the Nordstrand DC/Nordstrand 3 band/all wenge neck Century Signature being more aggressive, brighter, and open sounding. They compliment each other very, very well.
I’d also like to publicly thank both Donovan at FretSpot and @MattLplaysBass for what I feel were very fair deals on a pair of amazing basses. Highly recommend both of these guys!!
Each bass definitely has its own character, with the Bart/Bart Century Custom being a bit bigger, fuller, more classic Roscoe sounding, and the Nordstrand DC/Nordstrand 3 band/all wenge neck Century Signature being more aggressive, brighter, and open sounding. They compliment each other very, very well.
Brothers from different mothers!
….. but the same father!
….. but the same father!
Yep! Now if I could just find a Century Standard Plus unlined fretless…nothing I need right now, but I’d love to have a fretless Roscoe again.Brothers from different mothers!
….. but the same father!
The preamp on the Customs... I'm developing a special appreciation for them. Just how customized are these for Roscoe? Definitely doesn't sound like your typical, off the shelf Bartolini preamp. I found that a little goes a long way. Most of the time I'll have bass and treble equally boosted just a smidgen and the midrange pulled back to an equal amount. From there, pickup blend is about all I touch to refine things.
What's the general consensus here concerning the preamp design and where the sweet spot is often found?
What's the general consensus here concerning the preamp design and where the sweet spot is often found?
The Bartolini preamp in the Roscoe basses is a stock Bartolini preamp. The pickups however, are proprietary (a version of the standard offering Bartolini Quad Coil pickup).
I’m just the opposite with the EQ, where I have Bass/Treb at center with Mids boosted to taste. Balance is usually centered unless the room is too boomy, then I might roll it toward the bridge.
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Interesting... So I guess the pups and general construction is what extends the spread here. They definatley have their own sound. And it's a good one at that.
Yes. IMO it's the sum of the parts that create the Roscoe sound. Personally I think it has a to do with the neck construction (but that's just a theory).
..and as best as my ear can tell, that bass line was played on the Electric Bass patch of the original Yamaha DX7 keyboard. I'm a bassist, but at the time, I played and and secondary keyboards (one of which was a DX7. Still have it! It still works!) in a typical 80s cover band. I used that patch on a couple of tunes and I recognized that DX7 bass patch right off when the song came out.
(Now the official small print...
. I"m not a Roscoe owner, but I have a dear friend with a 2016 Century Custom 5 (Exhibition koa top, swamp ash body, maple neck with wenge center lamination. Birds eye maple fingerboard. Bartolini preamp and pickups.). I'm told it's the first bass that Keith is pointing out in this video. I love, love my basses, but as my buddy isn't a full-time musician, he doesn't play for weeks at a time and will let me hold on to that bass. It's sooooo, sooooo fine!! I"d use it on gigs, but our touch and action and string preferences are 180* apart and I don't want to hack his bass up for my style. But even at that, I can tell it's a so very awesome bass. He keeps hinting around at selling it, and who knows....That'e the reason I follow this page. 
Has anyone been able to get a response from the roscoe team via email recently? Ive been emailing them for the past month without any response from them. Insight is much appreciated.
Email is often a weak link to Roscoe. Phone is the best method for many. It helps to be persistent, and this has been the usual best way for years.
I breezed through the shop yesterday on my way to a wedding picking up a new case to replace one that was damaged in shipping. Didn’t have time to stick my nose in the back, but the Plek room was just as full as it always is. They’re moving basses through but are super busy working 6 or 7 days a week, so calling might be your best bet.
Oh nice ! So you’re the one that got that KOA Century outstanding
Can anyone explain why some Barts have two screws verses one ? Is it simply the housing ? I did the magnetic tape over both and they look the same underneath
Attachments
Two screws at top with one on bottom verses one on top and bottom to be more specific. If you look at the pic my SKBs have two different ones
Here's my understanding. 2 adjustment screws at top, bass side, 1 opposite lower, treble side, are commonly used for Roscoe 5-string basses with Roscoe proprietary Barts. Each screw sits beyond the magnet bar structures. Like this:
Pickups with 1 adjustment screw at top, bass side, 1 opposite lower, treble side, are used for Roscoe-6 strings with Roscoe proprietary Barts. Each screw sits between the magnet bar structures, which are longer than the 5-string models.
Both types of pickups have P4 shells with the same exterior dimensions. Comments above observed using magnetic paper placed on top of Roscoe Bart 5- and 6-string pickups.
Pickups with 1 adjustment screw at top, bass side, 1 opposite lower, treble side, are used for Roscoe-6 strings with Roscoe proprietary Barts. Each screw sits between the magnet bar structures, which are longer than the 5-string models.
Both types of pickups have P4 shells with the same exterior dimensions. Comments above observed using magnetic paper placed on top of Roscoe Bart 5- and 6-string pickups.
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It would not be good for me to live close enough to Keith’s shop to drop in like that! I’d constantly be wanting to build something new. It’s tempting enough seeing all the posts of new basses being built on this thread but to see them in person would be just more than I could bear!
