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Roscoe Club

I've played the bass on a couple different occasions. I don't recall the neck feeling rough. It wasn't as flat as my Century, but not a baseball bat, either. I've played "chunky" necks and I wouldn't use that word to describe it. I do need to try it with a strap though, if I were to seriously consider it.

I do have a couple things "in the works" for other basses as well. I have a friends Yamaha Nathan East (original model) in the shop to see if they can get the preamp working. That could be a different sound and feel option for me. I also plan on getting some custom wound pickups for my G&L JB-2. That will make for a nice passive J bass.

I guess I don't need to be Roscoe exclusive. They do work well for me and I do love them. But, even used they are expensive, and rarely does a fretless, let alone a fretless 5 come up for sale. I have my Century 5 with Bart electronics and D'Addario Nickel rounds so I have the "classic" Roscoe tone - IMHO - covered for sure.
 
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The chunky necks were typically Ovankol. The slim and amazing necks were and are Wenge. The latter offer great looks, feel, and tone.

I've had both types of neck (5 string version) and, contrary to what one might think, I prefer the baseball bat version. The reason is due to the narrow 16.5 mm string spacing. Things feel more crowded on the thinner neck. I do like the feel of wenge though.
 
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I have a G&L Tribute L2500 that weighs more than 11 pounds. It sounds like it too. I have had basses that were very light and sounded great and some heavy ones that sounded great too. Remember that SKB 6 with reverse slant pickups you had built, Jon? That Mahogany body was heavy but that bass really had the tone. I seriously regret selling that one. That quilt Maple top was fantastic on that one.

That was a great bass. I wish I had some reason to have kept it, but it just wasn't getting any love. And that was a featherweight compared to the Roscoe 5 string jazz I had built - that thing was a TANK. The weight was the reason I sold it - I couldn't do an entire gig on it!
 
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I've played the bass on a couple different occasions. I don't recall the neck feeling rough. It wasn't as flat as my Century, but not a baseball bat, either. I've played "chunky" necks and I wouldn't use that word to describe it. I do need to try it with a strap though, if I were to seriously consider it.

I do have a couple things "in the works" for other basses as well. I have a friends Yamaha Nathan East (original model) in the shop to see if they can get the preamp working. That could be a different sound and feel option for me. I also plan on getting some custom wound pickups for my G&L JB-2. That will make for a nice passive J bass.

I guess I don't need to be Roscoe exclusive. They do work well for me and I do love them. But, even used they are expensive, and rarely does a fretless, let alone a fretless 5 come up for sale. I have my Century 5 with Bart electronics and D'Addario Nickel rounds so I have the "classic" Roscoe tone - IMHO - covered for sure.
I would for sure take a strap, and a weight scale of some sort. When adrenaline kicks in, picking up a bass can make it feel light. It's happened to me several times. Then you buy it, get it home and after extended playing it feels kind of heavy, because it is. Also, neck heavy on a strap usually always feels neck heavy. I'm sure you know all this, but bass buying euphoria can cause short time memory loss.
 
I'm really close to pulling the trigger. I have been kind of holding out for a fretless, but that hasn't panned out. It looks like an amazing bass but I already have a soap bar Roscoe 5. Will it really sound THAT much different? I know different electronics and wood and all that, but to me Roscoe's sound like Roscoes, with slight variations.
 
Didn’t you say that you didn’t like the LG body?
I didn't like the shorter top horn when I tried an SKB 5. I'm guessing it's the same for the LG, which also keeps my card in my wallet. But I did have a LG3000 for a while and it didn't seem to be as big a deal. Maybe because it was a 34" scale 4 string? IDK. I did like the body shape and size though. It's the "classic" Roscoe shape if you ask me.

A bass that nice and at that price...you almost just have to buy it, short horn or not. :cool: :drool:
 
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