Roscoe Club

[CrashClint]

That is my old Century, I bought it from Greg Bump, Rocket Music. This bass has had many different preamps and pickups installed. It came with Bartolini preamp and pickups. Something about that bass just sounded boomy and unfocused. Maybe it was the 34" scale, the pickup placement or a combination of wood and electronics. I did a lot of experimenting with electronics. I will say it was the best playing and feeling basses I have ever owned. It played like pure butter. The Purpleheart finger board felt like ebony under my fingers, just silky smooth. I had Roscoe thin down the thickness of the neck and install the "R" abalone inlay in the headstock. Did I say it plays like pure butter. If it would have had the standard Roscoe/Bart soapbar pickups, it would more than likely still be at my house.

Pickups:
Bartolini
Fralin
Duncan
Aguilar
Nordstrand
Delano

Preamp:
Bartolini
Aguilar
Pope
Glockenklang
East

The combination of the East U-Retro and Delano JC5 HE/AS pickups sounded the best but the Nordstand NJ5SF pickups were a very close second and I highly recommend these if you want to replace the single coils in your American Standard or Lakland DJ5. I sold then installed the Nordstrands into the buyers DJ5 and wow, it sounded good. The Nordstrand's humbuckers, to me are the closest you can get to single coil tone in a humbucker.

Figured I'd post this here because you guys might remember this one.

I saw this listing and did some research and saw that this bass has made its rounds through TalkBass over the years... and it's once again up for sale. I'd pick it up myself but I bought 3 basses I didn't need in 2016 so throwing the link out for anybody who might be interested.

Here's the listing: Roscoe Century 3005 J 34" scale Jazz Bass Guitar + custom upgrades extras Purpleheart Maple Ash

This was originally listed at $4200 here: Rocket Music - RoscoeCentury3005JXQMSPHSOLD

Looks like the pickups were swapped out to Delanos and the preamp switched a few times from the Bart preamp, then a Demeter pre, and now an East UK jazz pre. Seems like current setup would sound fantastic.

 

[dedpool1052]

Well, there is a bit more than just pushing button "a" instead of button "b" - all of the fixturing has to be redone for both body and neck, as well as entirely new programming. It is a significant investment in time and resource to do this, if there is a LOT of demand, I will certainly bring it up in production meetings, but unless there is a big push for that as an option, it is not likely in the near future - certainly not saying "never", just having to look at it in a realistic manner from a cost/benefit perspective.

Classic or Classic Custom

Thanks for the response, Gard. I appreciate the fact that you take the time to explain the details/operation of building your basses.

 

[dedpool1052]

I think we're going to leave that for the Standard/Standard Plus model, it's properly designed to be 24 frets. Maybe we will add a pickguard option to allow it to look a bit more "traditional/vintage"? Comments?

I'm thinking vintage here. Solid paint, Olympic white or surf green, may be slightly distressed.

I'm on board with this. To me, dots makers on the fretboard should be standard to complete the "look". I also think the Hipshot vintage style bridges used on the new Classics would help add to the aesthetic. Matching painted headstocks would be great, too.

I can't find a pic of it, but a while back somebody photoshopped a Roscoe with a sing-coil P-bass pickup and a pickguard and it looked pretty sharp.

 

[CrashClint]

I am going to go with the Custom Classic in Olympic White, Pau Ferro bound and blocked fingerboard and Passive Electronics.

I'm thinking for a Classic the Sonic Blue w/maple would be killer. Maybe even distressed!

 

[The Eristic]

Available colors: Tobacco Sunburst,
Transparent Orange, Aztec Gold, Surf Green, Seafoam Green, Cadillac Green,
Fiesta Red, Dakota Red, Sonic Blue, Lake Placid Blue, Daphne Blue, Olympic White, Black, and
Natural (must be ash, which is a $100 option)

Hmmm, distinct lack of Shell Pink and Burgundy Mist Metallic there. Hope more colors are in the pipeline. Also, wonder if Cadillac Green is the Gretsch color.

 

[Jaco Taco]

I've never owned a Roscoe but every time I play one in a store it's one of the best basses I've ever played. The craftsmanship of the basses is really amazing, sounds great from the lowest fret to the highest fret and super-playable across the whole neck. That's very rare.

Someday.....

 

[Gard]

Hmmm, distinct lack of Shell Pink and Burgundy Mist Metallic there. Hope more colors are in the pipeline. Also, wonder if Cadillac Green is the Gretsch color.

I'm sure that a few colors will be added/deleted as things shake out, and I do believe the Cadillac Green is the color you are referring to, but we haven't used it yet, so I'm not completely sure.

 

[CrashClint]

I have a Shell Pink LG, I did some research to find the formula for the original Shell Pink which was first used on the 1956 Chrysler Desoto then get someone local to mix a pint. Fender used lacquer automotive paint on their Shell Pink guitars and basses right from the auto paint store. I ended up using a two stage paint on my LG so I could take advantage of the harder UV cured finish which was sprayed in a really thin coat.

Hmmm, distinct lack of Shell Pink and Burgundy Mist Metallic there. Hope more colors are in the pipeline. Also, wonder if Cadillac Green is the Gretsch color.

 

[Nightman]

They are addicting! Started with one, now have three!

1+. Do be careful! Roscoe G.A.S is real!!!!

 

[SteveC]

SKB Standard Plus 5, strung with new Labella gold flat wounds, will become my new country bass. First Roscoe. Probably not the last.

I ordered some DR Hi Beam Flats to try on my Roscoe 5. Never had flats on anything before. I need new strings so I thought now's the time to try something different. I need to decide flats or rounds before I send it off to be Plek'd.

They are addicting! Started with one, now have three!

Yep, once you start it's hard to stop. I've had 8 I think. Started with a used SKB. That got me hooked on the B string and neck. Didn't hang quite right and felt really long. Once I tried a Century body that was it. Right now I have a 5 with soaps and a 6 with jazz pups. Bartolini on both.

1+. Do be careful! Roscoe G.A.S is real!!!!

I thought I was as G.A.S. free as I can be until the Classic series came out. That "Geddy Lee" Classic that is at NAMM right now is just what I need for a passive 4 string option. Not sure if I can afford it, but I can dream.

 

[Nightman]

I started out with the SKB, too!! It was my first dance with a boutique bass, although I did own at the time a MTD Kingston ZX5 (boutique entry level bass)!! Now I own a variety of 5 Roscoe basses! All 5'ers, 2 are fretless! All are real nice!!!

 

[Nightman]

OK guys help me decide here. I'm about to get a new one started. Headless Standard Plus 5. My original plan was a Century.. I have two of 'em and it's my favorite Roscoe body shape. But on a headless bass, I think the LG looks the coolest by far. I mean, look at this:

Invalid Link Removed

So now I'm torn. Also because I know of a super-cool piece of koa that's only big enough for an LG top. Of course, I'm still gonna go to Greensboro to look through the woodpile!
It's gonna be an alder body and a pau ferro board with the standard Bart CBs/NTMB and black hardware.
So whaddya think.. Century with reverse-slant pickups or LG with forward slant? Or SKB?

This is a good looking bass because it's the LG body style, which IMHO is the coolest looking body shape for those art-work-wood-top Roscoe basses. IJS

 

[Nightman]

I put a set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Bass flat wound on one of my fretless Roscoe and it really plays and sounds nice!! The very low to no string drag on a fretless is almost as good as sssx!!!

 

[CrashClint]

I started out with an SKB 3006, Mahogany body, Flame Maple top with Ebony Fingerboard. Bart/Roscoe electronics and Maple/Pupleheart/Maple neck, 11 pounds of Roscoe fury. I went straight from a 4 string Ken Smith BSRJ4 to the Roscoe 6 string. I bought the Roscoe from someone on ebay and had never played a Roscoe bass before hand. I based my decision on what I had read about Roscoe necks. While waiting for the Roscoe to arrive, I sold my Smith so at the time it arrived I was pretty much bassless having only a parts P bass which played like a cheap parts bass. It was a shock, I got the bass a couple days before a gig and it was a thrown into the frying pan experience to adjust to the width of the 6 string neck. Since then I have probably bought and sold 20 Roscoe basses. I am pretty happy with the SKB 3305 in my avatar and my LG 3005. I am on the fence about my SKB 3005 Fretless (Kim Stone's old fretless) on whether or not to let it go. I will be getting a passive Custom Classic 4 string which should cover me for a while, though, there could possibly be a Classic P in my future two years from now.

My Current family. The Shell Pink is kind of whited out in the picture due to lighting, it is actually darker in person.

 

[Nightman]

I had to replace the Roscoe LG 6 I bought here because the neck was just too wide for my comfort. Nice bass, but not for me. I traded it for a beautiful new Swamp Ash LG Custom with a gloss finished Koa top and with a Bird's eye Maple fretboard.

 

[SteveC]

Now I own a variety of 5 Roscoe basses! All 5'ers, 2 are fretless! All are real nice!!!

I've had a couple fretless Roscoes. THE best fretless ever. I moved them both because I just didn't have a really good use for them. I wanted to, but fretted seems to serve my needs better. The pair I currently have were both ordered new and I got to pick the tops and electronics. Went to pick up the 6 in person and picked out the top for the 5 while I was there. Really fun.

I put a set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Bass flat wound on one of my fretless Roscoe and it really plays and sounds nice!! The very low to no string drag on a fretless is almost as good as sssx!!!

I have a set of DR Hi Beam Flats coming. I'm very curious to try them. Figured I'd start there as I use DR Hi Beams on both right now. They were fairly inexpensive. We'll see. I have had TI's in the past.I always used rounds on my fretless basses. I wanted "mwah" more than upright thump.

 

[SteveC]

I had to replace the Roscoe LG 6 I bought here because the neck was just too wide for my comfort. Nice bass, but not for me. I traded it for a beautiful new Swamp Ash LG Custom with a gloss finished Koa top and with a Bird's eye Maple fretboard.

I have had 2 different Roscoe 6 strings, the Century Standard Plus I had made (sold it and bought it back - twice ) and an SKB 3006. The 6 feels really good this time around. Action, sound, playability is all more comfortable this time. I don't know why.

I have a Koa topped bass as well. A Century Standard Plus 5 with birdseye board. I'm going to try flats on it for something different.

Both basses are in my avatar.

 

[ClassicJazz]

I thought I was as G.A.S. free as I can be until the Classic series came out. That "Geddy Lee" Classic that is at NAMM right now is just what I need for a passive 4 string option. Not sure if I can afford it, but I can dream.

Yes, very tempting! BUT.....I do have a real '72 Jazz with a maple neck and black blocks inlays. So that keeps the GAS under control!

 

[SteveC]

Yes, very tempting! BUT.....I do have a real '72 Jazz with a maple neck and black blocks inlays. So that keeps the GAS under control!

If it weren't for my wife killing me, there'd be a "Sold" sign on that bass.

 

[Nightman]

I've had a couple fretless Roscoes. THE best fretless ever. I moved them both because I just didn't have a really good use for them. I wanted to, but fretted seems to serve my needs better. The pair I currently have were both ordered new and I got to pick the tops and electronics. Went to pick up the 6 in person and picked out the top for the 5 while I was there. Really fun.

I have a set of DR Hi Beam Flats coming. I'm very curious to try them. Figured I'd start there as I use DR Hi Beams on both right now. They were fairly inexpensive. We'll see. I have had TI's in the past.I always used rounds on my fretless basses. I wanted "mwah" more than upright thump.

Much love to my Roscoe basses, but talk about 'mwah' from a fretless, listen to a Rob Allen!!!!