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Roscoe Club

#6,482
Chuck M said:
I still say that if I could own only one electric bass it would be my Century 3006 fretless. That bass pulls music out of me that I didn't know was there. It is almost effortless to play that bass and the tone is to die for.
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The top for my 5 was originally going to be a fretless 6 to go with my quilt maple fretted 6. Sometimes wish I had stuck to that plan.
 
#6,485
SteveC said:
My 6 has this set up. Bart JJ and preamp. It's fantastic. I now prefer the 6 over the 5 or even a 4 string neck. If I could only have 1 bass I think it would be my 6.
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I love a good 4 string. I'd play that any time I didn't need the specific tone or range of the 6. And I can't live without at least owning a P bass.

But 6 VS 5... I sold every 5 I had once I started getting 6's last year. I have had the same bass a 6 and 5, and the 6 always felt better. Unless I'm soloing or reading something that goes up high I don't use the C very much. I think it's partially just having more beef on the neck. The low notes feel and sound so much better on a 6. This red beast (still thinking up a new name other than "Red Devil" since most of my electric bass action is in church) will be my main bass for cover bands and situations where I don't know what I'm getting into before I get there (that is common).
 
#6,486
Timmy-Watts said:
I guess it's time to join... bought this off the classifieds sight unseen. First time ever experiencing a Roscoe. I have been through and owned so many jazz bass platform instruments. I just don't get along with it. I love Marcus Miller's tone. In my niche as a chameleon-like sub in every band in town and in session work, I find I need the jazz tone sometimes. I have never gotten a jazz to sound full in a mix and not be clicky. Even with high end instruments it just never worked for me.

This had all the specs I wanted, and having never heard a single bad thing about Roscoe, I decided to take the plunge. I could have gone Lakland, Valenti, Fender, Sadowsky, or a million other directions. I wantEd to be able to reach the 24th fret, didn't want it to look like a jazz bass, wanted 6 strings, a preamp, noiseless pickups, and it needed to be fat in a mix. Top it off with the business model where they make their own parts (rare even with popular high end builders) and provide what seems to be stellar support for the life of ownership, and I may have just rounded out my fretted stable (still need a fretless). I just had to adjust the action to my liking (from TB bass buying I surmise EVERYONE likes lower action than I do and fret buzz). I doubt it'll need even a fret dress. But the build quality is as good as anything I have ever had, and I still can't get over how beautiful the contour lines and curves are. Jazz bass on steroids under the hood, and modern original work of art on the outside.

After 3 go-arounds in church, and many compliments (they have seen a couple dozen basses come and go the past few years), I think it's a keeper. The rare times I slap, it sounds how I want it. Other times, the controls get it to sound how I want. Great range of tones and great playability (for some reason ever since trying 6's they all feel better than 5's even if I don't play high notes). It rivals the playability of my Peavey Cirrus 6, and might be equal, but it sounds like a great jazz. I fully expected (from 100% of my past experiences) that I would soon take out all the Bartolini guts and replace it all with Nordstrand, but for the first time I like it how it is. Not typical of my experience with Bart pups, these run the gamut from vintage to modern, warm to aggressive, and definitely Bright enough. This will stay as-is, and on gigs where I don't NEED the Peavey/Ken Smith thing or P-bass thing, this one will get the nod. View attachment 1094474
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It's the Red Debbil!!!

I still have a t-shirt with this bass and the original owner on it....great bass, glad to hear it's found a "home". :cool:
 
#6,487
Timmy-Watts said:
I love a good 4 string. I'd play that any time I didn't need the specific tone or range of the 6. And I can't live without at least owning a P bass.

But 6 VS 5... I sold every 5 I had once I started getting 6's last year. I have had the same bass a 6 and 5, and the 6 always felt better. Unless I'm soloing or reading something that goes up high I don't use the C very much. I think it's partially just having more beef on the neck. The low notes feel and sound so much better on a 6. This red beast (still thinking up a new name other than "Red Devil" since most of my electric bass action is in church) will be my main bass for cover bands and situations where I don't know what I'm getting into before I get there (that is common).
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I do like playing my new 4 string jazz. It is different as I've been playing "more than 4" and active basses for a LONG time. The passive tone is a nice change/contrast. I think I could be fine playing a 4 if I didn't "need" the B string. I never "need" the C string but it's fun/nice/handy at times for position or tone.

I have never been a "P" bass guy, but I've never really given it a chance, either. Lately I have been listening to and liking a lot of "P" players and recordings. We'll see. The popularity/dominance of the P is fairly well documented.
 
#6,488
SteveC said:
I do like playing my new 4 string jazz. It is different as I've been playing "more than 4" and active basses for a LONG time. The passive tone is a nice change/contrast. I think I could be fine playing a 4 if I didn't "need" the B string. I never "need" the C string but it's fun/nice/handy at times for position or tone.

I have never been a "P" bass guy, but I've never really given it a chance, either. Lately I have been listening to and liking a lot of "P" players and recordings. We'll see. The popularity/dominance of the P is fairly well documented.
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About a year ago exactly I bought my first six on a whim just because they're so much fun to play with and stores and I figured I would stretch myself and play more solo and write some more period but it just sounded so good and played so well I ended up getting rid of all my fives and all that one four string. And I went through a few more sixes. With this Roscoe I have one upright, one for string, and three six strings. I do like the sea string for soloing and playing chords oh, and I have found it useful a few times where the gig is all reading and it goes up to Eng that way I can not take my eyes off the page and not have to go so far up the neck. The overall feel of the six just works well enough for me but I'm getting comfortable making it my main thing even though 95% of the notes that I play are on a 4-string.
 
#6,490
I hope you ran like you stole it! Wow, that was a heck of a deal Congrats!

Chuck M said:
Another Roscoe is coming my way. I bought this one:

SOLD - Roscoe SKB 3005

I may send it to the factory to have the ding repaired or have it done locally. I will figure that out when the bass arrives. This is my first Roscoe with a maple fingerboard. My other fretted Roscoe's have wenge fingerboards and my fretless is diamond wood.
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#6,491
It is funny how things cycle around. I went from a Ken Smith CR4 to a Roscoe SKB 3006. After and Email exchange with Mr. Smith, I was highly irritated and decided to move away from his basses. I had read about Roscoe but never played one and had only messed with a old Tobias 6 a couple times. I think this was around 1999, I found one for sale on ebay, it had a mahogany body, flame maple top, ebony fingerboard, the Mo weighed just over 11 pounds. I sold my Smith to buy it, so it was sink or swim as it came 3 days before a gig. The neck developed a little back bow so with the ultra low setup I like, it buzzed a little. I ended up putting heavier strings on and raised the action to .0800 and it played fine but not as low as I like. I was in Mars Music and let a guy who is an upright player play it and he was hooked. He asked if I could raise the action as it was too low for him, he played it again and bought it. I bought another SKB 3006 (picture used to be on the old Roscoe website) and played it up until I was taken out while riding my motorcycle in 2008. It became to painful to play 6 and since I already had a SKB3005, I sold the 6 and bought another SKB. I own an SKB3005 and an LG3005 but have been playing a decent quality SX 4 string jazz bass on Sundays since last September. Keith PLEK'd it and I added a J-Tone preamp and it sounds fantastic.

I have a Classic Custom 4 on order which will be finished in a couple of weeks. I was at the Roscoe shop and got a chance to play a Classic Custom 5, just an amazing bass, plays like a Roscoe but sounds like a Jazz. I haven't even received my 4 yet and I am thinking of how I can get a Classic 5 as well without selling any of my other Roscoe basses. I have a disease and the only cure is more Roscoe!

I won't lie, I do miss the 6 string but anymore than 30 minutes on one and my left wrist is toast.
 
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#6,493
I owned several Ken Smith basses and enjoyed them until I had a very unfortunate incident with Ken Smith that soured me on Ken Smith. I refuse to support someone with that kind of attitude (hey, he doesn't need me and he let me know it) so I sold my last Smith bass and will never own another.

I moved to Roscoe basses rather by accident when I made a trade for my Century 3006 fretless. I am still blown away by the Roscoe basses. They are very beautiful to look at and delightful to play and hear.
 
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#6,495
Took me a while to find them - a decade or more I guess - but now that I have, I have a hard time playing anything else. CS is amazing. And as I've said before, even though I'm a nobody in ND, they treat me like I'm a somebody anywhere else.

And even though my wife bought me a G&L jazz bass, I'm guessing I'll have a Classic Custom at some point.
 
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#6,496
Chuck M said:
One other thing and it is BIG.............call Roscoe and you will likely talk to Gard. Gard is friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and kind. I'm certain Keith is just like that too. Great folks, great company and great products.

Hey, this is what it feels like to preach to the choir!
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Well, I'll agree that he's knowledgeable. :D

Seriously, Gard is awesome, and a pleasure to work with. Keith is a great guy, too, and one helluva luthier.
Here's one of my favorite pics: the day I picked up my SKB fretless, a bunch of us walked down the street (from the old shop) and had a couple beers. Pictured are (left to right):

-Gard
-Safia Harrison from Metalstring Sound in Durham, NC (the retailer I bought the SKB through)
-Adam Cohen, Roscoe artist and bassist for Datura
-Keith and his wife

Not pictured: me (snapping the photo)


IMG_0520.JPG
 
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#6,497
Chuck M said:
One other thing and it is BIG.............call Roscoe and you will likely talk to Gard. Gard is friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and kind. I'm certain Keith is just like that too. Great folks, great company and great products.

Hey, this is what it feels like to preach to the choir!
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I have only called the shop three times, and Keith himself answered the phone once. Great guys producing excellent instruments!

Mark
 
#6,499
I have total seller's regret on the SKB in this pic, I sold it to a guy in Finland. I think it is back in the states now but not sure. I loved the sound of the DC pickups but the magnets were so strong it would pull the bass out of tune in the upper register. I sent the pick ups back to Nordstrand for smaller magnets but to no avail. If I still had the bass, it would be sporting some DCB-D4s or some Delano HE pick ups. People asked me what was I looking at so intently. We were playing at Applebees and I was watching a basketball game. I had to get them to turn off the TV as it was too distracting. :D

Invalid Link Removed
 
#6,500
Back around 1999, I think Keith answered the phone every time I called, but again, I called around 8am in the morning. Gard isn't a luthier but he definitely helped Roscoe to get to the next level. Gard has mad organizational skills and keeps production moving. In seconds he can tell you where a guitar or bass is in the production process, if it is waiting on someone to do something to it and can put his hands on every part of the instrument at any given time through the build process. I have been to the shop a few dozen times and have witnessed him work in person and he knows where all the good food and beer is located in Greensboro.

mwbonsall said:
I have only called the shop three times, and Keith himself answered the phone once. Great guys producing excellent instruments!

Mark
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