Roscoe Club

[Timmy-Watts]

Owners or previous owners of the Century Standard 4. Have you tried any other preamp/pickup configuration than the stock Aguilar? If so, what was it and how'd it fare?
I'm not a huge fan of Aguilar, (I like em but don't love em), and I'd like to try a Darkglass Tone Capsule with Bartolini pickups (P/J).
Any thoughts?

You'll get as many answers as people here, as it is a matter of taste at this level of quality. Aguilar electronics have their own thing. I'm a fan of the pickups for the old school classic thing, but not a fan of the preamps. Perhaps be more specific about what you're after? You mentioned Bart+Darkglass... to me that says you are probably a prog metal guy... in that case, go for that stuff. For me, I am a freelance/session/sub/fusion/jazz/soul/chameleon guy, so in my active PJ4 (not a Roscoe) is all Nordstrand (NP4a+Big Split, 5a/3b preamp). Can't go wrong with any high quality gear. What are your tone goals?

 

[xhawk5]

You'll get as many answers as people here, as it is a matter of taste at this level of quality. Aguilar electronics have their own thing. I'm a fan of the pickups for the old school classic thing, but not a fan of the preamps. Perhaps be more specific about what you're after? You mentioned Bart+Darkglass... to me that says you are probably a prog metal guy... in that case, go for that stuff. For me, I am a freelance/session/sub/fusion/jazz/soul/chameleon guy, so in my active PJ4 (not a Roscoe) is all Nordstrand (NP4a+Big Split, 5a/3b preamp). Can't go wrong with any high quality gear. What are your tone goals?

Right now I'm into a metal project, you nailed it. I haven't heard Barts/DG yet and am VERY curious.

Tone goals are "aggressively thick with cutting room", (easy on the brittle highs). Maybe I need to mess around with the controls a lil more. Having the preamp active AND using a tone control is really strange. It's a cool concept, one I've never had before but I haven't found "THE" setting yet.

 

[SteveC]

I'm not a Roscoe owner, but I had the chance to play a friend's Standard six string, spalted maple top, through a Markbass rig, recently.

Now, granted, I'm a passive bass/old school amp type dude, but this thing was pretty spectacular. The notes, for lack of a better term, were piano-like in their clarity and focus. The mid presence was tremendous, and the neck was sublime. The relatively flat radius threw me off, and I was paralyzed by all the knobs, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a special piece of kit!

I'd like to get my hands on a fretless 5...what I heard and felt in that bass was begging to be loosed from the metal confines of fret-dom.

Nothing plays/sounds like a Roscoe 6, or 5, and their fretless basses are the best. Period.

 

[Ryan L.]

Ok, this one made me pee, just a little. It makes me wanna do stupid things with a credit card....

Hmm, Black Block inlay.

Classic Custom 5JJ Serial #0042c Poplar body, Seafoam Green finish, Honey Badger 5J Split (hum-cancelling) pickups, Passive VVT controls, Black/White/Black 3-ply pickguard, Maple fingerboard with black blocks & binding

__________________________________________________________________________________​

​

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Right now I'm into a metal project, you nailed it. I haven't heard Barts/DG yet and am VERY curious.

Tone goals are "aggressively thick with cutting room", (easy on the brittle highs). The tone now seems just blasé, somewhat oldschool with a bassy overtone. Maybe I need to mess around with the controls a lil more. Having the preamp active AND using a tone control is really strange. It's a cool concept, one I've never had before but I haven't found "THE" setting yet.

I've had a few basses with Aguilar preamps, and tried all 3. I have found them muddy, and there is TOO much boost and cut, and they are unusable. I like Barts ok, but every time I have switched them out for Nordstrands, the bass has come alive. It's like Barts have their own internal tone control that's turned a little down, and with a mid peak. Great if a compressed mid bark sound is what you're after. The Barts in my Century 6j are an exception. Bright and punchy.

If metal is your thing, I can't see going wrong with a full EMG setup. The DG capsule is also a great preamp to pair with any pickups, and I bet your Bart/DG idea would do you well.

 

[CrashClint]

I did a lot of pre-amp experimenting on the Century I had, also a lot of pickups as well. In a Roscoe I have always been a fan of Demeter and it will always be right at the top if you want the modern tone. If you call in the morning James Demeter normally answers the phone.

Demeter/Roscoe - A real modern tone, glassy highs, scooped mids and very tight bass (though some say it scoops the mids too much) and works well with both the Roscoe/Barts and the Classic Barts.

East Uni-Pre - A nice modern sounding pre-amp with passive tone control. It has a Vol/Blend stack, Bass/Treble stack, Midrange/Midrange Freq. stack and passive tone which works in active as well. Absolutely kills with Delano pickups and sounds really good with Aguilar DCB D4 pickups

ACG EQ-01 - This is a Filter so no 3 band, it comes with Volume/Blend stack, 2 Low Pass/Filter stacks and a High Pass Filter. It sounds best with the Delano pickups and the Aggie DCB decent but not as good. You can get some solid bass, you can really tame any honky mid-range but you have to use the high pass filter sparingly as it can sizzle quickly. This pre-amp changes the character of the Roscoe tone more than any other pre-amp.

East U-Retro Deluxe - This is an all around nice sounding pre-amp. Sounds really good with Delano pickups followed by Aggie DCB and Barts. The Uni-Pre has kind of taken the place of this pre-amp but I have seen used ones go for around $150 and worth it. Mine had the Active/Passive Switch and Blend Pickup Switch.

Pope Flexcore 4 band - Pope has put together a good pre-amp that sounds really good but I found myself constantly tweaking on it. If you have a wireless pack for your bass you can dial this pre-amp to any room. With wireless you can walk out into the room and dial the mid to cut through nicely and hit that sweet spot to cut through the keys. It sounds much better live than playing in your room. My issue, when you get it to cut and you are using IEMs the tone to me was almost like fingers on a chalkboard to my ears. Using it without IEMs you will cut through and you will be heard. I used this with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classics.

Bartolini 3 band - This pre-amp will be less mid heavy compared to the Aguilar and is a good all around pre-amp, nothing spectacular but does sound decent. Used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classics.

Glockenlang 3 band - Is a want to be Demeter. The bass and mid were similar but the highs just didn't sound natural. I used Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

Aguilar OPB 3 - Didn't care for the mid tone though a lot of people love it. To tame the mid beast I changed the 50k pot to a 100k pot on the mids. I believe that was the ohms of the pot, what ever it was I doubled the value which allow for a better sweep and made the pot not as sensitive to a small adjustment. I used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

EMG 3 band - I bought this pre-amp used for $50 and a week later sold it for $50. It works well with EMG pickups in an old LG I had but with any other pickup, meh.

Audere 4 band High Z - I consider the model they made for Roscoe to be the biggest POS I have every experienced. Well, I don't limit that to the Roscoe/Audere as I bought one with the adjustable pots as well and after spending hours of trying to dial in a good tone on a Roscoe, I gave up and sold the pre-amp. Used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

I feel I left out a pre-amp along the lines and if it comes to me I will come back and edit the post.

Owners or previous owners of the Century Standard 4. Have you tried any other preamp/pickup configuration than the stock Aguilar? If so, what was it and how'd it fare?
I'm not a huge fan of Aguilar, (I like em but don't love em), and I'd like to try a Darkglass Tone Capsule with Bartolini pickups (P/J).
Any thoughts?

 

[CrashClint]

And the wind cried buy it! Yeah, I am saving for a PJ 5 for some different tones, I love these basses. I have used my SKB3005 once since I got my Classic 4 JJ and that was because the person I was backing had transposed all his music to the key of B and well we know who makes the best sounding B.

Ok, this one made me pee, just a little. It makes me wanna do stupid things with a credit card....

 

[bkirk]

Thanks for the preamp rundown, Clint. Very helpful. I have a Demeter/Roscoe LG and love that thing. Every time I consider thinning the herd I think, no way could I put it on the block. I like a modern sound but also like some mids so I just dial some back in, depending on my needs.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Good review, Clint. I have used all of those preamps as well (in other basses) and would generally have similar findings. I will say that my Roscoe (the red devil) is the only Roscoe I have played, and has only had the Bart 6J pickups and 3 band EQ (haven't friend anything else in that bass), but it has been different than other Bart experiences I have had. It's not as "wooly," compressed, and the preamp is not as woody sounding as other Barts. It's actually more like Nords, full-range, punchy, growly, than I thought it would be, and I'm keeping it as is.

I'll add that my experience with EMG pickups, though not for everyone, has been very positive. The tone is all put rock in my opinion.

Delano also stands out as a fantastic pickup option, and I have a bass with the PC4 HE/M2 pickups and a Sonar 3 band preamp, and it absolutely kills. That is the most versatile sounding bass I have.

And of course, Nordstrand. I like the 3-band. It's organic, has a passive option, and doesn't color the tone too much when set flat. Frequencies are just right.

If I end up switching my electronics out in my red devil, it'll be Delano.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Oh, almost forgot, if you go with the Tone Capsule, it's awesome, perfect preamp for metal. I had one in a Dingwall NG-2. The only beef with that one I have, is I need a way to cut highs. When you cut the high mid on the TC, you still have whatever treble the pickups have.

Sadowsky is another fantastic preamp, and I have used it in several different kinds of basses. That may be the best "baked in" tone I have heard. I need to be able to boost mids, though, and that one is only 2 band and boost only.

 

[bassmahn]

Right now I'm into a metal project, you nailed it. I haven't heard Barts/DG yet and am VERY curious.

Tone goals are "aggressively thick with cutting room", (easy on the brittle highs). The tone now seems just blasé, somewhat oldschool with a bassy overtone. Maybe I need to mess around with the controls a lil more. Having the preamp active AND using a tone control is really strange. It's a cool concept, one I've never had before but I haven't found "THE" setting yet.

I have been rocking Bart CB's and the Bart preamps in my Roscoes, and they cut like a knife through butter with the Metals.
In leiu of a DK pre in my bases, I have a VMT deluxe on my board for the Darkglass tone, and I use the Alpha Omega for dirt. I haven't been happier with my tone.

 

[ClassicJazz]

Finally, my first Roscoe! Century Standard 4 P/J.
View attachment 1140433

Hey, that's my old bass! I was the original owner, bought it new from Rocket Music. Great bass, used it on many live shows. Only sold it because I had a Fodera PJ on the way. But still love Roscoe basses, have three of them! The attach photo was from a show we open for Tab Benoit.

 

[Ryan L.]

And the wind cried buy it! Yeah, I am saving for a PJ 5 for some different tones, I love these basses. I have used my SKB3005 once since I got my Classic 4 JJ and that was because the person I was backing had transposed all his music to the key of B and well we know who makes the best sounding B.

I just realized that it's at Rocket Music. If I were to buy one of these, that's where I'd buy it from anyway......

 

[xhawk5]

View attachment 1156818

Hey, that's my old bass! I was the original owner, bought it new from Rocket Music. Great bass, used it on many live shows. Only sold it because I had a Fodera PJ on the way. But still love Roscoe basses, have three of them! The attach photo was from a show we open for Tab Benoit.

Great shot! Thanks for the info, always good to know where your used gear comes from. I'm really enjoying this bass and it's still in minty condition! The tonal options are pretty amazing, especially with the single tone control, useable WITH the active preamp, (How'd they do that?)

 

[JOME77]

I did a lot of pre-amp experimenting on the Century I had, also a lot of pickups as well. In a Roscoe I have always been a fan of Demeter and it will always be right at the top if you want the modern tone. If you call in the morning James Demeter normally answers the phone.

Demeter/Roscoe - A real modern tone, glassy highs, scooped mids and very tight bass (though some say it scoops the mids too much) and works well with both the Roscoe/Barts and the Classic Barts.

East Uni-Pre - A nice modern sounding pre-amp with passive tone control. It has a Vol/Blend stack, Bass/Treble stack, Midrange/Midrange Freq. stack and passive tone which works in active as well. Absolutely kills with Delano pickups and sounds really good with Aguilar DCB D4 pickups

ACG EQ-01 - This is a Filter so no 3 band, it comes with Volume/Blend stack, 2 Low Pass/Filter stacks and a High Pass Filter. It sounds best with the Delano pickups and the Aggie DCB decent but not as good. You can get some solid bass, you can really tame any honky mid-range but you have to use the high pass filter sparingly as it can sizzle quickly. This pre-amp changes the character of the Roscoe tone more than any other pre-amp.

East U-Retro Deluxe - This is an all around nice sounding pre-amp. Sounds really good with Delano pickups followed by Aggie DCB and Barts. The Uni-Pre has kind of taken the place of this pre-amp but I have seen used ones go for around $150 and worth it. Mine had the Active/Passive Switch and Blend Pickup Switch.

Pope Flexcore 4 band - Pope has put together a good pre-amp that sounds really good but I found myself constantly tweaking on it. If you have a wireless pack for your bass you can dial this pre-amp to any room. With wireless you can walk out into the room and dial the mid to cut through nicely and hit that sweet spot to cut through the keys. It sounds much better live than playing in your room. My issue, when you get it to cut and you are using IEMs the tone to me was almost like fingers on a chalkboard to my ears. Using it without IEMs you will cut through and you will be heard. I used this with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classics.

Bartolini 3 band - This pre-amp will be less mid heavy compared to the Aguilar and is a good all around pre-amp, nothing spectacular but does sound decent. Used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classics.

Glockenlang 3 band - Is a want to be Demeter. The bass and mid were similar but the highs just didn't sound natural. I used Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

Aguilar OPB 3 - Didn't care for the mid tone though a lot of people love it. To tame the mid beast I changed the 50k pot to a 100k pot on the mids. I believe that was the ohms of the pot, what ever it was I doubled the value which allow for a better sweep and made the pot not as sensitive to a small adjustment. I used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

EMG 3 band - I bought this pre-amp used for $50 and a week later sold it for $50. It works well with EMG pickups in an old LG I had but with any other pickup, meh.

Audere 4 band High Z - I consider the model they made for Roscoe to be the biggest POS I have every experienced. Well, I don't limit that to the Roscoe/Audere as I bought one with the adjustable pots as well and after spending hours of trying to dial in a good tone on a Roscoe, I gave up and sold the pre-amp. Used with Roscoe/Barts and Bart Classic pickups.

I feel I left out a pre-amp along the lines and if it comes to me I will come back and edit the post.

Nice overall review Clint. I've tried all of them but the ACG EQ-01 preamp. My favorites are still the Demeter, Pope and East Uni-pre. I'm really fighting calling BBG to order a Pope Flex Core or James to order (if that's even possible now) a Demeter. I loved the East for the short time that I had it installed but I'm not up to doing the additional routing required in the cavity (of the new Roscoe) to mount the East. I still wake up with cold sweats from nightmares of potentially routing through the top of my Roscoe!

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Has anyone installed a Nordstrand preamp in a Roscoe (mine is a Century Sig 6j)? It's like the Bart 3 band, but totally different...

Has different EQ frequencies, a passive tone, and a passive switch. I'd have to drill a hole for the passive switch.

 

[Chuck M]

I've owned Roscoe basses that all had Bartolini pu's but 3 preamp brands. The Bart/Bart is in all 4 of my Roscoe basses. My 6 Century Fretless has standard Bartolini electronics. My Century 5 has Bart J/MM pu's which are somewhat brighter than the soap bars. My SKB fretted 6 has J/J pickups near the bridge and sounds more focused than soap bars. I also have an SKB fretted 5 with standard pu's.

I did own a 5 with the Bart pu's and the Demeter preamp. Sounded less compressed and less processed to me. Very musical preamp.

Another Roscoe 5 that passed through my collection had Bart pu's and an Aguilar 3 band preamp. Sounded edgy and kind harsh to me.

I suppose the Demeter is my favorite preamp but I always get great tone with the Bartolini preamp.

 

[bwoodman]

I have some more reading to do regarding pups and electronics. I'm a long-time Tobias player - I have a pair of pre-Gibson Killer B5's + I owned an early Basic 5 - all Bart of course. I recently picked up a Bacchus and had Mo put in all Nordy equipment - like!

I'm currently spec-ing our a Roscoe Custom SKB5-34" and there are so many options to consider, one of which is Nordy soaps and 3 band preamp. I'm also considering a crazy paint idea - well, no too crazy - like that 3 color fade at Atlanta Bass Gallery - blue/green/yellow, except going with blue / aqua / purple.

Now, if I only had that darn down-payment, I'd get this thing going NOW! Not the case - need to sell a few basses and save a little bread....

 

[Chuck M]

I sure recommend you reconsider on the 34" scale. I have small hands and love my Roscoe basses with 35" scale. The tension is perfect and the B string speaks so clearly.

 

[SteveC]

I sure recommend you reconsider on the 34" scale. I have small hands and love my Roscoe basses with 35" scale. The tension is perfect and the B string speaks so clearly.

Agreed. I was nervous at first but if you get a Century body especially, the "hang" is such that it feels like a 34" bass.