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Roscoe Club

#8,961
I agree that the difference is small, however, I really can feel the difference between 18.3 and 19mm spacing on a 35" scale Roscoe. 19mm seems okay to me on a 34" scale bass but 19mm/35" scale takes some getting use to.

My Roscoe Century 5 has a 19mm bridge. I did set the string spacing to the minimum possible and have gotten use to playing it. I am so glad that I did not trade or sell it (had an offer from a buyer but got cold feet). It is a fantastic bass with J/MM Bartolini PU's and electronics.
 
#8,962
Put me in the club that doesn't see how spacing makes that much of a difference and I can comfortably play anything from 16.5 spacing to 19mm spacing. I also don't see the difference in 34 and 35 scale basses. I've had many of each and never a issue. I could see it causing issues with slap players on tighter spacing. Give me anything that sounds and plays good and I can play it.
 
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#8,963
JOME77 said:
Cool! Yeah, the D'addario XL's rule on a Roscoe. Just the right combination or low, highs and mid


Definitely need to give Keith or Rik a call and get a set or two. As the saying goes "Cheaper by the dozen"! :)
Without the price break on quantities it would be hard for me to keep my basses clothed with fresh strings.

On the subject of strings and Rsocoe's ........
I am totally digging the sound of the Ernie Ball Colbat flats on my fretted STD JB 5! It really has a nice old school sound (especially when playing with a pick) but retains some of the nice RW nickel sound (not really thuddy sounding like some flats can be). JohnnyR is going to loan me a set of TI Flats that he has laying around so I'll compare them to EB Flats and see which I prefer (oddly I'm the one that turned him on to the TI's; I just keep going in circles). :)
I especially like the sound of the flats with the neck p/u soloed. I can thank crazy man SteveC for leading me down the P-Bass (kind of) rabbit trail! It actually got my STD fretted JB listed on the for sale forum (although I'm thinking now that I might already have a bass close enough to the P-Bass sound for me).
IMO it really justifies owning more than one Roscoe fretted bass.

On another subject (going to cover a few with one thread post), has anyone replaced their STD model Hipshot Type B bridge with a Type A (Lately)?
I've replaced one on a Custom before and just had Keith send me one but in examining the one on my Custom (and comparing it to the one on my STD's) I find that the staggered height base might be an issue when installing a Roscoe Hipshot bridge on a STD model bass. It may make my string height too high (with a fairly significant [thk] shim).

The Hipshot Type A on BESTBASSGEAR.com site are not staggered height (at the base) and match the min/max height adjustments of the Type B. Another thing that I noticed is we Roscoeheads have always been told that the standard spacing on the 5 strings was 18.3mm. Hipshot does have a standard bridge with that spacing, but it's physical dimensions are larger (4.04 x 2.00). Of course I know that Keith has one specially made, but when I measure my string spacing on both my STD and Custom Roscoe's it's 18mm (on both; if you center the string guide on the Type A). That's .708 for the mathematically challenged.:) And the .708 model on Hipshot's web site matches the physical size of the Type A on my Custom model (3.967 x 2.00).

What's up with that?!? :unsure:

So my question is, did Roscoe change their standard string spacing for a 5 string from 18.3mm to 18mm?
Click to expand...

@JOME77, I replaced two style B 19mm stock bridges with Hipshot A styles in two basses (Sadowsky and MTD Kingston) and didn't have any issues with previous hole alignment with the new bridges. I had to drill the new holes and the old ones were left untouched in both cases, but I was prepared with a little wood filler or, if in a hurry, wooden match stems and super glue! :thumbsup:
Maybe you will get as lucky with your new flat base bridge installation.

And to answer your question., 'did Roscoe change their standard string spacing for a 5 string from 18.3mm to 18mm?', yep, they probably did, very well could have made that change. :)
 
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#8,964
Nightman said:
@JOME77, I replaced two style B 19mm stock bridges with Hipshot A styles in two basses (Sadowsky and MTD Kingston) and didn't have any issues with previous hole alignment with the new bridges. I had to drill the new holes and the old ones were left untouched in both cases, but I was prepared with a little wood filler or, if in a hurry, wooden match stems and super glue! :thumbsup:
Maybe you will get as lucky with your new flat base bridge installation.

And to answer your question., 'did Roscoe change their standard string spacing for a 5 string from 18.3mm to 18mm?', yep, they probably did, very well could have made that change. :)
Click to expand...

It looks like the 19mm Type A bridge holes will between the existing 19mm Type B bridge holes and that the 18mm Type A bridge holes should actually match the existing 18mm Type B bridge holes.
 
#8,966
Chuck M said:
I agree that the difference is small, however, I really can feel the difference between 18.3 and 19mm spacing on a 35" scale Roscoe. 19mm seems okay to me on a 34" scale bass but 19mm/35" scale takes some getting use to.

My Roscoe Century 5 has a 19mm bridge. I did set the string spacing to the minimum possible and have gotten use to playing it. I am so glad that I did not trade or sell it (had an offer from a buyer but got cold feet). It is a fantastic bass with J/MM Bartolini PU's and electronics.
Click to expand...

I can feel the difference also but I am pickier about the spacing at the nut. I need the 1 7/8" nut to feel comfortable and my Laklands are both 1.81 instead of my preferred 1.875". The weird thing is that the scale length doesn't matter as much to me and I have played on basses with 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36" scale comfortably.

Dan
 
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#8,968
Dan Knowlton said:
I can feel the difference also but I am pickier about the spacing at the nut. I need the 1 7/8" nut to feel comfortable and my Laklands are both 1.81 instead of my preferred 1.875". The weird thing is that the scale length doesn't matter as much to me and I have played on basses with 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36" scale comfortably.

Dan
Click to expand...

Same here with the nut spacing!! I had a 21 fret, 34 scale length MTD and it was just too wide at the nut for my comfort.
 
#8,969
Nightman said:
You would think!! I tell you what, @JOME77 is getting just like someone else.
Click to expand...

Lol
I’m not afraid to do the mod. I’d just prefer not to get a bridge that required me to drill and install dowels to mount the new bridge (when choosing the correct one would be a simple install). Regardless it’ll be nice to have simple top load option of the Type A bridge (verses top load and over option on the Type B bridge). I had remove some of the cloth wrapping on the B string (EB Cobalt Flats) just get it in the bridge on the Roscoe Std fretted JB bass.
 
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#8,970
JOME77 said:
Lol
I’m not afraid to do the mod. I’d just prefer not to get a bridge the required me to drill and install dowels to mount the new bridge (when choosing the correct one would be a simple install). Regardless it’ll be nice to have simple top load option of the Type A bridge (verses top load and over option on the Type B bridge). I had remove some of the cloth wrapping on the B string (EB Cobalt Flats) just get it in the bridge on the Roscoe Std fretted JB bass.
Click to expand...

:laugh: - We just busting your chops!! I suspect that's why Roscoe uses .125 for the low B and not a .130 or heavier. On my Stambaugh, I have to completely remove the B saddle to get a new string in. Don't know why Chris Stambaugh uses such a weird Hipshot bridge!
 
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#8,971
Dan Knowlton said:
I can feel the difference also but I am pickier about the spacing at the nut. I need the 1 7/8" nut to feel comfortable and my Laklands are both 1.81 instead of my preferred 1.875". The weird thing is that the scale length doesn't matter as much to me and I have played on basses with 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36" scale comfortably.

Dan
Click to expand...

I'm also more sensitive to the nut than the bridge. I prefer 19mm but can do the 18.3 bridge but I really can tell the difference with my fretting hand. My #1 basses are 34" scale with 19mm and 1 7/8" nut and just feels like home.
 
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#8,978
A7160E1A-502D-487B-BC5C-FEC32EFD5F75.jpeg
Pretty good shot of the Roscoe at last weekends gig...
 
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