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Roscoe Club
- Thread starter JOME77
- Start date
That's a great price on that one! The finish might be transparent white. The finger board does look like a nice BE maple but as you say it could be that it needs cleaning badly. Hard to tell with the poor quality pics.
At that price, and in their described "Great" condition, I'd say go for it!
That's a Custom model (carved top) so IMO it's worth more than their asking price. Worse case is you take it back to your local GC for a refund.
Similar but different. The polyester coating on the buzz bass finger board really produces nice mwah but it's a bit different in tone than the Diamondwood or Phenowood that's on Roscoe's and Zon's. IMO the Pedulla sounds better in a live mix due to the board being ebony. It has a bit more of a woody tone to it and fills the mix a bit better. My fretless is a Warmoth Gecko 5 that has a thick slab ebony board and I sent it to a guy in CA and had a nice polyester finish put on the finger board and it sounds very similar to the Pedulla. It was the main reason that I sold my Roscoe and Zon fretless basses. The Gecko just sounded better in a mix (with the ebony board). Totally subject though.
That being said, nothing sounds better solo (mwah and growl) than a Zon or Roscoe with the Diamondwood or Phenolwood. Again, just my opinion.
+1 on the Zon Sonus (Special) fretless. I never would have let mine go had it been lined.
Much respect for our Senior Talkbass members as they are a wealth of knowledge. I would have guessed the purple heart or wenge that Keith puts in the neck or maybe his superior electronics would give the Roscoe the "Mauh" edge, only being able to rely on Youtube videos. I certainly would love to try an SKB, or an LG 5 string. I always had to incorporate the use of an octave divider with my Pentabuzz to get the "muah" that I wanted. Thanks for taking the time to answer.Similar but different. The polyester coating on the buzz bass finger board really produces nice mwah but it's a bit different in tone than the Diamondwood or Phenowood that's on Roscoe's and Zon's. IMO the Pedulla sounds better in a live mix due to the board being ebony. It has a bit more of a woody tone to it and fills the mix a bit better. My fretless is a Warmoth Gecko 5 that has a thick slab ebony board and I sent it to a guy in CA and had a nice polyester finish put on the finger board and it sounds very similar to the Pedulla. It was the main reason that I sold my Roscoe and Zon fretless basses. The Gecko just sounded better in a mix (with the ebony board). Totally subject though.
That being said, nothing sounds better solo (mwah and growl) than a Zon or Roscoe with the Diamondwood or Phenolwood. Again, just my opinion.
Speaking only for myself only, if fretless is the question the answer is either Roscoe or Zon. The sound is unique. The Roscoe has a small edge.
The fingerboard material is very similar on both (Diamondwood and Phenowood). The fingerboard is important on a fretless.
The other thing that separates these two is the neck construction. The Zon of course has a composite neck. Very rigid.
The Roscoe neck (because of its construction) is also more rigid than most. If you look closely, a completed Roscoe neck is a lamination (adds rigidity and strength) of quartersawn stock (additional rigidity). The use of Purpleheart and Wenge also "up the ante". Check the "typical" deflection and strength characteristics of these two versus Maple alone. Photo is below
Throw in the quality construction and neck fit into the package. That's a heck of a recipe.
The fingerboard material is very similar on both (Diamondwood and Phenowood). The fingerboard is important on a fretless.
The other thing that separates these two is the neck construction. The Zon of course has a composite neck. Very rigid.
The Roscoe neck (because of its construction) is also more rigid than most. If you look closely, a completed Roscoe neck is a lamination (adds rigidity and strength) of quartersawn stock (additional rigidity). The use of Purpleheart and Wenge also "up the ante". Check the "typical" deflection and strength characteristics of these two versus Maple alone. Photo is below
Throw in the quality construction and neck fit into the package. That's a heck of a recipe.
I really like the feel of the Zon composite neck on my Sonus TJ fretless? So smooth!
I had fun playing the fretless Roscoe with the TI flats in service today. We did a song in Ab coming out of the sermon and on through the offering, where I could flavor my bass line with a chromatic walk up from the low C to Eb to the Ab. That Roscoe had the keyboard players trying to run with me!! I had to tell them to stay in your lane!!
I had fun playing the fretless Roscoe with the TI flats in service today. We did a song in Ab coming out of the sermon and on through the offering, where I could flavor my bass line with a chromatic walk up from the low C to Eb to the Ab. That Roscoe had the keyboard players trying to run with me!! I had to tell them to stay in your lane!!
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I've been a Chromes and half-rounds guy for the last 10-15 years on my Roscoe Fretless. I like the ability to dig in, and I've found that the Chromes have a brightness quality to them that seems to shine, along with the signature Roscoe growl. I've gone to half rounds when I wanted a bit more bite, and when I wanted to do the whole slap/pop on a fretless thing.
But I've always been curious about TI flats... Please, tell me more about how they sound/work on a fretless Roscoe.
I don’t get a ton of “muah” with my TI’s - but that’s not really what I was looking for ( I also don’t have the action set very low). The TI’s can give me some muah when I want it, they do give me a very deep/ warm tone with a ton of sustain.
A previous Century 5 FL I had was set up extremely low and had rounds on it....muah for days ...almost too much muah for my needs
A previous Century 5 FL I had was set up extremely low and had rounds on it....muah for days ...almost too much muah for my needs
Just MHO -- if you're thinking of TI flats, give Ernie Ball Cobalt (Slinky) Flats a try.
They're the "roundest-sounding" flats I've had on my Roscoe fretless - and yes, I have tried D'Addario HalfRounds. Liked 'em, and they did cut down on the mwah which was a goal for that particular project. But the EB Cobalt Flats give me mwah when I want it (lower action) and less where I don't.
Not cheap, but certainly less than TI's. Still very smooth. I doubt they'd convert anyone completely in the TI camp, but I like 'em.
I did have a set of TI's on a fretless with a Macassar ebony fingerboard and they were OK, but I did change them in fairly short order.
They're the "roundest-sounding" flats I've had on my Roscoe fretless - and yes, I have tried D'Addario HalfRounds. Liked 'em, and they did cut down on the mwah which was a goal for that particular project. But the EB Cobalt Flats give me mwah when I want it (lower action) and less where I don't.
Not cheap, but certainly less than TI's. Still very smooth. I doubt they'd convert anyone completely in the TI camp, but I like 'em.
I did have a set of TI's on a fretless with a Macassar ebony fingerboard and they were OK, but I did change them in fairly short order.
Well, honestly those TI Flats were previously on a couple other fretted basses before I shelved them for some time and was going to just sell them. I had issues with the feel of them, which is hard to explain, and it might have been they just needed to age some.
I installed them on the fretless Roscoe and it was a totally different experience! The strings are nice and smooth and seem to belong on fretless basses. They have a rich mellow tone with low tension. No zing or brassy sounding. Easy on the finger pads. Best of all, the TI's are only going to get better/mellower over time and, unless I break a string, they don't need to be replaced for a long, long time!!
Do the EB Cobalt Flats fit a 35 inch scale? It seems that they only have one option for 5 string basses.
I'd be willing to try them if they do!
I've heard that they feel like a soft rubber band compared to other strings... Is that the case?
You know, I would compare the grab feeling I was experiencing to a rubber band, but not quite as severe. That feeling isn’t there now, though. The low tension isn’t like a rubber band to me and actually I didn’t have to adjust the truss rod on any of the fretted basses I had them on, and no fret buzz or floppiness.
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I tried TI flats on my Roscoe fretless, and it was cool. They have a slightly looser feel to me during the plucking experience, but it doesn't slow me down or cause any mistakes (mistakes are all me). I ended up going back to rounds because I love this bass with the rounds and the mwah (I play at 2 churches, and the fretless is my 'Catholic' bass, ha ha!). I've got a 4 string P wearing TI flats and that's perfect for when I want that TI sound, which I love. I've tried Chromes, Cobalts, and Fender stainless flats...woo-wee, those Fenders are bright. Cool option on a passive tone bass so you can open them up for some songs and close the tone for classic flat thump.
Oh - the progressive church gets the fretted Roscoes.
Oh - the progressive church gets the fretted Roscoes.
Off topic here, but hoping our Middle Georgia crew (and anyone in Alabama) is safe and sound after yesterday's tornadoes.
