Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Roscoe Club
- Thread starter JOME77
- Start date
I blame you for this, @JOME77. You just HAD to make me listen to “Song For America”.I’ve been listening to a ton of Kansas since, and owning a Ric became mandatory. Dave Hope had a wicked tone back in the day, and whoever mixed SFA deserves a big, wet kiss from us bass players.
Thanks to @armybass for the Ric hookup. Scott is a great guy to deal with!
View attachment 3355766
DUDE! That's one sharp Ric... having owned over 100 basses now, I'm kinda surprised that I have never owned one (especially considering that I am such a huge fan of Sir Paul). Now you've piqued my curiosity to start searching for the perfect Ric... damn man.
The folks that love them love them, and the folks that hate them hate them. LOL It's an odd duck, but it does have a signature sound (Chris Squire, Sir Paul, Geddy Lee... and Dave Hope! And many others.).
Geddy Lee in early 80's Rush is whole reason I started playing bass in the first place, so the 15-year-old-me that lives inside my 48-year-old body is beyond stoked to have this one. Yeah, yeah - I know Geddy was playing the Jazz a lot by then. But not in the videos!! LOL
Sorry to go so off topic, I just thought Joe might get a kick out of this. Back to your regularly scheduled Roscoe shenanigans!
I blame you for this, @JOME77. You just HAD to make me listen to “Song For America”.
Thanks to @armybass for the Ric hookup. Scott is a great guy to deal with!
View attachment 3355766
Yeah baby! Looks good on you Greg!!!!
My first good bass was a white 4001 like Geddy had in one poster. I would have never guessed you’d play a Ric. I sometimes kick around getting one again for nostalgia sake but that’s a bad reason to buy a bass. Enjoy.I blame you for this, @JOME77. You just HAD to make me listen to “Song For America”.
Thanks to @armybass for the Ric hookup. Scott is a great guy to deal with!
View attachment 3355766
I'm pretty much a P-bass guy these days, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. But I do want to putter around with the Ric in my studio. The Ric-O-Sound thing has me intrigued, sending each pickup to different amps...
Which of course is rational justification to buy more amps!
Oh you can't leave us hanging! What are some of the better ones?!
I had a Ric years ago. I hated it 
I actually loved the tone, but it never fit me well ergonomically, so I gave it to a coworker. Now my Roscoe... that fits like I was born with it.
I actually loved the tone, but it never fit me well ergonomically, so I gave it to a coworker. Now my Roscoe... that fits like I was born with it.
For sure a Ric isn’t going to feel like a Roscoe. I have thought about getting one, and a Geddy Lee jazz (Rush was a HUGE apart of my learning in middle and high school) but I play 5’s so...I had a Ric years ago. I hated it
I actually loved the tone, but it never fit me well ergonomically, so I gave it to a coworker. Now my Roscoe... that fits like I was born with it.
I blame you for this, @JOME77. You just HAD to make me listen to “Song For America”.
Thanks to @armybass for the Ric hookup. Scott is a great guy to deal with!
View attachment 3355766
I love it Greg!
It looks awesome on you dude!
Those basses have such an awesome tone!
"Song for America" is one of my all time favorite bass songs (and songs in general). And yes, the mix on Song For America is awesome! I can't imagine writing, arranging and recording those songs. Livgreen is amazing!
Last edited:
Hey y’all. I posted this in the FB Roscoeheads site but wanted to share here as well. Roscoe Number two for me : 2014 LG 3005 Custom with Salted Burl Myrtle Over Ash and Wenge Board. Aguilar HC pickups and Aguilar OBP3. She plays phenomenaly well extremely light. I though about changing hardware to black but the chrome and Nickel tuners seem to go with the classic J exposed poles. Next to her is my number one 2013 SKB Box Elder.
Attachments
Wow!
Those are beautiful! Changing the chrome to black is about the only thing that I could thing that could possibly improve the look of the LG. Do those have the optional 19mm string spacing at the bridge?
Speaking of Geddy, Have you guys had the chance to check out Geddy's Big book of beautiful basses? It is such an awesome read. Like all of you guys, I love my Roscoe basses, but reading that book really makes me want a 72 Fender Jazz.
Also with the Jazz bass theme, I have been listening to Scott Devine's podcast and I listened to the Doug Wimbish episode. I have been a fan of his ever since Stain from Living Colour came out... With all of the talk about Sugar Hill records, I decided to start looking for music that Doug did back then. I picked up a greatest hits album of Sugar Hill Records and I was blown away by the music. Not only was the bass work top notch, it was very interesting hearing music that influenced the Beastie Boys, or newer Hip Hop like Dr. Dre. I am primarily a metal guy, but I really enjoyed listening to something different with some amazing bass playing and Jazz bass tone.
Happy Friday guys.
It's on my wish list on Amazon for a gift.
It will make me want to collect. I LOVE my Roscoe more than anything, but sometimes I wish I had a bunch of cool basses...even just semi-cool would be fun.
It will make me want to collect. I LOVE my Roscoe more than anything, but sometimes I wish I had a bunch of cool basses...even just semi-cool would be fun.
I love it Greg!
It looks awesome on you dude!
Those basses have such an awesome tone!
"Song for America" is one of my all time favorite bass songs (and songs in general). And yes, the mix on Song For America is awesome! I can't imagine writing, arranging and recording those songs. Livgreen is amazing!
I know that I shouldn't do it (on the Roscoe thread) but here's a partial clip of me playing it with my P-bass with RW's (which is what Hope played) ......
Are you saying that's a P on that song, or that it's roundwounds? I definitely hear it as a Ric, it's pretty much Chris Squire's tone. I'd definitely agree with the roundwounds part.
Your post about "Song For America" sent me down the Kansas rabbit hole so badly, I even bought the semi-recent documentary about them (Miracles Out Of Nowhere). There are a couple of photos in there of Dave clearly holding a Ric. I googled around this morning trying to find something online, but no dice. Anyway, I always see him playing a P in concert photos, but I hear him playing a Ric on a lot of the studio stuff.
Hmmm, not sure i haven't checked. I was about to order black hardware, the knobs came in but didn't match style wise to the ones on my SKB. I'm sending them back I figured it was a sign stick with the Chrome and Brushed Nickel tuners. I have never liked Chrome on Boutique basses before, until this one, it's grown on me. It just works on this bass I think because of the trad looking pickups . Had they been Bartolini it would be a no brainer. Plus I have all black on the other.
Greg, from everything that I've read Dave played pretty much exclusively stock P-basses during those first 3 albums. I think he may have used flats on the first album and switched to Roto-Sound Swing bass on the next 2 but I believe that he still used the P-bass on all of those albums. I doubt that he would have used one bass in the studio and another live (mainly because those basses play so differently).
But I also agree that there are some pics of him holding a Ric (and Paul Goddard of ARS [who toured some with Kansas] totally adored Kansas and in the later years of ARS he favored a Ric).
I'll have to ask a friend of mine that did a tour with Kansas in 1977-78 if he remembers what pass Hope played then.
I agree that it sounds a lot like a Ric but back in the day we did several Yes tunes and I came really close to the Ric sound with Roto-Sound Swing bass strings on my P-bass.
I did find this quote on the "No Treble: site:
During his time in Kansas, Hope mainly used Fender basses; Precisions with rosewood and maple necks, and occasionally Mustangs. He has also played Musicman, Kramer. Steinberger, G&L and Ibanez basses. During his career, he has used Ampeg, Marshall and Crown amplification.
The video of "Carry On My Wayward Son" clearly shows him playing a P-Bass ....
Bass Transcription: Dave Hope’s Bass Line on “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas
Last edited:
