Roscoe Club

[Bassworship1]

My only other experience with nice jazz basses were a Fender American Deluxe Jazz, and a Sadowsky Jazz (forgot what model). While the Sadowsky had fitment equal to the Roscoe, I think the Roscoe wins hands-down on neck feel and tone. Also, the 3 modern Roscoe body shapes are way more comfortable (and beautiful) to me than the ol' giant slab of a Fender (or Fender copy) body. YMMV on that, of course.

Fender is off the table for me as I’ve tried to like them but have never found one that even comes close to what I want tonally. It would be Roscoe or Sadowsky for the money I think.

 

[Ryan L.]

I am a bit of a Roscoe "fanboy" so there is that..

Really? I’d never have guessed.

 

[Nightman]

Roscoe body shapes are way more comfortable (and beautiful) to me than ol' giant slab of a Fender (or Fender copy) body.

+1

 

[scubaduba]

Fender is off the table for me as I’ve tried to like them but have never found one that even comes close to what I want tonally. It would be Roscoe or Sadowsky for the money I think.

Not Devon?

 

[JOME77]

So many great sounding JJ , P and PJ basses.
I’m definitely A Roscoehead but lot’s of great basses out there.

 

[Bassworship1]

Not Devon?

I wouldn’t wait 18 months for a build if that builder give it to me 1/2 off. I had 2 Roscoes built from scratch faster than the Devon that was done except for finishing was completed. I just don’t have the patience to wait that long lol. Plus I feel like his prices are getting quite a bit higher than when I was buying them for quite a bit less.

 

[KaseOfBass]

Fender is off the table for me as I’ve tried to like them but have never found one that even comes close to what I want tonally. It would be Roscoe or Sadowsky for the money I think.

Hmmm, I don’t know that a Sadowsky, or even a Roscoe JJ, is going to be up your alley in that case. To me, a jazz-style bass sounds like a jazz-style bass (obviously with some subtle flavor differences between builders, but more alike than different).

The exception there would be the Sadowsky Modern. It’s a completely different animal that definitely leans more on the same side of the tonal palette of a typical Roscoe (though undoubtedly different).

 

[scubaduba]

+1 ^ what @Bardolphus said.

 

[SteveC]

For sure there are plenty of good basses out there. Lakland and Sadowsky come to mind for me. I want to like Fender, but it never works well for me - other than the MIJ Geddy Lee Jazz.

 

[Nightman]

So many great sounding JJ , P and PJ basses.
I’m definitely A Roscoehead but lot’s of great basses out there.

+1 That’s for sure!

 

[Laklandfan]

I can't speak to jazz basses, but my Classic P (4 string) kills any Fender or Sadowsky (and I had a really nice Sadowsky 4 string jazz) bass I have played. I actually had a Sadowsky 5 string jazz a while back and didn't like it at all. The B string was nowhere compared to Roscoe. Yet, the Sadowsky Modern 24-5 had a great B string. I am a bit of a Roscoe "fanboy" so there is that. But I have owned a lot of basses over the years, many I thought were "forever" basses. All that's left is Roscoe.

I wish I could just go to Keith’s shop and try out some Basses, I’m all about a P bass if it sounds as good or better than a Sadowsky. I really like the sadowsky sound.

My only other experience with nice jazz basses were a Fender American Deluxe Jazz, and a Sadowsky Jazz (forgot what model). While the Sadowsky had fitment equal to the Roscoe, I think the Roscoe wins hands-down on neck feel and tone. Also, the 3 modern Roscoe body shapes are way more comfortable (and beautiful) to me than the ol' giant slab of a Fender (or Fender copy) body. YMMV on that, of course.

I think that the Roscoe is a little bit better for ergonomics of the neck shape. Sadowsky feels fatter than I like. I like the Century body and the classic bodies equally. They both make beautiful looking Basses. So far I find the Sadowsky wins hands down on sound. I do wonder how much is attributable to being a 35” vs 34”. I find the Roscoe tone changes based on how I play (playing between the neck heel and the bridge pickup; playing gentle or harder; tips vs pads of fingers) so I feel like I have to pay attention to how I play or my tone changes wildly. The Sadowsky (and other jazzes IME) isn’t as “responsive” and sounds more the same no matter how different I play. I like that better, IMO. I would say that the Roscoe is more “versatile”, but it’s a little overwhelming to me.

My Roscoe SKB Custom is an ash JJ with Bart pu’s and pre.

I was interested in the Classic Line but was told the neck has a different feel than the SKB/Century lines

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That's a beautiful top, what is it?

I'm pretty sure @Laklandfan and I are commenting from experience with the same bass, but the Century 5JJ that I had sounded every bit like a jazz bass. The differences to me were simply ergonomics. If you're a fan of Roscoe and want a J-bass tone outside of the Classic line, one of Keith's original designs in a standard JJ configuration will scratch that itch.

That particular Century 5JJ had Aguilar humcancelling pickups and an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp. It was my first time using Aguilar jazz style pickups and I was very impressed with them. I differ from Laklandfan in that I have generally liked the Aguilar OBP-3 preamps I've had in the past and really found myself loving the simplicity of the OBP-1 (it was the first two-band Aguilar pre I had ever used). To my ears, the OBP-1 set flat did not impart any discernible tone that changed the overall sound of the bass and pickups. In fact, I rarely used the preamp and got to where I was just using that bass passive. For me, the best feature of the preamp on that bass was the passive tone control; I used it all the time to make minute adjustments.

Specifically compared to my current number one - a Sadowsky NYC Will Lee 5 - the Century 5JJ had a more open, raw tone to it. There's definitely something different going on with the Sadowsky preamp that while negligible in a mix, does sound different than jazz-style basses I've owned and played from other builders. Even with the preamp set flat, when engaged, the Sadowsky preamp still adds a bit of flavor to the sound. It seems to have just a hint more lows and a bit more presence to the sound than when the preamp is totally bypassed. Also, to my ears, the Sadowsky jazz-style basses I've had (I've had versions with humcancelling and single coil pickups) have a smoother tone than the Fenders, Laklands, and other jazz-style basses I've played/owned. Don't get me wrong, a Sadowsky can get growly and aggressive (especially with single coils like in my WL-5), but are just a bit more polite overall to my ears.

I run it in passive mode 100% now, it sounds best that way. If I was building a Roscoe to my specs, I'd take a passive setup before an Aggie OBP-1. The highs don't seem to add anything and the lows add too much. I'm not sure a boost/cut preamp would be better fit. I like that the Sadowsky that "improved" the tone even flat. I find that the JJ5 sounds way better when played with a pick, so I play with a pick. I have no idea why though. Maybe it is the openness that, where fingerstyle it's kind of "dull" and doesn't have a strong attack that I want to hear. Playing with a pick, though, I get the response I like.
I've never played a Mahogony bodied bass before, my Sadowsky was Ash. I've read in the thread about Spanish Cedar being a little controversial. So maybe the body wood is a big steering factor for tone?

If the top wasn't so beautiful, I'd have it routed PJ.
If I build a Roscoe, I would go with a PJ. P basses work for me great, but I like what the J in the 70s position does. I'm eventually going to switch to a Berg amp/cab setup, so that may be able to work its magic to compliment the bass.

 

[Pacman]

Has any of my Roscoe Brethren has any experience in a Roscoe 5 string JJ bass? How do they compare tonally to day other makers like Fender, Sadowsky and others in that price range. Would like to have a nice jazz bass in the collection.

Here's what mine sounds like:

 

[Bassworship1]

Here's what mine sounds like:

Sounds great.

 

[SteveC]

I also just really love the headstock. I think it’s one of the best looking out there. I also like that it’s angled so you don’t need a string tree.

 

[bassWR]

Fender is off the table for me as I’ve tried to like them but have never found one that even comes close to what I want tonally. It would be Roscoe or Sadowsky for the money I think.

If you like Sadowsky you’ll love Valenti.

 

[JOME77]

So I finally got in the mood to pull out my basses and play and record a bit. As I was going through some of the Bass Orchestra tunes that I've recorded I came across one that I recorded back in 2013 when I had a Roscoe 3005 and 3006 fretted and a really nice Roscoe STD Plus fretless. This song has always just spoke to me (not my version but the original by Matt Redman). I thought that I'd post it here again since it's been 7 years since I recorded it and because it's appropriate given our nation and world situation.

Still "10,000 Reasons" (to worship His holy name)!

 

[scubaduba]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. Sounded great.

 

[Bassworship1]

Sounds great Joe.

 

[mmbongo]

I'd get strings instead of adding weight and holes to my headstock. Or go number 2.

It's OK to vent. Teaching kids online, having kids home while you try to work or even "just" teach them is an IMPOSSIBLE task. This isn't distance learning, it's emergency learning and I think we are focusing on the wrong things right now. The 8 weeks we'd "lose" is 2% of their K-12 education time.

Just an update on this...SIT sent me a replacement string even though I made it clear it was my fault! So kudos to SIT for fantastic customer service.

So I'll hold off on the string tree for now, but if it happens again I will add it. Weight it not really a concern, those Hipshot trees weigh literally nothing!

 

[JOME77]

"I'm a man, yes I am and I can't help but loving it so!"

Well I got home this afternoon and felt super courageous!!!

I pulled my Roscoe out of the OHSC (that nobody uses anymore except JohnnyR) and went to unscrewing access covers and cutting wires!
It is finished! And it sounds really, really good!

I can't tell any difference in the operation of the master volume prior to the preamp. You just use a 250K in lieu of the STD 25k. I used a .1mF Orange Drop cap and it worked really well. I normally would have used the .047 but I though for using it in a VTC it might sound better.
The different size concentric knobs actually look OK on the bass. The bottom knob is not very tall and the top knob is really close to the size of the standard dome knobs used for the blend and mid controls.

The passive tone control really smooths out the sound as subtly or aggressively as you want. Definitely a nice feature to add. The passive sound of the bass is also really good and actually quite a bit hotter than I thought it might be.

Here's some pics. The jury is still out on the different knob but it might just be OK. What do you guys think?

View attachment 3660270 View attachment 3660271
View attachment 3660275

A bit surprised that some of you Roscoeheads with that constant quest for the ultimate tone haven't tried this mod on your Roscoe's. I pulled out my Roscoe this morning and played it through my "Man Rig" (GBE 750/Berg HT-322) and it sounded so good! The passive tone control is just wonderful for subtly warming up the tone and giving it that old school sound. It makes it so easy to go from that modern to old school tone.
Such an inexpensive mod too.