For an active bass, it's a stereo type. Sleeve and ring switches power to the preamp. For the newer passive ones, I donno...
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Roscoe Club
- Thread starter JOME77
- Start date
Here is first 2 pics of the Koa bass that is working right and the 2rd pic of the Buckeye bass giving me trouble. You can clearly see the wires are different.
Shane, the battery Gnd wire needs to go to the switch leg terminal on the jack (by itself). If it goes the terminal with cavity (common) gnd then the preamp will run all the time (draining your battery). Also check to make sure that connection terminals on the jack aren’t rotated in a manner that shorts out the common gnd and switch leg terminal (and that when inserted into the side cavity mounting hole doesn’t short out on the shielding paint).
It has shield tape on both jacks so it wouldn’t be a short by touching the cavity.
Well I got my answer straight from the horses mouth. Just spoke to Keith and Rik is no longer full time at Roscoe (although he does come in once a week to wire up the basses).
Sounds like it’s a Keith and Kyle shop for now and according to Keith it’s going really well. So good to hear his son is loving working at the shop. Should have Roscoe basses for a long time!
From the pics, as best I can see it looks like a the pure tone multi-contact Jack. I think for active Basses it’s usually stereo, but maybe to check with Keith.
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For the Roscoe experts, does anyone recommend upgrading from a pau Ferro fingerboard to Wenge?
I have an SKB with Pau Ferro, and an LG with Wenge, and for my sound, I prefer the Wenge. It gives me growl and and a bit more clarity than the PF.
Both basses have an ash body, maple top, standard neck.
Both basses have an ash body, maple top, standard neck.
Well I have a bass at Keith’s getting a maple ‘board switched to wenge (unless i change my mind and get spalted purpleheart), so if it happens, I’ll let you know. I also had an ash bodied bass with a wenge ‘board and loved the growl it had.
Initially when I’d asked Keith about it, he was hesitant and said I might not get what I was hoping for, but I was persistent (and business slowed down with “current events”) so he said he’d do it, and he quoted me a very fair price to do so. Now if it’ll happen is another story...
I prefer the Wenge but at around $700-850 to make the change I’d have to
Look for a trade (with a Wenge board).
I like the look of traditional rosewood, I like dark boards. Ebony is a big upcharge, but pau Ferro and Wenge are about the same price so I’m trying to decide between them.
IME, wenge is the king of growl with a touch of compression. Pau ferro is a bit more neutral.
Roscoe wenge is growly and compressed. Roscoe spalted purpleheart is compressed and bassy. Roscoe maple is bright and snappy.
Roscoe anything is amazing!
Roscoe anything is amazing!
I’ll mirror what a few have said, in that I’ve found wenge to sound a bit more compressed than other fretboard woods, but I’ve really liked it on the two Roscoe’s I’ve had with it - an ash bodied SKB 5 With an Aguilar OBP-3 that ended up with Big Singles and the Spanish Cedar bodies Century 5 with the Bart pre and Bart JM pickups. The SKB was wenge sapwood and almost looked like maple from afar, but it sounded like normal wenge to me.
I think Pau Ferro falls between rosewood and maple, but have only had the Century 5 JJ that had that board in addition to my Sadowsky Will Lee 5. Like was said, it seems more neutral and has worked great for me. Though, given the choice, I’m not entirely sure I’d necessarily spec it on a build.
if we’re talking a typical Roscoe with soap bars, of the two, wenge would definitely be my pick.
I think Pau Ferro falls between rosewood and maple, but have only had the Century 5 JJ that had that board in addition to my Sadowsky Will Lee 5. Like was said, it seems more neutral and has worked great for me. Though, given the choice, I’m not entirely sure I’d necessarily spec it on a build.
if we’re talking a typical Roscoe with soap bars, of the two, wenge would definitely be my pick.
Pau Ferro very Neutral . Paudak makes a great board as does Cocobolo. Paudak is compressed a bit like wenge
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The best 2 fretboards I've used on Roscoes are Wenge and Katalox. Katalox is considered a Mexican Ebony type of wood and is similar with snap and clarity. Ebony is my favorite wood I've used on any bass as the clarity it helps give is really nice.
I got to thinking about the sound of the different Roscoe’s that I owned with a Wenge board and a lot of them sounded quite different. I think the key is what other neck and body woods that the bass had. The bottom line though is that I really prefer the sound of a Roscoe that has Wenge some where in the neck. When I traded for my current Roscoe that had a BEM board I was a bit concerned that it might be too bright and snappy for me. But when it arrived I was shocked at how growly with a touch of nice compression it had. I’m convinced that the Wenge wedge neck combined with the BEM board is difference.
Bottom line, if you have a maple PH neck go with the Wenge board. If you have a maple Wenge neck maybe go with pau Ferro board.
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Or just go with the best color combination for your taste. Roscoes have enough tonal adjustment that it won't matter in a mix or on stage...
I got a Roscoe Classic 4 with Curtis Novak pickups bout to be finished up! I'm stoked
