YEah, it's an intangible that is the builder as much as the parts. I love all 3 of my Roscoe basses. The Classic P is the only P that I've liked, played and kept for more than a month. My fretted Standard Plus 5 Koa was my main/only bass for a long time. It's amazing. The fretless Standard Plus 5 Quilt Maple is just a step above. I've said many times that if I HAD to pick one, it'd probably be the fretless 5.
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Roscoe Club
- Thread starter JOME77
- Start date
Thanks all for the helpful information. What is the neck profile like on a 5 string Roscoe bass? What about width at the nut?
Well for the Century, LG and SKB basses, it’s usually pretty thin and fast- it reminds me of my ‘74 jazz neck, a “soft v” shape (there was a period around the beginning of 2015 where they changed neck carvers and did more of a “traditional” neck shape, still thin, but more like a 5 string lakland or lull, felt a little thicker on the edges to me, more of a “c” shape, at least to me anyways, but they went back). The nut width is 1.83”. The customs and signatures have standard 18.3mm string spacing, i think the standards are 18mm.
My fretted neck is a little chinkier than my fretless - front to back - but I feel at home on both.
All 3 of the new SKB’s I’ve built have a really thin and flat neck. Seems a little thinner than the older models I owned. The neck is perfection IMO as it’s so fast and playable.
To add to the others, there's a wide & precise amount of adjustability so you can get the strings real close to the board but still not fret out - that & a great radius. The profile on the back would be closer to a flattened C based on my experience. Comfy.
So Felix (Staccatogrowl) and I were talking the other day and we both shared how we ended up playing Roscoe basses. Our paths were somewhat similar in that we both started off as guitar players, switching to bass after playing with friends and groups consisting of nothing but guitarist. My dad actually encouraged me to switch to bass because bassists were hard to find around middle Ga. and he said I would always be able to find a band to play in. He was right!
I started off buying a Gibson Les Paul bass (low impedance) that weighed around 15 lbs. ( I think I was 15 years old). I played that bass for a little over 3 years before trading it in Altlanta for a Fender Telecaster Bass (they were out of P-basses and Jazz basses). That bass sounded terrible. It had the large humbucker pu at the neck and had a terrible honky sounding tone. I went back and traded that one for a Fender P-bass and used those for the next 4-5 years until the Musicman Sting Ray came out. I played those for a while and eventually the Alembic basses caught my eyes (Andy West of Dixie Dregs had one and I loved the sound he got).
From there I went back down to G&L, and then eventually got a Pedulla. I really loved those basses but a factory service issue on my fretted MVP caused me to sell them and then I bought a Tobias Basic 5 (pre Gibson).
By then I had gotten the boutique bug and I migrated to Warwicks for a year or 2 before a Roscoe caught my eyes (at Rhythm City in Atl). That was around 1995 just after the Bass Player bass shoot out that made Roscoe basses both famous and infamous (great sound and playability but sloppy workmanship). I ended up getting a used one and 25 years later (and 33 Roscoe’s) it’s still my go to bass.
Any of you guys want to share your story?
I started off buying a Gibson Les Paul bass (low impedance) that weighed around 15 lbs. ( I think I was 15 years old). I played that bass for a little over 3 years before trading it in Altlanta for a Fender Telecaster Bass (they were out of P-basses and Jazz basses). That bass sounded terrible. It had the large humbucker pu at the neck and had a terrible honky sounding tone. I went back and traded that one for a Fender P-bass and used those for the next 4-5 years until the Musicman Sting Ray came out. I played those for a while and eventually the Alembic basses caught my eyes (Andy West of Dixie Dregs had one and I loved the sound he got).
From there I went back down to G&L, and then eventually got a Pedulla. I really loved those basses but a factory service issue on my fretted MVP caused me to sell them and then I bought a Tobias Basic 5 (pre Gibson).
By then I had gotten the boutique bug and I migrated to Warwicks for a year or 2 before a Roscoe caught my eyes (at Rhythm City in Atl). That was around 1995 just after the Bass Player bass shoot out that made Roscoe basses both famous and infamous (great sound and playability but sloppy workmanship). I ended up getting a used one and 25 years later (and 33 Roscoe’s) it’s still my go to bass.
Any of you guys want to share your story?
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Ha ha. Another new name for me: Felix. Another recent one is "Apple Fritter," which is how I am referred to in a recent band configuration. I shake my head and smile every time I hear that.
So, Joe has it right about some similarities in our paths. I too, started with guitar, moved to bass because of "too many" guitarists in my circle, really liked the groove and feel aspect of bass, and enjoyed "locking in" with drums. My first bass was a 60's Precision gifted by a friend, refin'd natural with frets pulled out ( (replaced with wood filler) mods not be me ). The Precision was replaced with a Music Man Stingray, which I gigged for many years.
I made a left turn for about 20 years when I migrated solely back to guitar. I didn't play bass at all. Then, someone asked me if I wanted to join their band. They needed a bass player, and I was happily willing.
My gear progression from that opportunity was a Warwick Corvette 4, Warwick Thumb 6, Warwick Thumb 5 fretless and fretted, and Conklin Bill Dickens 7. Somewhere along that path I developed wrist tendonitis, losing my facility other than a one-finger sliding technique. The condition was luckily corrected in a subsequent wrist surgery.
I decided to play more ergonomic basses, playing a Pedulla Pentabuzz, and Pedulla MVP5 for a bunch of years. A nasty band breakup caused me to long for something other than my Pedullas, which I associated with my former band. I sold the Pentabuzz, and saw a trade opportunity for a Roscoe here on Talkbass. The MVP5-for-Roscoe trade was a happy one, and I have been a joyful Roscoe owner since.
So, Joe has it right about some similarities in our paths. I too, started with guitar, moved to bass because of "too many" guitarists in my circle, really liked the groove and feel aspect of bass, and enjoyed "locking in" with drums. My first bass was a 60's Precision gifted by a friend, refin'd natural with frets pulled out ( (replaced with wood filler) mods not be me ). The Precision was replaced with a Music Man Stingray, which I gigged for many years.
I made a left turn for about 20 years when I migrated solely back to guitar. I didn't play bass at all. Then, someone asked me if I wanted to join their band. They needed a bass player, and I was happily willing.
My gear progression from that opportunity was a Warwick Corvette 4, Warwick Thumb 6, Warwick Thumb 5 fretless and fretted, and Conklin Bill Dickens 7. Somewhere along that path I developed wrist tendonitis, losing my facility other than a one-finger sliding technique. The condition was luckily corrected in a subsequent wrist surgery.
I decided to play more ergonomic basses, playing a Pedulla Pentabuzz, and Pedulla MVP5 for a bunch of years. A nasty band breakup caused me to long for something other than my Pedullas, which I associated with my former band. I sold the Pentabuzz, and saw a trade opportunity for a Roscoe here on Talkbass. The MVP5-for-Roscoe trade was a happy one, and I have been a joyful Roscoe owner since.
Up to the point where you switched instruments due to medical reasons, you and I had similar tastes in instruments. I also own a Warwick Thumb BO 6 and Conklin BDGT-7. They were the first 2 basses I bought when I decided I wanted to play music again.
Interesting Pedulla connections... I played Pedulla Thunderbolts and Raptures for 20 years. l always thought Roscoes looked great and a trip to BassCentral gave me the opportunity to try one. A few years later I got one here from the classifieds. Pedullas remained my main players until I tried one with wide spacing and that sealed it. With Michael Pedulla’s retirement with no successor, I now have a new #1. I now have a very special Roscoe and another on the way.
It was a LONG trip for me from my Ibanez Roadstar to my Roscoe’s. My first “good” bass was a white 76 Rickenbacker 4001 in high school. I can’t remember all the rest. I know in about 1988 or so I had like 6 Rickenbackers. Then I started selling and sealing and trying stuff out. That got pretty “serious” around 2005 maybe. Internet classifieds were my gateway. I had a couple 20th Anniversary Ken Smith basses, a 4 and a 5. My first “designer” basses. I played a Modulus Q5 with Bart’s and that was my first $3k bass. I liked that the neck was super stable for my climate. I bought a “matching” fretless. My last basses ever. Anyway...sold them and went through some others. I can’t remember why or how Roscoe hit my radar. It may have been hearing the Yellowjackets for the first time at a jazz festival in town. I had a friend who was into them and said you have to hear this guy on bass. Jimmy Haslip and his upside down left handed SKB. (Years later I actually had a lesson with Jimmy at Greg’s shop.) Or it may have been Greg at Rocket Music. I know that’s where I bought my first one. A used SKB with a killer red finish and maple board. I remember the first time I hugged it. People were like holy poopie where did you get that? The “reach” of the SKB just about turned me away. I somehow hooked up with a guy about an hour away who had a Century and said come and try it. I did. The rest is history.
I started playing the bass because my best friend also played. She was always in bands, while my guitar playing friends were always looking for bassists.
I started playing relatively inexpensive basses, a jackson, a dean, an ibanez. (Still have the Jackson, it's my frankenbass). I played in a couple of bands. Had some really good success regionally in one blues rock band in high school and early college. We weren't old enough to get into the front door of most of the places we played.
I didn't know Roscoe from Rome. But in 1999 I saw this gorgeous emerald green fretless at Alpha Music in VA Beach for 1800 bucks. I picked it up and fell in love. I learned it was an LG3005 with a diamondwood board.
I called keith right after buying it, and ended up sending it to him to give it a once over. He lightly sanded the board, put some rounds on it, set it up and sent it back.
It's been my main ever since. I went through a bunch of XYZ basses, modulus, pedulla, but I got rid of them. I've got 2 Roscoes now. And I'm happy.
Nothing like a Roscoe fretless for sure. Pic?
lol. Sorry Fritz! Not sure if auto correct got me or stupidly got me!
Either way with the new short time editing capabilities you are now officially “Felix”!
You know I forgot one detail to my Roscoe voyage. It was actually Dennis (BassWR) that was at Atlanta Discount and called me to let me know that they had 2 really nice used Roscoe’s in on consignment. He knew that I had been talking them up and wanted one so he called me when he saw them.
I almost totally forgot Dennis’ involvement in me getting my 1st Roscoe.
@bassWR Thanks Dennis!
Got my Roscoe back after sending to have the Bart’s put in it and made a big difference in tone IMO. The Bart’s with the Wenge and Ash just makes a really nice combo. Sounded great through my Noble preamp tonight.
I started out learning to play the guitar while in the Air Force, where dudes with their Yamaha acoustic guitars would gather in the barrack rooms to drink 3.2 beer and jam! Later, I bought my first electric Gibson SG guitar and a Kustom amp. I played guitar in various bands while in Air Force, where I participated in various competitions, and even played in a band when stationed in Thailand. See photo.
I played guitar in several gospel groups/churches in the ATL and switched to bass when playing for my current church many years ago because we needed that bottom.
I went through a couple of cheap/low end basses before a co-worker told me about Roscoe basses and sold me his SKB 5’er. I eventually sold it and bought Joe‘s old Koa LG with Mahogany body. Since then I‘ve
sold and bought several Roscoe basses. I think I’m down to my last two Roscoes.
I played guitar in several gospel groups/churches in the ATL and switched to bass when playing for my current church many years ago because we needed that bottom.
I went through a couple of cheap/low end basses before a co-worker told me about Roscoe basses and sold me his SKB 5’er. I eventually sold it and bought Joe‘s old Koa LG with Mahogany body. Since then I‘ve
sold and bought several Roscoe basses. I think I’m down to my last two Roscoes.
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