Roscoe Club

[staccatogrowl]

Was perusing The Real Roscoe Guitars Page on fb and ran across this stunner. Am a longtime admirer of Myrtle, tonally and visually, so this one captured my attention. Am always amazed at the figure variation in this species. Is this really Myrtle? Whatever it is, wow. .

Also ran across some interesting general comments by Mr. Keith Roscoe, providing build insight (paraphrased):

"Specialty carved tops take Kyle about 5 hours to hand carve. Each is a sculpted piece of art."

"There is probably more time in the finish than any other part, except the neck. Our neck building is a many step process, and is the heart of the instrument. If that's not right, the rest is just window dressing."

I'm always amazed to look at Roscoe's fb page. In our world of limited edition (made in "lots" of 100s, haha), artist grade, or special-run instruments, almost every Roscoe is a one-off. It's tough to imagine another builder like Roscoe, where the "standard" is that almost every bass produced is unique and custom spec'd. Then, consider that this is the core philosophy and longtime practice of the Roscoe Guitars business model, allowing longevity while so many others have fallen aside.

 

[SteveC]

Was perusing The Real Roscoe Guitars Page on fb and ran across this stunner. Am a longtime admirer of Myrtle, tonally and visually, so this one captured my attention. Am always amazed at the figure variation in this species. Is this really Myrtle? Whatever it is, wow. .

View attachment 4276043

Also ran across some interesting general comments by Mr. Keith Roscoe, providing build insight (paraphrased):

"Specialty carved tops take Kyle about 5 hours to hand carve. Each is a sculpted piece of art."

"There is probably more time in the finish than any other part, except the neck. Our neck building is a many step process, and is the heart of the instrument. If that's not right, the rest is just window dressing."

I'm always amazed to look at Roscoe's fb page. In our world of limited edition (made in the 100s, haha), artist grade, or special-run instruments, every Roscoe is like that. It's tough to imagine another builder like Roscoe, where the "standard" is that almost every bass produced is unique and custom spec'd. Then, consider that this is the core philosophy and longtime practice of the Roscoe Guitars business model, allowing longevity while so many others have fallen aside.

I agree. Even my "basic" Standard Plus basses get some one-on-one, by hand individual attention. They are beautiful basses I would put against even a Signature model. I have told the story before about some options given to me during a build that one would think would be reserved for a "somebody" and not a "nobody" from North Dakota. I have never been "brushed off" because I'm just an amateur or even semi pro player. Turn arounds on "spa treatments" have been amazing. My 3 main players are Roscoe for a reason.

 

[LightGroove]

While the LG and the slanted pickups is how I came upon Roscoe at a show, the above specimen is what I would describe as a Classic and my favorite to date.

Myrtle , Spalted purpleheart , Im guessing ash or alder. Wish the necks were still 5 piece but alas

 

[Bassworship1]

Finished knobs from the scraps from Keith.

 

[JOME77]

Wish the necks were still 5 piece but alas

Signature wedge necks are still technically 5 piece.

 

[scubaduba]

Signature wedge necks are still technically 5 piece.

View attachment 4276661

Hmm. Most builders would call that 11 piece.

 

[bgartist]

5 piece necks??

 

[Nightman]

Signature wedge necks are still technically 5 piece.

View attachment 4276661

My eyes see more strips of wood on that five-piece!

 

[Pacman]

Hmm. Most builders would call that 11 piece.

The stringers don't add any structural support, so that's why they consider that 5.

 

[SteveC]

I like my simple standard plus basses, but I do like the 5 piece necks. Do they add a lot of weight?

 

[Skip Chucker]

Yeah he had a rough patch there for a while and had to quit making knobs. Still doesn’t make any. I twisted his arm for this set.

He does nice work for you, I'll give him that.

I didn't get the right kind of vibe during my interactions with him so I waved off. But you seem to have a silver tongue when it comes to getting gorgeous finishes on instruments and stuff. (That's a compliment, not sarcasm!).

 

[JOME77]

I like my simple standard plus basses, but I do like the 5 piece necks. Do they add a lot of weight?

That depends on what woods are used. Probably not though.

 

[Freddy-G.]

Has anyone else been tempted to stray? I mean from Roscoe basses. Oh, I'm not embarassed to say I've had my affairs. I love my Fbass and Skjold, and still have an affection for my '73 Rickenbacker 4001.

But recently I found a Fodera at a reasonable price and gave it some considerable consideration. When I was considering trade options I thought of my Roscoe. What!!!??? In desperation I plugged it in and gave it a whirl. It felt like an old friend and gave me chills all over again. Immediately the GAS went away.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

I'll post some pics later. You might remember the all wenge neck and fretboard.

 

[Nightman]

Has anyone else been tempted to stray? I mean from Roscoe basses. Oh, I'm not embarassed to say I've had my affairs. I love my Fbass and Skjold, and still have an affection for my '73 Rickenbacker 4001.

But recently I found a Fodera at a reasonable price and gave it some considerable consideration. When I was considering trade options I thought of my Roscoe. What!!!??? In desperation I plugged it in and gave it a whirl. It felt like an old friend and gave me chills all over again. Immediately the GAS went away.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

I'll post some pics later. You might remember the all wenge neck and fretboard.

I don’t necessarily think it’s straying from Roscoe when something else other than a Roscoe catches you eye or ears and you buy and enjoy it.
Although Roscoe builds a great bass, there are many great basses out there not wearing the Roscoe brand.

 

[SteveC]

There my be a couple things non Roscoe I wouldn’t mind having. That said, my Classic P for example has certainly filled my P bass need. Better than any #%^%# could.

If I were playing more jazz gigs, I would love my Rob Allen Mouse 30 fretless back. One of the very few basses I wish I had back. Not a competitor as Roscoe doesn’t have such a bass. Other than a Rickenbacker (my first “good” bass) for nostalgia, I really don’t have a NEED for more than the three Roscoes I have.

 

[Freddy-G.]

I don’t necessarily think it’s straying from Roscoe when something else other than a Roscoe catches you eye or ears and you buy and enjoy it.
Although Roscoe builds a great bass, there are many great basses out there not wearing the Roscoe brand.

I'm as guilty as anyone else. Just testing the waters.

 

[steelin4u]

10-hour studio session today - the fretless was a champ! Chicago Recording Company Studio 5, Roscoe, Noble, Genz. Not pictured - another Roscoe, Taylor, and my partscaster.

 

[oren]

Has anyone else been tempted to stray? I mean from Roscoe basses. Oh, I'm not embarassed to say I've had my affairs. I love my Fbass and Skjold, and still have an affection for my '73 Rickenbacker 4001.

But recently I found a Fodera at a reasonable price and gave it some considerable consideration. When I was considering trade options I thought of my Roscoe. What!!!??? In desperation I plugged it in and gave it a whirl. It felt like an old friend and gave me chills all over again. Immediately the GAS went away.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

I'll post some pics later. You might remember the all wenge neck and fretboard.

I’ve got six bass guitars and only one of them is a Roscoe. Most of my gigs these days are on upright, but I just went last week to a first rehearsal for a new band that is mostly playing classic New Orleans R&B (Meters, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, etc). I took the Roscoe and it just didn’t have the right sound for that music, at least to my ear. The next rehearsal will be on a P bass with flats.

 

[armybass]

Has anyone else been tempted to stray? I mean from Roscoe basses. Oh, I'm not embarassed to say I've had my affairs. I love my Fbass and Skjold, and still have an affection for my '73 Rickenbacker 4001.

But recently I found a Fodera at a reasonable price and gave it some considerable consideration. When I was considering trade options I thought of my Roscoe. What!!!??? In desperation I plugged it in and gave it a whirl. It felt like an old friend and gave me chills all over again. Immediately the GAS went away.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

I'll post some pics later. You might remember the all wenge neck and fretboard.

Many times and have actually gone from having multiple Roscoe’s to none on at least two occasions. I don’t recommend it. I’m getting ready to go through another phase of gear purging and gear shifting. I have four Roscoe’s left and am going to try to keep at least three of them. Roscoe is my top shelf brand and in whatever of a music career I have left, I want to have some of the best for the rest of the ride.

 

[staccatogrowl]

With all of this recent chatter about XYZs, Bubinga tops, non-Roscoe-Bart pickups, non-Bart preamps, and new knobs along with their related trivia, I thought I might as well join that club and post this:

Pedulla-style aluminum knobs, $37 from Amazon, 2-day delivery. The exquisite black finish affords elegant, non distracting visual focus on the beautiful Bubinga top, while the white centerlines allow excellent functional contrast for the dark stage where I perform most. All lines are at center detent, except for volume which is full up when matching the center detents of other knobs. 6-string 35"-scale XYZ bass, EMG active pickups (double J bridge, P neck), EMG BQC preamp with sweepable mids. Love the EMG setup, just not nearly as much as Roscoe Barts with Bart 3-band pre.