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Roscoe Club

#19,684
I’m not disagreeing with you.

I have an F Bass BN5 and a Lakland 55-94, both ash bodies with maple necks (the Lakland has a quilted maple top), but with the same strings (although the F is 34.5” scale vs 35” for the Lakland), the F is so much brighter (unplugged and amplified) possibly/probably because it has stainless frets.
 
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#19,686
mmbongo said:
I'm going to ask a question here, because I don't really want to bother Keith just yet :)

Keith gave me a quote on a Classic P/J bass, and I just haven't been able to pull the trigger yet. This may well be the last bass I buy so I want to get it right. It's not so much that I want a 'precision bass' and in fact I don't like the general looks of a P bass but the body fits me good and that passive P/J sound is what works for the band I'm in.

I guess at this point I should state that I have the following Roscoes so you know where I'm coming from:
Century 5 String w/Bart soapbars
Century 5 String w/Aguilar P/J
Century 4 String w/Nordy Big Splits
Classic J4 w/Honey Badger P/J

I also have 4 Fenders, but I want my main players to be Roscoes.

Of all of those, the Classic J4 and the Fenders are what delivers the sound I need. The others sound phenomenal but are a completely different sound. I picked up the Century 5 string with P/J's hoping that it would sound like the J4 since it had P/J's but it does not.

So anyway while I do love the Classic Jazz 4, I do prefer the larger Precision neck and the Precision body fits me better, so that is what is leading me to get a Classic P/J.

But here's my question...finally....while the Precision body does fit me better than the Jazz, the one that fits me PERFECT is the Century. But like I said, none of mine sound like a passive P/J. I'm wondering, would a regular Century 4 string made from regular woods like basic ash with a maple neck, and with passive P/J pickups....would that sound like a Precision P/J? Or is the pickup placement/bass design just all wrong for that?

Thank you for letting me think out loud!
Click to expand...

So, if your tonal goals are to sound like a Fender-style passive J (in a P bass body format), I'd say a 34" Roscoe Century could come mighty close. My 34" 4 banger Roscoe is an LG PJ loaded with Aguilar pickups and an Aguilar obp-1 (active/passive) preamp (and TI flats). The 'most traditional' sounds I can pull from it are, in order of most convincing to least: the soloed J pickup, the PJ blend, and lastly the P tone. As I mentioned earlier this week, I brought a legit Fender P and the LG to a session to record a P-style sound, and the Roscoe didn't have that super-characteristic P midrange hump thing. Of course, I was running different flats and different pickups in each bass, and the Aguilar pickups aren't super Fender-y to my ear.

In the end, if you love the Century, I'd try really hard to get a 34" Century J bass (or PJ if that was your goal), and even try loading it with Fender pups and electronics (they are cheap enough, comparatively).
 
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#19,687
steelin4u said:
So, if your tonal goals are to sound like a Fender-style passive J (in a P bass body format), I'd say a 34" Roscoe Century could come mighty close. My 34" 4 banger Roscoe is an LG PJ loaded with Aguilar pickups and an Aguilar obp-1 (active/passive) preamp (and TI flats). The 'most traditional' sounds I can pull from it are, in order of most convincing to least: the soloed J pickup, the PJ blend, and lastly the P tone. As I mentioned earlier this week, I brought a legit Fender P and the LG to a session to record a P-style sound, and the Roscoe didn't have that super-characteristic P midrange hump thing. Of course, I was running different flats and different pickups in each bass, and the Aguilar pickups aren't super Fender-y to my ear.

In the end, if you love the Century, I'd try really hard to get a 34" Century J bass (or PJ if that was your goal), and even try loading it with Fender pups and electronics (they are cheap enough, comparatively).
Click to expand...

Good to know. And I've actually got a set of Fralin P/J pickups that Keith said he would install in whatever I end up going with. And I'm not at all concerned about getting a 'real' P tone...I could care less. It's that bright, mid-scooped, throaty P/J growl that I'm after. The pickup control will never leave 50/50.
 
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#19,689
MattLplaysBass said:
I’m not disagreeing with you.

I have an F Bass BN5 and a Lakland 55-94, both ash bodies with maple necks (the Lakland has a quilted maple top), but with the same strings (although the F is 34.5” scale vs 35” for the Lakland), the F is so much brighter (unplugged and amplified) possibly/probably because it has stainless frets.
Click to expand...
I knew you were being funny.:D
 
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#19,692
steelin4u said:
So, if your tonal goals are to sound like a Fender-style passive J (in a P bass body format), I'd say a 34" Roscoe Century could come mighty close. . if you love the Century, I'd try really hard to get a 34" Century J bass (or PJ if that was your goal), and even try loading it with Fender pups and electronics (they are cheap enough, comparatively).
Click to expand...
Agree with it all, only to add that the EMG Geezer Butler P/J set might be a great choice. Then, consider Sadowsky's 2-band preamp with passive tone control. If I played 4-string, I'd try it.
 
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#19,693
Speaking of Century PJ...I saw this one at the Orland Park Brewfest. @Fred312b, where you at?
20210918_183259.jpg
 
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#19,698
Nightman said:
@steelin4u, You got that close to that bass and its owner didn’t show up? :nailbiting:

Is that two Greenboy enclosures I see? The last person I recall posting a Roscoe with a Greenboy in this thread was............
Click to expand...

Hahaha, dude wasn't even looking when I jumped up on stage and played the first set!

Yeah, that bottom cab is a rebuilt (by me) Carvin 115 cab. I did the internal bracing and shelf port specs as close to Greenboy spec as I could. It is great, though.
 
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#19,700
Bassworship1 said:
That was my first Roscoe bass I owned. Very good bass and build. Didn’t much care for the Aguilar electronics but the build and playability was what got me to love the Roscoe brand.
Click to expand...

I remember you having this bass, Shane. I didn't like the Aggie either, so it has a custom Delano P pickup, Aggie J, and Bart 3-band, active passive, 'VTC' pre in there now. Fixed it! :thumbsup:
 
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