• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Roscoe owners attention

poptart said:
Congrats Gard - Hey I got married last year and ended up getting two Roscoes as well - it must be something in the air!?!?!?


Yeah Gard, congratulations!


Poptart, I know what you mean, I'm getting hitched in 3 months..I just picked up my first Roscoe last week and I'm already got GAS for the next.

Shawn
 
Well I'm the happy owner of a LG3005 since August 2005 and I do not regret my choice at all !
I may just regret my choice of electronics. However I could not be happier with the tone of that baby which is the richest I've ever encountered.

I realy think that on tone and playability department, it is one or two step above everything I tried til now.
This instrument is the most comfortable I could lay my hand on and that neck is just crazyly easy to fly over... only wish it was more stable but it seems that my birdseye fingerboard is not the most stable piece of wood Keith team has found... During those last 6 month, the neck of my Roscoe has required several adjustment and with winter coming, the fingerboard has retracted and know it needs some fret work on the edge of each frets... unfortunatly for me, it seems that usualy Roscoe necks are known for their stabilité... justbad luck.
:(
However great instrument... I'm already thinking to its fretless sister
:)

Sheers

PS : Congrats to you Gard !
 
Hello. My name is Bob. I'm a Roscoe Head.

I've got a fretted SKB-3006 (which may be for sale later this year) and a fretless SKB-3005. Keith makes the best fretless bar none. I'll some day die with that bass in my hands.

They are just great basses- fretted and fretless. The only reason for a possible sale of my 3006 is that I'm really not a six string player and am seriously considering going to a SKB-3005 or a Signature Century V. I am fortunate to have the ability to purchase any bass I could want. I want another Roscoe. I'm thinking Alder body, Walnut top, Birdseye maple fretboard, not sure about the wenge or traditional neck, Demeter pre with Bart PUPs. I am interested in hearing about the possible new pickups though...

So as not to repeat, I would agree with everything Basso Gruvitas has said too. BTW: Nice playing man!

The only problem I have with both my Roscoes is the lack of sleep I get from not putting them down when I start practicing at 9:30PM. The next thing I know, it's between 12 and 1 AM!

Life is good with a Roscoe.:cool:
 
First off, I need to say congratulations to Gard.

I have found a Roscoe that I am pretty sure I am going to try to buy. If I can't get a deal done in time, then I will be forced to order one and go through the wait.

Gard, you know which one this is. Think "the Brain".:D
 
Jason Hale said:
Have you ever regretted buying your Roscoe or wish you had bought something else?
Not for a second.

Are there things about your Roscoe that you think are superior to other brands?
I'll say superior to many but ALSO along side others at the top, or, otherwise, just to generally say the outstanding qualities...
  • Notoriously thunderous and lively B string
  • Thick rich tone with a nice bright but not brittle high end (can't comment on the Aggie or Demeter pre's, which give'em a diff personality. Mine's the "standard" bart elex (custom p'ups, but standard pre)).
  • REALLY comfy/fast neck with a nice compromise for spacing at 18mm... not too wide, not too narrow. Works great for every style of playing.
  • Some seriously cool choices of exotic woods. First time I ever saw a spalted purpleheart anything, let alone fingerboard.
  • Absolutely fantastic guys to work with (Keith and of course our own Gard as well)
Are you happy with your tone?
Absolutely.

Do you feel it is better suited for some styles more than others?
IMHO, there's no technique the bass can't excel at being used for.

What do you like most about your Roscoe?
The tone sounds like it comes from a bass that weighs about 50 pounds, but the bass is a VERY comfortable shape, size, and weight. I'm not a big person and I can play the thing all night with no fatigue.
 
Basso Gruvitas said:
Hey Wolf,
I'll take issue with your comments about the basses not built for "pyrotechnics" or speed. I consider myself a pretty fast player and to me, the neck is perfectly suited for such acrobatics. Here, I would separate fact from opinion. The scale is 35" - that's a fact. That it does not facilitate speed - your approach.

Well, it's not that simple, you see -
my 'approach' is one which claims that any neck-heel/bridge
which requires extensive aftermarket modifications to be
adjusted to suit a players needs is, in fact, a flawed design.
While I'm sure that you can play 256th arpeggios at speeds
exceeding common sense (that clip's rockin'! kudios ;) -
it still doesn't change another, uhm, fact:
I've played Zons which can be adjusted to my liking straight
out of the case! No trip to Joe's! No neck-shimming!
Now THAT'S what I call user friendly!
 
Wolf said:
Well, it's not that simple, you see -
my 'approach' is one which claims that any neck-heel/bridge
which requires extensive aftermarket modifications to be
adjusted to suit a players needs is, in fact, a flawed design.
While I'm sure that you can play 256th arpeggios at speeds
exceeding common sense (that clip's rockin'! kudios ;) -
it still doesn't change another, uhm, fact:
I've played Zons which can be adjusted to my liking straight
out of the case! No trip to Joe's! No neck-shimming!
Now THAT'S what I call user friendly!


Ooooooohh, a Zon-ite, eh? Joe definitely has his loyal players. I USED to be one, but I don't want to start a flame thread here. If anyone's curious, PM me.

I own 2 Roscoes and have never seen the need to modify the neck-heel or the bridge...and I like my action looooow :D I believe some players have dropped in a shim in the pocket for their personal approach, but I would hardly call that extensive.

Plus, if it feels great afterward, it should only increase after-market value. On this point I'm only speculating so I could be wrong there.
 
Wolf said:
Well, it's not that simple, you see -
my 'approach' is one which claims that any neck-heel/bridge
which requires extensive aftermarket modifications to be
adjusted to suit a players needs is, in fact, a flawed design.
While I'm sure that you can play 256th arpeggios at speeds
exceeding common sense (that clip's rockin'! kudios ;) -
it still doesn't change another, uhm, fact:
I've played Zons which can be adjusted to my liking straight
out of the case! No trip to Joe's! No neck-shimming!
Now THAT'S what I call user friendly!
(jumping in...) Ahhhh, now I know where you're coming from.

Yeah, except not all his basses were like that, and none of them are now. That was a harshly debated issue, and actually turned out to be a design criteria, and Gard can definitely get into this as well, but at the end of the day Gard helped Keith decide to change his design.

The thing was, Keith felt the brigde saddles should be as low as possible, and even resting on the bridge plate when the action is to "spec" (for optimal "coupling"). The problem is, his "spec" wasn't everybody's "spec". Therein lies the rub. AFAIK, all his basses now ship with enough adjustment left to about lay the strings on the frets if you want.

I know this first hand, because a custom SKB I ordered was like this, and I had two options. Shim the neck, or get a different custom bridge from Hipshot. As it turns out, the bass ended up as part of another deal (ironically, a Zon :)), so it was moot, but I know exactly what you're talking about. However, the LG-3005 I had before it, and still have, is not.

BTW, Hipshot has done custom bridges for some Roscoe owners who didn't want to return the bass or shim the neck, and it's not too expensive for this class of instrument... especially if you got a smokin' deal on it, or bought it used.

Bottom line is, that's a deprecated objection. :)
 
Basso Gruvitas said:
Ooooooohh, a Zon-ite, eh? Joe definitely has his loyal players. I USED to be one, but I don't want to start a flame thread here. If anyone's curious, PM me.
Don't need to. If you don't like Zon, yer scum.

Ok, ok, just kidding. I remember those threads, but I've never had any probs with mine, so they're staying. :)

HOWEVER, I do love my LG, and never plan on getting rid of it, but if I do, it'll only be for another Roscoe I like better. :)

I believe some players have dropped in a shim in the pocket for their personal approach, but I would hardly call that extensive.
True, but the debate was fueled by folks who were simply upset that they'd dropped all that coin and it required immediate modification before use, when all their other stuff could be adjusted to their liking w/out same. I can see their point. Why should you have to put a friggin' business card in the neck pocket of a bass you just dropped multiple thousands of bux on???

The debate was largely emotional, but nevertheless valid. I think I woulda' been ok with the Shim, tho.
 
My SKB's a 2003 - #5058. Got it from 'sfbassplayer' right here
on TB! You simply must remember this one - Cobalt Blue Flame
Maple over Mahogany - unline Diamondwood board ; )
Anyhoot, I'm guessing it's from that controversial bridge
switching era...
 
Wolf said:
My SKB's a 2003 - #5058. Got it from 'sfbassplayer' right here
on TB! You simply must remember this one - Cobalt Blue Flame
Maple over Mahogany - unline Diamondwood board ; )
Anyhoot, I'm guessing it's from that controversial bridge
switching era...
It very well could be. I think my SKB was that timeframe as well. I think Gard just started working there in the spring of '05, or if I'm really GEEZin', '04, and it was not too far off from his joining Keith that this decision was made as I recall.

Again, tho, even during that period, not all had the "problem". Like my SKB, it was just close enough I probably coulda' got what I wanted just by doing some filing. I'm not even sure if the person who got it after me needed to touch it. It was very close, but just not close enough for me.
 
Date of employment, for the record: May 2, 2005.

;)

Man, if shimming a bolt on neck to achieve ultra-low action is an "extensive aftermarket" modification, well.....

:hmm:

I've had to do this to so many bolt on necks over the years from Fender to Fodera that it's just a non-issue to me. We do make every attempt to set the action as low as reasonably possible before it leaves the shop. Keith is primarily a guitarist, and actually I end up asking him to bump the action UP more often than anything else, because with my ham-handed bassist's techinque, it just gets buzzy to me.

Further, we haven't changed our bridge design, and I AGREE with Keith, it makes total sense to me. There are far too many negatives to having the saddles sitting at the top of their excursion, and too many positives to have it very low if not sitting ON the bridge plate for it to be a "design flaw". I understand that there may be a difference in philosophy, and that's fine, but calling it a "flaw" is pretty silly. That said, we are trying to be more conscious of leaving a bit of room below the saddle to allow for those that have a more extreme idea of what "low action" is.

Oh, and for the record, my primary bass for the past 5+ years has been a Zon Sonus Special Fretless 5 string. I'm sorry, it's a great bass, but I know I can get my fretless Century set up lower, because I have.

Oh and, no knock on the Zon, but guess what, I shimmed the neck in my Zon, and didn't in my Roscoe! ;) Folks, bolt on necks are NOT perfect every time, no builder that does them is 100% perfect in my experience, from Azola to Zon (and yes, I do know what I'm talking about, after 5 years at Bass Central).
 
Gard said:
Date of employment, for the record: May 2, 2005.

;)
Sweeeeet, got it right the first time. :)

Man, if shimming a bolt on neck to achieve ultra-low action is an "extensive aftermarket" modification, well.....
Yeah, it wouldn't have been a big deal to me, but some folks get real upset if they drop big coin on an instrument and they're unable to set it up to their liking using the normal adjustments (which, to them, does not require any disassembly). While I wouldn't get my dander up about it (and didn't), I have to admit I understand.

Further, we haven't changed our bridge design
Actually, I figured he'd just shave a little less of the neck heel. No need to change the hardware.

There are far too many negatives to having the saddles sitting at the top of their excursion
I didn't realize we were talking about that much diff here. At least it wasn't with mine at all.

and too many positives to have it very low if not sitting ON the bridge plate for it to be a "design flaw".
This is why I very carefully avoided the word flaw. I also understand the concept, but in my case, it would've been nicer to have them very low, not bottomed out when I got it, so I could just tweak it to where MY prefs were, which I think is also what the other folks were saying. Hey, I'd love it if the saddles woulda' been sitting on their butts when it was just right for me, but what about the next guy with the feather light touch? I can't fault him for his tecnique, can I?

calling it a "flaw" is pretty silly
I agree.

That said, we are trying to be more conscious of leaving a bit of room below the saddle to allow for those that have a more extreme idea of what "low action" is.
This is exactly what I was referring to. Not a redesign, just a little adjustment.

Oh and, no knock on the Zon, but guess what, I shimmed the neck in my Zon, and didn't in my Roscoe! ;)
BLASPHEMER!!! :D :D :D Actually, both my Zons are right down almost on their butts, but I don't need them any lower, so I have no problems with mine. I just think you need help. ;) BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ok, yeah, I know, you're better than I am... so what... :D :D :D

Folks, bolt on necks are NOT perfect every time, no builder that does them is 100% perfect
+1, absolutely, but this is actually all the more reason to "leave a little" when yer done. :)
 

Latest posts