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Warrior vs. Roscoe bass

svoncampe

svoncampe

Jul 10, 2008
165
37
Norfolk, VA
#1
Howdy!

Well, I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE to play the bass. I own three right now, and I already know the next four I want to get at some point down the line (to add to my family of basses, not to replace them). I had my heart set for my next bass to be a Roscoe, and while I'm sure I'll own one eventually, I can't decide if I should next go with a Roscoe or with a Warrior. I am familiar with the sound, look, and feel of Roscoes; the sound is what I especially like. However, I have come to really like and prefer the look of upper end Warrior basses (amazing craftmanship and wood combos), but I have never held/played one. The only time I ever saw and heard one in person was when I attended a clinic by Adam Nitti not too long ago.

Is anyone out there familiar with Roscoe and Warrior basses, perhaps even able to draw comparisons? I realize it boils down to preference, but I'm especially interested in hearing opinions about Warrior.

Thanks!

Stefan
 
#2
You won't find much better craftsmanship than that of a Roscoe, and I don't know how you can get much more breathtaking wood combos. Maybe you like the shape of the Warrior better.

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#4
I own both brands of basses. I currently own a Roscoe LG3005 and Warrior Dran Michael 5, and a Warrior Studio 6.

Keep in mind that these are very beautifully made instruments and as you point out, it's completely about taste.

Warrior Instruments have a very thin (front to back) neck profile which I find to be very fast and easy to play. Roscoe has more of a P-bass feel to the neck shape and size. (I had Gard shave mine down so it's a bit closer to the Warrior profile) Roscoe has a 35" scale and Warrior uses 34" scale. Both of my Warriors are neck-thrus and the Roscoe is bolt on (as you know) There is no plus or minus, both designs work very well. Both designs give easy access to the upper register of these basses.

The Warrior has a very small body, they are light weight (both under 8 lbs) I chose high gloss poly finishes on both warriors with smooth oil finishes on the back of the neck. Roscoe also has a poly finish on the body and satin poly on the neck.

My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that the Roscoe has no body contour where your right arm rests on the body and I am aware of the feeling of a corner. A body contour would mean that you would have to shave down some of that beautiful AAAAA quilted maple top I have but it would be more comfortable to play.

Both my Roscoe and Dran 5 have Bartolini Soap bars and Bart pre amps. I love this set up. It goes from a good approximation of classic passive tones to shimmering hi-fi sounds. Extremely versatile tons of output and dead quiet.

My Warrior Six has Bartolini XJ6 Jazz pickups and Bartolini Preamp. It shimmers and has sparkly, transparent hi-end, with very tight lows. Some of that is the Swamp Ash/ Maple combo but this is a beautiful sounding bass.

Both of these companies make stunning, hi end instruments. If you call Warrior and plop down a credit card, they will send you an instrument for evaluation. That will tell you pretty much what you need to know about them. You already have an idea of what Keith Roscoe does..... also remarkable.

As I am lucky enough to own both, I am glad I do not have to chose between the two.
 
#10
I play a Warrior Signature 4. I went through a lot of high end basses, and tried a lot more (including Roscoe) before landing on my Warrior. I've had it for three years now, and have stopped looking at basses for sale. I have the MM/J pickup configuration, and I think it sounds great. Sound samples on our myspace page. That is the Warrior recorded direct through a Phil Jones Bass Buddy.

I've had so many comments about the Warrior when playing live, and I always let bass players try it out. I've never had anyone not love it.
 
#11
i own neither..but i have seen several roscoes and i love them

i fins some of the roscoe's body shapes a little too much for my taste...but i don't like the "bottom" of the warriors where the strap button is..i don't like the shape

lookswise...i would say roscoe has the edge and the best headstock design out there.

soundwise... preference, as is looks i suppose

playability...can't say about warriors... but the roscoes are buttery.
 
#12
I've owned 3 Roscoe's and 2 Warriors..

You seem to have a good feel for the Roscoe's, so I won't go into what I think of those.. The Warriors that I've had, both Adam Nitti's (one AN5 and one AN6) were both nice basses. The AN5 had Bart J's and was very aggressive sounding. The AN6 was just like Adam's bass and was more mellow than the AN5, but still sounded very good. Both basses took an amazing setup, and played great. The neck is wide (from B to G string), but very flat front to back (especially the AN6). The Warriors to me always felt just a cut below some of the other stuff I've played in terms of construction and just feeling like a boutique bass.. Vic has my old AN5 and will tell you that it has a few rough edges. I really couldn't find much fault with the AN6, but something about it didn't feel like a $4,000 bass, you know? The AN6 was a 2004 and the AN5 was a 2006 NAMM bass.. A friend of mine had an 07 Signature and it had a finish flaw under the clear coat. To me it seems they always "almost" get it right, but not quite..
 

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