Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

New fish on the way: Roscoe LG-3005


Gruuve

Recommended Posts

I stumbled across a new Roscoe at an unbelievably killer price yesterday. Since I've been lusting after Roscoes for over a decade now (and actually been trying to snag one at a good price for almost two years), I decided to not let this one slip by.

 

It's an LG-3005, spanish cedar body, spalted maple top, maple/purpleheart multi-lam neck, cocobolo fretboard, Bart pups and Bart 3-band EQ, 35" scale, and unlike my usual buying preference, it's actually brand new (the store decided to sell it for near their cost just to move it..."I can help you with that"). Here's some bass porn for your enjoyment:

 

http://www.ipass.net/davesisk/music/pics/RoscoeLG3005_front.jpg

http://www.ipass.net/davesisk/music/pics/RoscoeLG3005_closeup.jpg

http://www.ipass.net/davesisk/music/pics/RoscoeLG3005_headstock.jpg

 

It's not local, so I haven't actually played this particular bass. However, I've played 3 Roscoe's in stores over the past decade, and I have always come away going "that fits me perfectly and it sounds just right to me". Let's hope memory isn't sweeter than reality! :freak: We shall see within a few days, but I actually expect this will be a definite keeper.

 

:cool:

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 73
  • Created
  • Last Reply

He he...yeah, I recall from playing a few of these that they had a somewhat unique grittiness and fatness that was very appealing to me. We'll see if that sonic memory is actually accurate when it gets here!

 

I'm hoping that my left hand will barely notice that it's a 35" scale rather than a 34" scale. When I've played them in stores, my left hand didn't seem to notice. It might be that playing for several hours creates fatique that I wouldn't see playing in a store, but I doubt it...1" spread out over 24 frets really isn't that much of a difference...however, that extra 1" makes a big difference in string tension, and thus tone and playability.

 

Nope, I'm going to hang on to the Tobias for a while. I do really like it (excepting it's few quirks). I found a really nice slap tone on it for a song we did in church Sunday...the "slap countour/scoop" circuit activated (pull on the volume knob) and blend 3/4 of the way toward the bridge, slight low boost, everything else flat. This gave a really crisp, thumpy, and pre-compressed slap tone for the verse of the song, plus a punchy and growly fingerstyle tone for the choruses. (I rarely use that slap contour feature on the Tobias because it's just too mid-scooped...but favoring the bridge pickup was actually a really good balance...brought more upper mids back in plus the tone is more compressed sounding.)

 

I do plan to unload my G&L L-2500 Tribute now though. I like it's tone, major versatility, and playability, but I rarely play it...it has the standard width 5-string neck which is just a little too D-shaped to feel really comfortable to my left hand, and the closer string spacing isn't comfortable to my right hand. So, this one needs a new home.

 

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I did sell the Warwick Custom Shop Thumb. It had essentially one really great tone...but that just wasn't enough to satisfy my sonic palette, so I passed it on to someone who will appreciate it better than I. Plus the Thumb's weight and neck-heavy balance didn't exactly thrill me. It did play REALLY well...but then you'd expect a custom-shop bass that lists for $5K new to play REALLY well. (I didn't buy it new, btw...got it used locally.)

 

Speaking of, if I recall, the LG-3005's are pretty lightweight (score!) and balance very well (another score!). More and more, I tend to prefer a smaller body and wider, flatter neck. The trick is to make the horn long enough that it still balances well (and unless memory fails me, the LG's do).

 

The body is about the same size as my Tobias, I believe, although I expect the Roscoe to be quite a bit lighter (that Tobias is quite heavy since it's dense Zebrawood...but you don't notice the weight that much because it balances so well, unless you've been standing still holding it for quite a long time).

 

Oh...and a thanks to Sweet Willie and Getz...y'all must have sprinkled some "Bass Mojo Dust" (BMD?) my way, because this Roscoe practically fell in my lap at a price I simply couldn't resist, especially given that it's brand new AND I already had most of the cash sitting in PayPal from selling the Warwick! :thu:

 

UPDATE: Man! I just checked shipping progress...I officially "bought" it at 5:30pm yesterday...looks like it's on the Fedex truck for delivery today! Wooo Whooo! :laugh:

 

 

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

nice acquisition.

 

do you just randomly search ebay for things on your wishlist?

 

new bass means new music samples. I'd also love to hear the slap tone that you got on the tobias that you liked.

 

j

 

2cor5:21

Soli Deo Gloria

 

"it's the beauty of a community. it takes a village to raise a[n] [LLroomtempJ]." -robb

 

My YouTube Channel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[Dave stares out window watching for the Fedex truck...]

 

Yeah, I have a feeling the pics that I posted (from the seller) don't do the finish justice. I'll definitely record a clip or two...you should see it in a couple days I'd imagine.

 

Jason, there's nothing random about it! (Actually, finding the Tobias and the Warwick in Sam Ash was random I suppose!) I know what basses and other stuff I'm interested in, so I generally have Ebay and other searches setup. I'm a very patient buyer, so I don't mind waiting for quite a while to find the right thing at the right price. I have flipped several basses over the past 3 years or so...but I generally break even (sometimes I make a little, on one I lost a couple hundred, but it all washes out over time...I'm not really *trying* to make money off of my habits nor do I want to *lose* money off them either). I really enjoy trying different instruments and other gear, and I believe you don't really get to know a bass well until you've played it for a while in your own environment with your own amp, your own music, etc. For me, I get an initial impression from playing it in a store, and sometimes that's right (the Tobias, for instance) and sometimes it's wrong (the Warwick, for instance). I know whether I truly like a bass enough to keep it after I've adjusted it the way I like it, jammed with it for a few weeks, played it in church a couple times, recorded with it, etc. I feel like only after I've played something for a while does some of it's true quirks show up (like the less than stellar electronics on the Warwick, for instance...that became blatantly obvious after recording with it). I've certainly never found a bass that's "perfect"...but after getting to know it a bit, I then assess if the quirks are something I can live with or not. The ones where that's a "no" get flipped. The few where it's a "yes" are the keepers. I actually really enjoy my methodology for this...it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. :cool:

 

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a question, why are the PUP's at an angle?

 

I think it really comes down to a personal preference thing. Some feel that the angle adds balance to the overall tone. It does to my ears, somewhat.

 

There's also an ergonomic factor. The LG body is smaller than the other Roscoe bodystyles (Century, etc.). The angled PUPs seem to keep the proportions more traditional.

 

If I remember correctly, you can have the PUPs "straight" or "reverse" angled as an option.

 

It really comes down to what the individual wants.

 

Jim

Jim

Confirmed RoscoeHead

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a question, why are the PUP's at an angle?

 

Great question. I think most of it is just aesthetics. However, I know from moving the bridge on my Tobias that the closer the bridge and bridge pickup are, the more nasally and compressed the tone gets. So, I'd expect the higher notes to be a little more nasally (since the top of the bridge pup is closer to the bridge) while the lower notes would probably be just a tad thumpier (since the bottom of the bridge pup is closer to the sweet spot). Will it even be discernable by ear? I dunno, but I'll sure enjoy trying to find out!

 

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lucky son of a.....

 

As much as I love my Yamaha, I've got the feeling that I'll never get my hands on a bass like that...

Tenstrum

 

"Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."

Harry Dresden, Storm Front

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I'm not mistaken, the bass/treble EQ knobs are stacked (the bottom knob in the 2nd pic...it looks a little larger than the other 3 knobs), there's a mid knob, master volume, and pan...plus one of the knobs (volume?) is a push/pull mid frequency selector (250Hz or 800Hz, IIRC). Some of them have a 3-way switch for the mid-selector (250Hz, 500Hz, or 800Hz), but I've found that on my Tobias (same 3-way mid selector switch...250Hz, 500Hz, and 750Hz) that I don't use the 500Hz position at all...I maybe occasionally bump 250Hz or 750Hz, but I haven't used the 500Hz a single time that I can recall...it just doesn't seem sonically useful.

 

Bump...good point. Just because something has a high price tag does not guarantee a thing. Occasionally, we actually get what we pay for. :freak:

 

I didn't get this guy tonight, so I'd imagine it'll show up tommorrow afternoon.

 

Dave

 

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice looking axe, Dave.

 

Your never ending quest for the perfect bass continues! Commitment issues, perhaps? :grin:

My whole trick is to keep the tune well out in front. If I play Tchaikovsky, I play his melodies and skip his spiritual struggle. ~Liberace
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know much about Roscoe but lately seems like everyone is gasing for one.

 

www.myspace.com/davidbassportugal

 

"And then the magical unicorn will come prancing down the rainbow and we'll all join hands for a rousing chorus of Kumbaya." - by davio

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...