I started playing bass about 3 years ago, after 35 years on the guitar, when I joined a band at the church we attend. We are one of six bands that play for the elementary/youth. We play Christian rock (Kry, DC Talk, etc.), although the high school bands play ska. When I first started I used a 4 string Guild B301 with a humbucker in the neck position and a single coil at the bridge. It gives a real nice Jack Bruce (Cream) sound. After about six months I started looking for a bass that would cut through the dual lead guitars, acoustic rhythm, and drums a little better. Plus I wanted to add a low “B” to allow me to step down to an Eb or D. I also wanted a bass that, when I needed to, would slap a little better. For the next year and a half I tried literally every brand, both low and high end, of bass available. Since I don’t have enormous hands I wanted a fairly thin and somewhat narrow neck. What I discovered was I just couldn’t find a 5 string bass that both felt and sounded good enough to separate me from my money. On my journey, I stopped in at LA Bass Exchange and I found what turned out to be the perfect bass for me, a Roscoe LG-3005. The people at LA Bass are first rate and let me try whatever I wanted and didn’t try to push anything on me. They even dug up a Crate practice amp so I could try the Roscoe through a cheap system.

The Roscoe “B” string is monstrous. It is tight. It can be slapped easily. The neck is pretty thin and almost feels like a good acoustic guitar neck. The back of the neck is asymmetrical and it has a satin finish that is smooth and easy to play. It is not chunky at all. It never feels sticky. This bass is fairly light it is very comfortable when standing. No sharp edges or shapes to dig in to you. The Roscoe is also very balanced. But what really sold me was the tone. It is so big and so clear. It never sounds muddy even with the lows boosted. And it cuts through everything. I play with the EQ on the Roscoe set with low mids boosted slightly and the bass and treble flat. My amp is set nearly flat with the upper mids boosted just slightly. I like to blend the pickups a little to the neck, but adding a little bridge gives the sound a little more bite. Roll off the mids and it slaps nicely. I would say that the Roscoe doesn’t slap as well as say a Music Man, but it still slaps well. The output is very balanced, loud enough not to work the amp, but not so hot that is will easily overdrive it.

The quality of this bass is very good. The pocket for neck joint is good but could be a tad tighter. And I did fill a few of the fret kerfs that were undercut. But all the frets are level. I get no fret buzz and the action can be set low. The bridge is massive and allows individual string adjustments for height, intonation and string spacing. The bass stays in tune. Finally, the quilt on my Roscoe is gorgeous, book-matched perfectly and with a finish that will knock your socks off.

I did have one problem. The batteries would only last a month regardless of how much I played. And they would go dead in the case from one day to the next. I took it back to LA Bass and they checked it out, while I waited, and although they couldn’t find anything, they contacted Bartolini and told me that Bartolini offered to replace the electronics. I decided to hold off leaving the bass just then. I contacted Bartolini and Roscoe Guitars to get some technical information and got immediate responses. Everyone was concerned and Keith Roscoe was more than willing to do whatever to fix the problem. I even got a phone call from Pat Bartolini at home. Before I was going to let this bass out of my sight, though, I wanted to check out a few things myself. In the end it turned out to be a bad ground on the jack, and $2.46 later I had a new jack and everything was fine. I e-mailed Keith and he was fine with the fix. The batteries are going strong after three months now. It is so refreshing to be able to talk to people who treat you as a human being and are willing to work with you when you have a problem.

Overall the Roscoe is perfect for me. It is a joy to play and I can dial in any sound I need. You know, everyone at one time or another buys something that they regret. I continue to try out other basses for comparison and the fun of it. But to be honest, the more I play other basses the more I am glad I chose the Roscoe.

Construction	90%
Playability	95%
Appearance	95%
Sound	100%
Value	90%
Cust. Service	100%
Overall	95%