end and maybe a slightly bouncier sound - PDF document

end, and maybe a slightly bounciersound. These arent night/daydifferences, but enough that one couldtell with both basses on hand for a directA/B test. The Standard models were alittle more evenly voiced, which actuallysuited my preferences best. This just goesto prove the point I made earlier thateven the Standard models hold upagainst the best stuff out there as aprofessional class, high qualityinstrument.The basses shipped with DAddario XLNickels, which did sound great, but Ieventually replaced them with stainlessstrings, which are my favorites, as I like alittle more zing up high in my tone. Thebasses responded well for me with thestring change, too.From an ergonomics standpoint, thesebasses excel. Ive always loved how aRoscoe neck felt and how a Roscoe bodyfit me so nicely. The slender neck is a joyto play, and all 24 frets are easilyaccessed with the body shape and howthe neck is set into it. This is true for bothmodels. The neck profile felt pretty muchthe same between them all. The longerupper horn also does a great job ofallowing the bass to balance perfectly ona strap, making even the heavierSignature model an effortless carry for anentire night. The sculpting on theSignatures body definitely also improvedcomfort above and beyond the Standardmodels in addition to improving its looks,so its very functional as well asattractive.I have a few very minor niggles with thebasses... very minor, though. The trussrod adjuster is accessible from aparticularly small route at the heel of theneck. Im sure this was done to minimizeits impact to the look of the instrument,but what this means is that a standardallen wrench cant be used. Roscoesupplies an allen key thats been grounddown to fit, but if you ever lost it, youwouldnt be able to adjust the neck againuntil you made a new one for yourself (orhad one made, if you dont have access tobridge adjustment. For someone wholikes particularly low action, they mayfind themselves running out ofadjustment. I tend to like my actionmedium low, and I had the saddles prettymuch bottomed out. Admittedly, this willonly affect a very small minority ofespecially persnickety players out there,and there are some simple things that canbe done to compensate for this, but itdbe nice to just have a bit of extraadjustment available for those who desireit. Finally, the frets were leveled properly,but not crowned (this means they had flattops). This is really nitpicking, but Idprefer to see the frets crowned. I think itmakes the bass feel better, especiallywhen bending strings for a vibrato effect,and in theory, intonation should beslightly better. Again, all these are veryvery minor. Most folks probably wouldnever notice them. This is only in theinterest of being very detailed, and thefact that I had to dig this much forimperfections simply means the bassesreally are just that good.The Bottom LineThese instruments represent a solidimprovement to an already great productline from a well known and respectedwas top shelf. The smartly organizedproduct positioning from the Standard allthe way to the Signature makes lots ofsense, offering something for prettymuch everyone, and at the right price.You wont get the same kind of big roundbottom from these that you would from amore traditional design, such as a Jazzstyle bass (or similar), but if you want abass that can cut the thickest mix likebutter, have a strongly focused and tightlow end, a biting midrange, and yet stillhave a sweet sounding slap tone, theCentury basses from Roscoe shoulddefinitely get an audition.