OK Joey, spill the beans on the new 5er!

[cassius987]

So, perhaps there will be a 5 string Rick bass that can compete feature for feature and specs-wise with my old Zons and current Martin Keith basses.

Could you elaborate (curious about these specs)?

[jps]

The basses I mentioned have 1 7/8" nut and string spacing at the bridge that varied from 17mm - 19mm (Zon - Martin Keith).. The neck thickness and profile on the fretless MK, in particular, is the best feeling 5 string neck I've ever played. The neck is probably similar to what a 1973 4001/5 would have been like if it had a 1 7/8" nut width.

I have played a few 4003S/5 basses and a couple of 4004Cii/5 basses. Using those for comparison, I think a neck in between the two would be great, with the profile/thickness closer to the former as the latter had quite a thick feeling neck (I know that the 2" nut width didn't help my fretting hand, it was too wide for me). My first 5 string bass was a Yamaha BX-5 that I bought new in 1987. Not having played other 5 string basses (there weren't too many around back them to find in the local L.A. stores) I lived with the overly narrow neck for few years. It felt better after I had John Carruthers defret it after having the bass about a year (not sure why, as removing the frets effectively made the neck have an even smaller girth). In the mid '90s I tried a Modulus 5 string bass and I much preferred the neck width on it so started looking for another 5 string bass (I traded the Yamaha in 1991 for my first Alembic, a 4 string Persuader from 1987). On a trip to L.A. in 1997 I got to try my first Zon bass; when I got home I ordered my first one, a fretless Sonus Special 5, then over the next couple of years I bought two more Zon 5 string basses, one fretted, the other fretless. I had those basses into the early 2010s.

Alternating between playing the Zons and my Ricks I decided I wanted to get a 5 string bass with a wood neck. When I went to the 2010 NAMM Show I happened upon Martin. I had never heard of him but while walking the show I wanted to go to Joe Veillette's booth to check out his instruments, where Martin was set up next to him and turned out that Martin worked with Joe, too. I was taken with the shape of Martin's basses and tried a nice fretted 5 string with active electronics in it. I asked Martin if he had anything with passive electronics; he reached behind a table and pulled out the fretless bass that took all of a few seconds of playing to know it was what I wanted. Funny thing is, I never got around to checking out any of Joe's instruments!

[cassius987]

Thank you for your comments, Jeff. Based on your experience, I'd love to try an MK bass some day.

My experience with 5ers is probably more limited overall than most. I have only had deep experience with the following (in order): my Dingwall Combustion (returned), my Roscoe Beck V (sold) and my 4003/5 (custom made from a 2007 4003 by Paul W.). Of the three, I found them all equally easy to play even though they played differently (the RBV was probably the most natural feeling to play off the rack, while the 4003/5 was the easiest to play overall after adjusting to it, and the Dingwall was great except the high register). I wasn't a fan of the Dingwall's tone, though, and the RBV had a Jazz Bass-centric tone that wasn't my bag either.

Based on the teaser pic I suspect this bass has a modern 4003 nut width, which based on my 4003/5 should play great. I would not mind some more spread in string spacing at the bridge, though. I think my 4003/5 is around 15 mm, compared to 17 or 18 mm on my others. Getting the new Ric 5er up to 16 or so would be awesome.

Either way I'm really excited to see what's going to be revealed.

[jps]

I had played a few Fender 5 string basses (a Roscoe Beck V being one of them) which I found their necks way to fat near the body for my hand. That reminds me that I also had a Rick Turner RB5-FL, it's neck was similarly Fender dimensioned so it did not stay around for too long, just long enough to make a few recordings with. The sound of it was glorious, however, but in a way that was very unique to electric basses, I think. I have never had the opportunity to try a Dingwall bass, although I do have a multiscale 12 string guitar that I love the neck on; it is very natural feeling.

[86kubicki]

Based on the pic, it looks like this 5-string is based on a "4003" (larger tuners, white TRC). Interesting, as you would think it would have been easier to resurrect the 4004cii/5 just by adding a newly designed pickup that provided better coverage for the B and G strings. That being said, I wonder if the new feature Joey is alluding to is a redesigned bridge or bridge pickup (maybe doing away with the pickup cover). Regardless, I've been waiting for this a long time and I'm looking forward to seeing what RIC has cooked up!

[aceonbass]

Here's Joey's post (typo corrected)...And further down he says: This would be something RIC never installed on an instrument before.

I'll bet it's active electronics. B strings often don't often balance out well with the other strings volume-wise without them.

[jps]

Here's Joey's post (typo corrected)...And further down he says: This would be something RIC never installed on an instrument before.

I'll bet it's active electronics. B strings often don't often balance out well with the other strings volume-wise without them.

Not my experience with the seven different passive electronics 5 string basses I have own/owned going back to 1987 (admittedly, one, the Rick Turner RB5-FL, did have a preamp, but it was simply a buffer for the piezo pickup in the bass).

[aceonbass]

Well maybe...if those basses had better B string response, you'e still have them...
Of the half dozen 5 string conversions on Ricks I've done, (mostly 4004's) the one I put an Audere pre in sounded best. The one 4003 conversion I did had single coils (Toaster and custom made Lollar HS) and it didn't seem to need it.

[jps]

Well maybe...if those basses had better B string response, you'e still have them...

You presume way too much, and are very narrow pointed in your views as to why someone might want to try different instruments.

[aceonbass]

Well maybe...if those basses had better B string response, you'e still have them...

You presume way too much, and are very narrow pointed in your views as to why someone might want to try different instruments.

Looks like you missed the intentional at the end of my post.

[jps]

Well maybe...if those basses had better B string response, you'e still have them...

You presume way too much, and are very narrow pointed in your views as to why someone might want to try different instruments.

Looks like you missed the intentional at the end of my post.

I didn't miss your "innuendo". Just like you blowing off that modification on the switch in the harness you made for me that failed, by saying you were doing me a favor in making it easier to figure out which pins to connect the pickups to. You insist your cutting off those two solder pins had no bearing on the contacts being loose in the housing from the get-go.

[cassius987]

B strings often don't often balance out well with the other strings volume-wise without them.

Not true in my experience with the RBV and the 4003/5.

[aceonbass]

Ididn't miss your "innuendo". Just like you blowing off that modification on the switch in the harness you made for me that failed, by saying you were doing me a favor in making it easier to figure out which pins to connect the pickups to. You insist your cutting off those two solder pins had no bearing on the contacts being loose in the housing from the get-go.

Jeff.....Now you're just being rude complaining about my harness here instead of in a PM (just like you did on TalkBass before you even told me there was a problem). The switch you had me purchase did not have the proper lugs for the purpose to begin with, and clipping off the unnecessary lugs was to keep you from using the wrong ones when you installed your pickups. It worked fine when you installed it, then failed over time. I even paid for a replacement, though it should have been warrantied by the manufacturer. So in conclusion, I was JOKING about your selling off of basses, and I think that was obvious. So don't be rude and insult my workmanship. It's served hundreds of customers well, including Geddy Lee, and I stand behind it.

[ram]

all I can say is I like my 2000 4003s5 with EXL2205 on it. I'm not a huge fan of beefy "C" necks but some how the neck and the narrower pitch of the strings work for me. I really like the way the electronics work on that bass as well. All I have done to it is take the plastic (fake shoe) off and added ROS capability to it. I'm sure the new ones will be great and answer a lot of the complaints from the past but I DO like my 2000 heavy narrow pitched string S5!!

[rickenbastard]

I saw pictures of it. MAN that thing is hideous. So disappointed. Looks like Gibson's current attempts to be modern.