In praise of 5 strings!!!

rikk · Post by **rikk** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:31 am

I had a Musicman 5, but I could not get a good sound with it. When I played my 4001 then went to the Musicman I hated it. I eventually traded it even for a Ric 5. I much prefer the sound of the Ric, but the string spacing is tight. I ended up tuning it with a high C, but I think when it's time to restring I'm going to try a different brand of strings and try it with a low B again.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:50 am

4004CII tranny green @ Ed Roman...

as of last week.

gshadoan · Post by **gshadoan** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:01 am

I have been a 5 string only player for well over 10 years now. I feel almost naked without the low B

. the first 5er was a 86 4003s5 that I got from Jack blades. the secound was a 96 red S5. They (for me) were tough to play finger style. I picked up an Ibanez SG305, and really love that thing. I also picked up a Squier MB5 which for a really cheap bass plays very well. Now the 4004Cii5TG I have is my favorite, but I found the stock pups unsuitable. And yes, I tried everything, different strings, adjusted spacing, pup hight, etc.. It took me longer than I thought it would to adjust to the newer wider RIC 5 neck, after playing the SG305 almost exclusivly for the last 2 years, but I really like it now. Latly I have been expermenting with string dampening, and am getting a killer flat PMC SGT Pepper sound out of it. Currently using TI medium rounds on it. Very versitile. It's definitly a head turner. Drop dead gorgeous. Excellent balance. Lucky I got it

.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:27 am

I agree ... the ibanez 305dx has a wonderful neck ... I kind of regret selling mine ... it had the tightest low B I ever player ... but the electronics were cheap ... and it was active but it buzzed more than a single coil bass ...

and with palm muting I get a killer flat type sound on my 2020-5 bass ... even tough I use rounds ...

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:39 am

HEY!!!

Did the words "killer" and "flat type sound" appear together in a Jeff Rath post?

Where's Bob Young when you need him?

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 11:03 am

Where and when did you get your Cii5 Greg?

My Laklnd 55-02 is a great bass... I've only had a few weeks and it feels like it's been with me for years!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 11:24 am

I like the flat sound ... I just don't want to get stuck with flats on bass ... but with palm muting I can simulate the flat sound ... my theory is that I need to be versatile on the bass ... I use a pick, fingers, I slap, palm mute ... whatever it takes to get the sound needed to play a song ...

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 11:55 am

I agree completely Jeff... I just couldn't help myself.

I tried a 5-string Spector while a friend of mine took my '81 4003 on tour with Gatrh Hudson... I don't know if it was just that neck but I never used the B enough to justify the extra neck size... and my hands are huge.

It's all about the individual... but I'd love to try out one of your 4-2-5's...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:33 pm

the 4003 in my opinion actually resonates better with the 5th string added ... and I think the neck behaves better and it flattens out nice ...

the 4004 has a wider neck and wider pickups so my 4-2-5 conversions on the 4004 are easier to play finger style ... the 4004 neck is not as strong as a 4003 neck and the body is thinner and lighter ... the low B does not resonate as well on the 4004 ... but it still makes a good 5 string bass ...

The 2000 series makes a good 5 string ... the massive maple body makes for great sustain ... the 2030 has a really slim neck ... the 2020 has a neck that is more like the 4004 ...

both the 4004 and the 2020 can take an off the shelf carvin 5 string nut ... but it does need to be shimmed ...

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 6:19 pm

the 4004 neck is not as strong as a 4003 neck

Huh, I don't THINK so! Actually, the 4004/5 can handle at least 125 lbs greater tension than any 4003. That countergrain lamination on the back of the neck ain't there for nothin!

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 6:33 pm

I think Jeff might be talking about the older 4004 models and not current production.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:52 pm

LMAO. I dont know if its stronger or not. But I think thats the 1st time Iv seen anyone on this forum tell Jeff whats up. I got a kick out of that. Even if it is Mr. Hall himself. Sorry. It just made me laugh for some reason.

I want to see/play one of these 5 string creations Jeff has. They seem pretty kool.

Iv played 2 laklands by the way Andy. I loved them both. Awesome basses. One was a 5 string too. Fretless. 35" thing I believe. I didnt noticed the difference but either way it was pretty awesome.

Oh and sence you guys are talking about how much the necks can withstand. How great is the tension on these necks from the strings?

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 9:49 pm

I played one of the Lakland Skyline 4-stringers in a store once. It beat the **** out of the Stingrays I've played, which is what most people tend to compare them to. Now if only Lakland would stop using that hideous circular bridge . . .

Oh, also, the statistics on the Ric website say that the 4004 is the same width at the nut as the 4003 is. Is it really a thicker neck? Does it fan out more or is it less flat? Or does it just seem bigger?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:51 am

Thanks John ... I stand corrected ... I was going by observing the bass before and after conversion and not from your data ... either way both the 4003 and 4004 have strong necks ... I have converted both to hold an extra string and both preform well ... it seemed to me that the 4003 neck handled it better and therefore I assumed that it was stronger ... I was not implying any design flaw ... the 4003 neck seems to flatten out better ... there is a very slight difference ... I am going by "look and feel" so this is not a scientific observation ...

ok I just measured the nuts on a few basses ... the 4004 and 4003 are almost identical ... but at the body the width of the 4004 neck is a little more than 1/8" larger ...

when I convert a 4003 I use a slightly narrower nut than on a 4004 this helps keep the strings from getting too close to the edge of the neck ...

actually these days I am really having a lot of fun with the 2000 series basses ... even though they have a bolt on neck ... and they make good 5 string basses as well ...

and both of my 4004 basses are older 90s models ...

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 7:19 am

If you were speaking of the original 4004, as Ted suggested, the Maple fingerboard is indeed much more pliable, i.e. not as rigid as the 4003 but the actually breaking strength is quite close. The Bubinga rosewood boards are much stiffer but when the do break, it's spectacular.

In any case, you'd be shocked to see how much force is necessary to break a neck. I have to use the forklift to test them!