Will the Rickenbacker 5 String Take Over?

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 6:32 pm

looks like a freeway!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 7:00 pm

forget fingers, thumbs, picks ... the only way to play that thing is to install a keyboard ...

rickenbrother · Post by **rickenbrother** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 7:04 pm

...I was going to say, you might as well buy a piano.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 9:04 pm

"... Hey Jeff - I think you could sneak a 13th string in there!"

ROTFLMAO!

The greatest thing about this bass is the cutaway. Like, I don't have enough range, I need access to the higher frets for more notes.

big_g · Post by **big_g** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 5:08 am

"Flight 1348 you're cleared to land on 15..over."
"Thank you tower, we're starting final approach...over."

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 5:23 am

Jeff, how many strings do you think you could cram in on a standard width Ric neck?
Are we about to see the Rath 7 stringer?

big_g · Post by **big_g** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 5:24 am

Seriously though, I've been playing for 25 years, many live gigs, quite a bit of studio work and I can say in all honesty, I have been asked to bring a five string on some occasions. This has been especially true when the performer or producer wanted a fundamentally deep, low end definition.

Also true is the thought that, no one in all of these years ever asked me to bring the bass with all the extra high end strings. I have several four stringers, two five strings and two six strings and the only time I have ever used the six string basses is because I was either allowed to, or the performers had no preference one way or the other.

I can actually say that even once, I had a pretty good disagreement with a guitar player that felt a bit threatned by it. He said, "You've got all the bottom end to play around in, leave the top to the guitars. I was a "hired gun" in that band and they payed me to be there so I didn't bring it again.

The market numbers that I've read in "Bass Player" magazine show that four string basses are still far in away out selling five string basses, but they have increased their market share a bit in the last decade. Six string and above, however, have held fairly constant, still in the single digit range, as far as their share of the total market.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:57 am

The only 7 stringer that I would ever be interested in would be a 7 string guitar ... for me the only basses I want to play have 5 strings ... no more no less ... I may get an 8 or 10 string out of curiosity ... but I have no need for a high C string on a bass ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:04 am

Can you imagine, if you had four hands you could play both bass and lead at the same time on that ¿bass? including chords and still have two strings left over. haha!
Looks like something Harpo Marx would have played.
Are there holes for legs under that thing?
Sorry couldn't resist.

thx1955 · Post by **thx1955** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:58 am

No ... 5 strings will not take over from 4 !!!

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:53 am

Covering songs from and listening to Bands like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford Band you easily recognize the importance of a low B 5-string. For me 5-string in RnB is pure joy!

My concern also was the sloppy, ploppy B-string on the early 80 basses. Those days I could only afford a Japanese "Marathon" 5-string with beautiful MOP inlays of Saturn displays. Also the stringspacing was too narrow.

The active basses with neck through (still look for a string- and neck-through 5-string) suddenly overcame a lot of these child-sicknesses. But the MM-5 sound was just too HiFi clean for my Rick spoiled taste.

5 Years ago I came across a Squire Precision Protone 5-string, which I upgraded with the EMG BTC-system. That instrumnent is my Terminater for every drummer's double bass drums. It growls in the low mids and punches in the sub-bass, but also lets your ears ring when slapped and if I turn off the bridge PU it has a total vintage Preci-sound. I just does only have that boring F**d*r design. But I would sell off a few of my other horses to buy a Rick that would have that sound and sustain of Low-B. Maybe some day I will get one of my Ricks jeffed!?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:41 am

If you really want a 4 to 5 conversion bass then it would make more sense for me to buy the bass here and convert it and then and ship it to you ... instead of you shipping one of your basses to me and then I would modify it and ship it back to you ... why send it back and forth accross the Atlantic twice ... or purchase a 4004CII5 new for a Ric Dealer ...

but I agree with you ... for blues the low B is a wonderful addition ... and it comes in handy for Country and Metal also ...

All of my basses are passive these days ... I never found an active system that could growl enough or react to distortion properly ...

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:46 am

Jeff: Borrowing a bit from Tony's post, has there been much discussion about the spacing on your five string Rickenbacker modifications? If I am used to four strings on a 4003, would the extra string make it too cramped? Did it take you long in adjusting to the added string?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:55 am

A standard 4 string bass is around 2" +/- ... the 4001/4003 is 2 1/16" at the bridge ... the 4003s5 is 2 1/16" to 2 1/8" ... most players find that tight ... playing with a pick helps ... I usually replace the saddles and make the spacing 2 1/4" ... this helps a lot ...

the industry standard seems to be 2 3/4" at the bridge ... some go 3" or more ...

When I convert a 2000 series or a 4004 I make the bridge 2 3/8" ... this is quite comfortable for most bass players ...

It took me a while to get comfortable with a low B of any spacing ... I had occaisional brain freeze and grab the wrong string problems ... also the string spacing on a 4003s5 gave me problems ... so I tried a Fender Jazz V ... that wide neck was a real problem ... for me a very comfortable bass is a 4 string p-bass converted to a 5 string ... The 4 string p-bass neck is a nice shape for my hands and I put a schaller 5 string bridge and adjust it to have a 2 1/2" spacing which 90% or more bass players find comfortable ... but after a few years of playing 4003 basses with 5 strings spaced at 2 1/4" I feel very comfortable with them ... I use a pick, fingers and I thumb slap them with great ease and comfort ... I have hands that are medium to small in size ... If you have lumberjack hands then you will need a 4004CII5 ... But I find I can play my 4003-5 basses faster and cleaner than I play a 4 string bass ...

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:24 am

Jeff: I very much appreciate the detailed response. I easpecally like the information that you have provided with regard to dimensions.

It would seem that the learning curve will be sort of steep and as such I should keep my four string the way it is at present.