Will the Rickenbacker 5 String Take Over?

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:55 am

It seems to me that the five string bass guitar is becoming more popular each year. I really have no idea of whether the four string bass is still the king overall.

My question is, could the Rickenbacker five string bass ever over-take the four string model? My answer to this is no as there is too great a demand for historical models and the current four string 4003s are of outstanding quality. But is this view too short-sighted.

Could the five stringers take over. What do you think?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:09 am

No Peter. I don't think that they ever will, because bass players on the whole, are a traditional bunch. I know there are people who will disagree with this, but popularity of 5 string basses peaked in the '80's, where both guitarists & bassists were in danger of becoming extinct due to the synthesizer music at the time. I know that there were 5 string basses before, but I think the popularity of them around this time could have been due to the fact that they were trying to compete with the extra low notes of the synths at the time.
I know I spend a lot of time in studios, so my ears are probably tuned to this, but everytime I hear a bass guitar note that goes below low E, it sticks out like a sore thumb....I can actually hear it & to my ears it sounds 'artificial'.
A good case for a 5 string of course, is if you play with brass instruments with Bb, or Eb tuning.

It is a good question though Peter, because my bass player has a 5 string which has become a standing joke between us. I have 'banned' him from playing it in the band & if he wants to wind me up, he takes it out of the case at rehearsals! Mind you, in fairness, it is a Yamaha & with all respect to Yamaha, it doesn't hold a candle to his '59 & '61 Precisions!

I would imagine that Jeff will have something to say about this!!!!! Sorry Jeff......

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:11 am

Hello Peter...nice thread
I think there are at least 2 different customer target...the traditional one who loves the vintage music and relates instruments and the "modern" one who likes the sound of deep notes...and is probably more open to the modern tecniques of playing and sounds...
but of course the truth is somewhere in the middle...

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:20 am

I have all 4strings basses...I have never been interested in those low notes...they sound artificial to me expecially if you abuse of them all the time... by the way, last saturday my band played in a rock festival...there were 5 different bands...I was the only bassist playing a rick of course (ricks are martians here in italy) and at the end of our performance several musicians came to me asking about my 4003BB since none of them had never seen something like that...and a couple of them asked me whether i am a real bass player or a guitarist. That question made me laugh a lot since I have played bass for 24yrs and I started with bass

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:21 am

Following on from my last post, this thread has got me thinking. The only 5 strings that I have heard have been the active modern basses, which I personnaly don't like the sound of anyway. Perhaps this is the reason why I don't like 5 strings in general. My bassists Yamaha doesn't compete with his Precisions on the top four strings, so why should I blame the extra string?
I need to listen to a Ric 5 string, although I still think that the lower than E notes might be a little 'unconvincing'.

What a thought provoking thread!

loendmaestro · Post by **loendmaestro** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:23 am

I'm a bit of a purist, & I think that many bassists that choose Ricks are too. It seems to me that the rich history, vintage tones, & classic styling of the 4000 series appeals to a certain type of player. I have owned one 5 string in my life & sold it within 2 months. It's just not for me; I feel that 4 strings are enough for me to get my point across. On the other hand, I am by no means wearing blinders when it comes to advances in technology & instruments. I think that the 'Low B' plays a big role in much of the modern music that is popular today. Granted, I am of the opinion that 95% of current popular music is soulless white noise used to sell an image. Where style reigns over substance and gimmicks & subterranean tunings seem to be the ticket to platinum status. (C'mon...Slipknot, Mudvayne?!?!)
I'm a simple rock bass player deeply rooted in the proudest of '70s traditions, I harbor no ill will for those who use their 5th (or 6th for that matter) string for the powers of good. It seems that there is a place for these so-called extra strings, but everything is cyclical...fads come & go. I feel that the 4 string bass guitar will retain its rightful position as the cornerstone of the bass kingdom.

I anxiously await Rath's response...

bassman · Post by **bassman** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:34 am

Peter,
I own 5 four sting basses and 1 five string bass.
I've been a bass player for over 35 years. Up until five years ago, only my four string basses got played. Now only my 5 string gets played.
I still love my 4's, but my 5 is the work horse, and the bass that I use all the time.

I believe there will always be a market for both 4's and 5's.

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:35 am

Jeff is late today

Well the typical rickenbacker customer is somebody who loves sixties and seventies music and of course 4string basses so I guess that the same question in a Yamaha or Warwick Forum (if they have a forum) would obtain the opposite answers

henny · Post by **henny** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:42 am

The only 5-string Rickenbacker I'll ever play will be EADGC!

Another thing to ask is - Will Rics eventually have active electronics...? But that's a whole new world entirely!

Interesting thread, Peter!

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:48 am

I'd be more curious to play an old 4005/6

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:04 am

I don't think that Jeff is late. I think that he is working on the ultimate put down line for all us 4 stringers. By the time he's finished, we'll probably all be rushing out to buy 5 string Rics!!

rickinroma · Post by **rickinroma** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:08 am

Will Mr.Hall able to face the request?

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:15 am

5ers will continue to have a solid minority share of the market. But my source tells me that it's been a stable share for years now, not growing. Whatever. I have no problem with anyone playing 5 or 6 strings, whatever works for you.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:27 am

Jeff is aware of the existence of this thread and is crafting a response.
Personally, I believe I might be somewhat responsible for turning him to the dark side, he had never played a 5 string before I told him how cool it was, and then it was full speed ahead.

I use one, a Hamer Cruisebass, playing in a cover band, sometimes you HAVE TO. I mean, if you want to accurately play newer songs, it needs to be there. But it's a darn good bass, once you wrap your head around using that extra string.

keb · Post by **keb** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:43 am

Though a five string is pretty much required for some gigs (one interview I read with a musical director (I wish I could remember the name, but I think it was in a recent issue of Bass Player) who puts together shows for big time pop acts said he looks for bassists who play a 5, but mentioned that a four with a detuner might do in a pinch... ironically, he was pictured with a 4-string Sadowsky bass

), the four string will never die. The death of the four string has been prophesied in articles and interviews for two decades and it hasn't happened yet!

I think of the five string as "a" standard (for some genres and situations), but not "the" overall standard.