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5 string rick?
- Thread starter Cz93
- Start date
Call your dealer as it was my understanding that this model, although on the website, is no longer offered.
Mike
Mike
+1. I played one of these a few years ago. Worst B string I've ever had the misfortune of playing or hearing.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Rickenbacker has made 3 5 string bass models.
1 - The 4005 5 string only a couple were ever made and I have never seen one or even seen a picture.
2 - The 4003s5 was made from the middle 80s to about 2001. This bass was essentially a 4 string 4003s converted to a 5 string bass. It was not too popular because the string spacing was 2 1/8" at the bridge.
3 - The 4004cii5. Only a few of these were made. They corrected the string spacing problem but they introduced another problem that was worse. The pickups were effective only up to about 2 1/4' and the strings were spaced 2 3/4". The B and G strings were awful sounding.
Being a Rickenbacker lover and a 5 string player I began to modify my 4003s5 basses to have a 2 3/8" spacing at the bridge and then convert 4 string Rickenbackers from 4 to 5 string basses. This is my latest version here. It has a string spacing of 2 1/2" at the bridge and a 4 band audere preamp.
Right now Rickenbacker is more concerned with their backlog of 4 and 6 stringed instruments and they have put the 5 string bass on the back burner. It has been several years since they made a 5 string bass and it may be several more years before they make one again.
1 - The 4005 5 string only a couple were ever made and I have never seen one or even seen a picture.
2 - The 4003s5 was made from the middle 80s to about 2001. This bass was essentially a 4 string 4003s converted to a 5 string bass. It was not too popular because the string spacing was 2 1/8" at the bridge.
3 - The 4004cii5. Only a few of these were made. They corrected the string spacing problem but they introduced another problem that was worse. The pickups were effective only up to about 2 1/4' and the strings were spaced 2 3/4". The B and G strings were awful sounding.
Being a Rickenbacker lover and a 5 string player I began to modify my 4003s5 basses to have a 2 3/8" spacing at the bridge and then convert 4 string Rickenbackers from 4 to 5 string basses. This is my latest version here. It has a string spacing of 2 1/2" at the bridge and a 4 band audere preamp.
Right now Rickenbacker is more concerned with their backlog of 4 and 6 stringed instruments and they have put the 5 string bass on the back burner. It has been several years since they made a 5 string bass and it may be several more years before they make one again.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I was converting several Rickenbacker 4 string basses to 5 string basses per year for a while for those who wanted 5 string Rics, but the price of a new and/or used Rickenbacker bass has gone up to where the price of a buying a 4 string Ric and converting it to a 5 string Rickenbacker is getting prohibitively expensive.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
i want one. i dont care what it sounds like, that mojo with 5 string flexibility is something i dream of.
Nope it is a Schaller ... the bad ass bridge is over-rated and over-priced ...
that is by far your finest effort to date IMO Jeff. If only someone besides us users were listening
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Thanks Greg ... yes it is my best 4-2-5 conversion yet ... but I still think I prefer these basses ...
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
The "B string" and "spacing" issues are definitely in the eyes of the beholder. Having played a 4003 for years, I picked up a new 4003s/5 a couple of years ago when they stopped production and have never looked back. With my hands, I prefer the narrow spacing.
P.S., If you're looking for one, here's a link to a recent ebay auction on a 1997 Fireglow:
http://cgi.ebay.com/5-String-Rickenbacker-4003-S5-Bass-97-Fireglo_W0QQitemZ290290552040QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item290290552040&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318
$3900.00 !!! Ding!
P.S., If you're looking for one, here's a link to a recent ebay auction on a 1997 Fireglow:
http://cgi.ebay.com/5-String-Rickenbacker-4003-S5-Bass-97-Fireglo_W0QQitemZ290290552040QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item290290552040&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318
$3900.00 !!! Ding!
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I have a home made rick five string conversion, the 4004 Laredo or Cheyenne is the best platform due to the wider neck vs the 4003. This gives you a 16mm string spread vs 17.5mm for a 4001/3 or 14.5mm for a 4003s5(very tight!) Here it is next to a Bongo 5 which has a 17.5mm spread, Musicman says they chose this spread because it's the same as a 4003, very interesting!! The 4004 conversion is about a pound lighter than the Bongo, 8lbs vs 9lbs for the Bongo.
Ric5,
I'm still partial to the jetglo 4003 you showed us a few times. However, you hinted in another thread about an EB/SG 5. what is the plan there. I'd love to see something like that, but what about the insanely short scale for a 5er/ Sting it EADGC? If your other works are an indication, you can handle it pretty darn well.
I'm still partial to the jetglo 4003 you showed us a few times. However, you hinted in another thread about an EB/SG 5. what is the plan there. I'd love to see something like that, but what about the insanely short scale for a 5er/ Sting it EADGC? If your other works are an indication, you can handle it pretty darn well.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Don't know about how easy they are to play, however, someone sent me clips of a 4003S/5 once and by Jove, that B string sounded f***ing awesome! I was absolutely floored as I expected it to be a miserable failure. I didn't ask about what strings they were using but it couldn't have been stock as the stock strings used a B that was wayyy too small.
