prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I'd like a Ric 5-string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 2 hours ago, prowla said: I'd like a Ric 5-string. Yeah. I’m in that boat - I’ve no idea why though. it’d be to hang it on the wall. That’s it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 1 hour ago, AndyTravis said: Yeah. I’m in that boat - I’ve no idea why though. it’d be to hang it on the wall. That’s it. Well, I've got Rics and other brand 5-strings, so it'd be logical to have a Ric 5 as well. But they would need to make sure the neck is up to the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 4 hours ago, prowla said: I'd like a Ric 5-string. Would you like them to make a better job of it than this one though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 12 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: The small piece of nut next to the B string will last a few weeks at best with the B trying to pull to the side like that. It does look tiny, but the string isn't really pulling that far to the side. This one has held up for the past 27 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) No doubt there are online reports of why Ric stopped producing them some years ago. I have read that there were issues with them that made them give up. I wonder if anything is actually different now. It looks like enough people have shouted that they would buy one, so they have responded. They just need to sort out their bridges and pickups now and make the bridge cover detachable without the need for a bezel. Edited January 24, 2018 by 12stringbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Apparently the pickups on the 5 string 4004 basses weren't wide enough - maybe they used the same ones as on the 4 strings. Pity, as I'd like a 5 string 4004 (in fact I'd like a 6 string one). My 4003s5 has a toaster in the neck position with a 5 pole pickup at the bridge and seems fine. The string spacing is a little snug, but it's not impossible to play. I'd be interested to know if this new 4003 has a wider neck. It doesn't look like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 I really doubt they would invest money in tooling up to make a more suitable neck width. This is about making money, not spending it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 2 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: Would you like them to make a better job of it than this one though? I quite like it as it is. I think there was an issue with the neck joint on the previous models, whereby it couldn't cope with a 25% extra load. So they'd have to sort that. There is someone who does 4-5 conversions in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 2 hours ago, jonsmith said: It does look tiny, but the string isn't really pulling that far to the side. This one has held up for the past 27 years. It looks missing in that picture to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 1 hour ago, 12stringbassist said: No doubt there are online reports of why Ric stopped producing them some years ago. I have read that there were issues with them that made them give up. I wonder if anything is actually different now. It looks like enough people have shouted that they would buy one, so they have responded. They just need to sort out their bridges and pickups now and make the bridge cover detachable without the need for a bezel. The bridges and pickups are fine. The bridge could be improved though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) 46 minutes ago, 12stringbassist said: I really doubt they would invest money in tooling up to make a more suitable neck width. This is about making money, not spending it.... Well, they are a business, but I think it's a response to customer demand. Most people can play a guitar and its strings are closer together, so shouldn't be a problem for a bass (unless you slap & pop, but that's not really what Ric cater for). Incidentally, I've got a SUB 5 and its neck is only 1mm wider at the nut than my 4003. Edited January 24, 2018 by prowla 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Any Ric 5-string users / owners have got used to playing them, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 3 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: It looks missing in that picture to me? Nope...deffo there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 3 hours ago, prowla said: I think there was an issue with the neck joint on the previous models, whereby it couldn't cope with a 25% extra load. The tension's in the top strings surely, a set of heavy strings on a 4 would likely add more than medium gauge 5? If the neck on my 4003 is anything to go by however there's no issue, it's a baseball bat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, Beedster said: The tension's in the top strings surely, a set of heavy strings on a 4 would likely add more than medium gauge 5? If the neck on my 4003 is anything to go by however there's no issue, it's a baseball bat I'd assume that the tension of each string would be similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 26 minutes ago, prowla said: I'd assume that the tension of each string would be similar. You should look at some tension charts then. For those manufacturers that supply the information (D'Addario are very good) it can quite an eye-opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Well - they've got thicker necks! (And radical new pickups...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 A different bridge too, so they've obviously made an attempt to deal with some of the concerns people had (as voiced above). Visually, it's not doing it for me though, in fact I think they would have been better doing this on the 4004. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Appalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 1 hour ago, jonsmith said: A different bridge too, so they've obviously made an attempt to deal with some of the concerns people had (as voiced above). Visually, it's not doing it for me though, in fact I think they would have been better doing this on the 4004. The problem is that very few bassists buy the 4004 probably because it doesn't look like a classic Rickenbacker 4001/4003. And unfortunately this 5-string will suffer the same fate. Where's the binding on body and the triangle fret marker inlays? These to me are just as much the things that make a Rickenbacker bass distinctive as the body and headstock shape. However I would still like to try one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 19 minutes ago, BigRedX said: Where's the binding on body and the triangle fret marker inlays? These to me are just as much the things that make a Rickenbacker bass distinctive as the body and headstock shape. They look like a version of the 4003s which has neither. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Holy 5h1t that’s completely ridiculous. looks like a really bad rockinbetter/Shine. so so bad. 😂🤮 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Good God, the pickups... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Oh dear. I don't think they look too bad, and at least now they are proper 5 string basses. I played a 5 string Ric YEARS ago in the mid 90s (no doubt second hand) and it was so odd and just didn't work. I thought most 5 string basses were like that, which put me off them for a long time. The Walnut one is nice. The current orange burst they do really isn't my thing...despite loving burst colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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