Show Us Your Non- Warwick Bass Then!

Nachobassman

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Wow, that's something different. Congrats.

PS. Any chance for a sound clip?
 

kimgee

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Wow, that's something different. Congrats.

PS. Any chance for a sound clip?
Eventually perhaps. I don't currently have a way of recording it, but it is something I am working on.
 
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I've got myself a 2nd Music Man - Big Al 5
It's a light 4,1kg mahagony body with maple neck and fretboard. 4 band electronics, can switch passiv with a passive tone blend :D versatile and easy to play, nice shaping upper body for the arm and belly shaping too :rolleyes:

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kimgee

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I've got myself a 2nd Music Man - Big Al 5
It's a light 4,1kg mahagony body with maple neck and fretboard. 4 band electronics, can switch passiv with a passive tone blend :D versatile and easy to play, nice shaping upper body for the arm and belly shaping too :rolleyes:

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The Music Man Big Al is an awesome bass, Congrats! I have been looking for a 5 string, at a reasonable price for some time. They are getting pretty rare nowadays.
 
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The Music Man Big Al is an awesome bass, Congrats! I have been looking for a 5 string, at a reasonable price for some time. They are getting pretty rare nowadays.
There are more in the US, but import and shipping to the EU adds 30%. Found this one in Germany, not cheap, but still at a reasonable price.
 
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Cool bass! "Mission control" electronics?
The most versatile instrument I've played so far, anything from Stingray in serial mode, to Dusty Hill P-bass and also Jaco's jazz is possible.
- the first 3 buttons are on/off for each PU. Combination are serial bridge/middle (all switches off), the other combinations are all parallel;
- the 4th button is active/passive for any combination;
- the 4 knobs are volume, passive tone control, stacked high/low mids, stacked treble/bass.
 

kimgee

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How do you like the neck? I was very impressed by the feel of the neck on my 4 string. And there aren't very many of them anywhere, actually. The total made in all styles and colors was less that 500 as I recall. Very hard to find now.
 
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How do you like the neck? I was very impressed by the feel of the neck on my 4 string. And there aren't very many of them anywhere, actually. The total made in all styles and colors was less that 500 as I recall. Very hard to find now.
Some 700 all together; about 170 of the 5-SSS. Neck feels nice - oiled maple with a D-profile.
 
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One of these is not like the other ones! Had a few days with the Dingwall now and I am happy and like it a lot but it needs some things to make me really keen I feel. I am used to quite thin stainless strings and also I like a pretty low tension string. These are nickel and the fan frets really do have a tighter tension...which is what they are designed for but they aren't doing it for me at all. Stainless set should be in tomorrow. Once i tuned the bass down a step it felt much better for me. The fan fret system is great.. Totally happy. Got used to it quick and in the middle of the neck it is better than a parallel bass.

Finish is insane on this thing. Yes it was made in china...Finish was better than any new bass I have owned for sure. It is immaculate. The neck is incredible. Fret ends and board have had alot of attention to detail and it is really impressive. Incredible balance on the bass as well and it really is a looker that is for sure. I hate shadow chrome and that will go when the bank balance recovers a bit.

Tone wise it sounds awesome clean and with slight grit and I loved both the neck pickup parallel (P bass) and the Bridge and middle parallel but i struggled to get rid of the dry raspy clank at anything dirtier than that. I do love the fundamental of the notes though they have that warm richness like a Warwick but I think I need to change out the Darkglass preamp and play with strings to work on the dirtier tone. The DG preamp gets very full on and untameable with new strings and my bright dirt pedals and I am constantly cutting everything which is not really ideal. Passive sounds good but nasally without some help. I do have a Delano Sonar 3 sitting here in a box and I think I am going to chuck that in. It has the selectable mid bands. Once I have broken in the stainless strings I am sure it'll be killer.

Over the last few days I have been playing all styles of music through it but the minute it is in lower tuning for heavier songs it just shines through for sure. Clean it is also very very good. I hope that I can get it sweet for the middle ground where I like to spend most of my time but even still I feel that it excels at anything alternate tuning and I do go through phases of playing alot of that.

Anyway my other basses are safe I am not going to sell everything for Dingwalls. I don' think this will be my #1 and I am totally fine with that. It fits in the collection and is a fun and useful instrument for me that looks super super cool so I am happy.
 

DiMarco

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Wow, very nice @kimgee ! Tell us more about the 5-string version, please :)

Introduced in 1987, model named 4003S/5, with Schaller M4 machine heads.
Rickenbacker basically simply crammed 5 strings onto a 4 string neck. The thing is virtually unplayable unless you use a pick.

I owned one for a brief while and traded it first chance I got.

The current five string Ric model (introduced in 2020 I believe?) has a broader neck, but those triangular shaped pickups to me make it look like a toy bass.
 

kimgee

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Wow, very nice @kimgee ! Tell us more about the 5-string version, please :)
As Dimarco has demonstrated, the first version of the 4003 5 string is not for everyone. But, they are highly desired and sought after by those that aren't put off by the close string spacing, and especially collectors, as they are pretty rare. I don't have any trouble playing it with my fingers or a pick, but I play a lot of different guitars, and have never stuck to one instrument. I got started playing bass very late in the game, when I was 58 years old. As a result, I have been trying to play as many different basses as I can afford to. This strategy has really paid off for me, as I have been able to replace some of my lost income from unemployment by buying and selling used guitars. I personally think Ric basses sound better when played with a pick, and the closer string spacing is an advantage in this regard. With Rickenbacker, which is not a typical guitar manufacturer, any color other than black (jet-glo), red burst (fire-glo), or natural (maple-glo), is considered a "special run" and has a higher value - frequently in the hundreds of dollars. The fact that this is a first version 5 string, is white, and has all black hardware, makes it quite rare. The seller listed it for $4800 + shipping on Reverb. I noticed the seller was in my state, so I started negotiating. I drove a total of over 500 miles (round trip) and paid $3450 in cash for it. If I sell it down the road, as I well may, I expect to get at least $5K for it. This bass is awesome in my opinion. It is light, due to all maple construction, and balances perfectly. Warwicks sound great and are fantactic instruments, at least the German made ones anyway. But, in my opinion, only the classic design Rickenbackers have that Ric tone, and I love that tone. I didn't get the new 5 string for that reason. Although, I would definitely buy one for the right price! I would say the high end Warwicks play better, but not by much. Warwick's also have great tone, but it is very different from Rickenbacker's. Warwick has a tone that I think works with most, it not all genres of music. I can't say the same about Rickenbacker. But, when I start playing one of these 4003s, the first thing that pops into my mind is, " Holy crap this thing sounds awesome!" And isn't that what it's all about?

More eye candy:
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Thank you for the detailed response @kimgee ! I have always thought that Ricks both sound and look great, but I am yet to own one myself. That 5 string looks really cool, and I'm sure it sounds even better!
 

DiMarco

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I owned three Ric 4003 models and they all sounded quite different from one another. And maybe I'm an oddball but I think Rics have the best slap tone in the business. :D
 
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As Dimarco has demonstrated, the first version of the 4003 5 string is not for everyone. But, they are highly desired and sought after by those that aren't put off by the close string spacing, and especially collectors, as they are pretty rare. I don't have any trouble playing it with my fingers or a pick, but I play a lot of different guitars, and have never stuck to one instrument. I got started playing bass very late in the game, when I was 58 years old. As a result, I have been trying to play as many different basses as I can afford to. This strategy has really paid off for me, as I have been able to replace some of my lost income from unemployment by buying and selling used guitars. I personally think Ric basses sound better when played with a pick, and the closer string spacing is an advantage in this regard. With Rickenbacker, which is not a typical guitar manufacturer, any color other than black (jet-glo), red burst (fire-glo), or natural (maple-glo), is considered a "special run" and has a higher value - frequently in the hundreds of dollars. The fact that this is a first version 5 string, is white, and has all black hardware, makes it quite rare. The seller listed it for $4800 + shipping on Reverb. I noticed the seller was in my state, so I started negotiating. I drove a total of over 500 miles (round trip) and paid $3450 in cash for it. If I sell it down the road, as I well may, I expect to get at least $5K for it. This bass is awesome in my opinion. It is light, due to all maple construction, and balances perfectly. Warwicks sound great and are fantactic instruments, at least the German made ones anyway. But, in my opinion, only the classic design Rickenbackers have that Ric tone, and I love that tone. I didn't get the new 5 string for that reason. Although, I would definitely buy one for the right price! I would say the high end Warwicks play better, but not by much. Warwick's also have great tone, but it is very different from Rickenbacker's. Warwick has a tone that I think works with most, it not all genres of music. I can't say the same about Rickenbacker. But, when I start playing one of these 4003s, the first thing that pops into my mind is, " Holy crap this thing sounds awesome!" And isn't that what it's all about?

More eye candy:
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Congrats - nice catch , sexy beast ! How's the neck profile?
Seems you got the Rick-bug :)
Are you getting the Lemmy sound out if it?
 

kimgee

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I owned three Ric 4003 models and they all sounded quite different from one another. And maybe I'm an oddball but I think Rics have the best slap tone in the business. :D
Apparently, Rickenbacker has changed their pickups a number of times. Two identical looking pickups can be wound very differently. It is a weird company.
 

kimgee

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Congrats - nice catch , sexy beast ! How's the neck profile?
Seems you got the Rick-bug :)
Are you getting the Lemmy sound out if it?
I have a great deal of respect for Lemmy Kilmister. From the interviews of him that I have seen, he seems like a likeable kind of guy, that would be fun to hang with. And that is a rare thing for artists at that level of fame, but I am just not a fan of Metal music. From my experience with Rickenbacker basses and their tone, I would think every Metal bassist would be playing one.
 
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