A Rickenbacker 5001 5-String Mandolin...

[Spruce]

Never seen one of these before...
A 50's (I think) Rickenbacker 5001 5-string electric mandolin...
I want one!

[F-2 Dave]

Cool. Is it for sale somewhere?

[Chief]

I'm guessing it was an 8 string that was re-done as a 5. But of course, I could be wrong.

[Spruce]

I'm guessing it was an 8 string that was re-done as a 5. But of course, I could be wrong.

It's a legit 5-string, with it's own model designation, the 5001...
Not sure how many were made?

Cool. Is it for sale somewhere?

It sold quite a few years ago, and someone just posted the pic on one of the Rickenbacker Bookface pages...

I'm on a 5-string kick lately, and have been playing a Bigsby copy by TK Smith, going down the Tiny Moore road again...
So-ooo, being a Ric and Tiny enthusiast, this thing really caught my interest...

[varun19r]

Do you guys use the 5 string ones only for playing lead?
Have you figured out new chord shapes as well?

[F-2 Dave]

I usually just use the regular four (8) string chord forms on four of the five strings. And yes, I usually use it as a lead instrument.

[Spruce]

...but it's a great chording instrument too, with that low C string...

[Jim Garber]

Having spent some time around Tiny in the 1980s, I recall that he basically would play lead melodies on the upper (in pitch) strings and comp chording on the lower ones IIRC even the bottom three strings.

[Pete Martin]

3 or 4 string voicings work well. I like 3 strings, bottom 3, middle 3 and upper 3 occasionally.

Dont use 5 often, but do very ocassionally.

[Jim Bevan]

For the super-common chords I've figured out the 5-string versions, and for all those four-note 7th chords (maj7, min7, min7b5 & dim7) chords I still use four strings (and I'm still working on the transpositions for using the bottom four strings).