Jens Ritter Instruments
Encyclopedia
Jens Ritter Instruments is a manufacturer of high-end electric stringed instruments. It was founded by Jens Ritter in the mid-1990s and was known as Ritter Bass Guitars until 2010 when Jens expanded his line to include Baritone Guitars. Jens produces 50 to 60 handmade instruments each year in his shop located in the small wine town of Deidesheim, Germany. A number of well-known bassists play Ritter Basses including Phil Lesh, Doug Wimbish and Craig Maxworth. Jens Ritter Instruments are best known for their progressive design and construction, artistic appearance and limited availability. They also produce strings and other accessories.
, and with it Jens began drilling holes in pieces of wood and fitting them together. At the age of sixteen, unsatisfied with the basses he'd been exposed to as a player, he decided to modify a bass to his liking and at age nineteen built a bass of his own design. After completing school at an academy of technical arts, he started his own company. More recently, Jens spent time studying Stradivarius
violin
-making and has also studied engineering
and oscillation
principles which he employs in his designs. Jens' atelier was built in the 17th century and was once served as a winery. It's located in Deidesheim, Germany just minutes from the Rhine river and not far from where he was born.
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Ritter Master Electronics
The controls include a Master Volume (Push-Pull Potentiometer to switch between Active Mode and Passive Mode), Pickup Balance, Tone Blend (only available in the passive mode), a Dual Potentiometer for High Cut and Boost (on Top) and for Mid Cut and Boost (Ring) (only available in active mode), a Dual Potentiometer for Bass Cut and Boost (on Top) and Mid Frequency (Ring)(only available in active mode), Coil Switches for each MASTER BAR Pickup if installed (Up = Humbucker / Down = "Humbucking" Single Coil) and an Output Jack with integrated Power Switch.
The Master Elecronics are powered by 18 Volts (two 9V batteries).
Ritter B1 String Attachment
Each string attaches to the body separately which is meant to produce an absolutely independent tone development with sonic transparency.
History
Jens Ritter was born on July 11, 1972 and became interested in woodwork and lutherie at an early age. He grew up near a forest where he would carve bows and arrows for he and his friends with a pocket knife. His grandfather had been a carpenter, and Jens spent much of his childhood learning about various carpentry techniques and wood treatments. When he was seven years old, Ritter constructed a primitive bass guitar out of an old food can, some wire, and a small piece of wood. Soon after Ritter's father gave him a drillDrill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
, and with it Jens began drilling holes in pieces of wood and fitting them together. At the age of sixteen, unsatisfied with the basses he'd been exposed to as a player, he decided to modify a bass to his liking and at age nineteen built a bass of his own design. After completing school at an academy of technical arts, he started his own company. More recently, Jens spent time studying Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
-making and has also studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and oscillation
Oscillation
Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power. The term vibration is sometimes used more narrowly to mean a mechanical oscillation but sometimes...
principles which he employs in his designs. Jens' atelier was built in the 17th century and was once served as a winery. It's located in Deidesheim, Germany just minutes from the Rhine river and not far from where he was born.
Ritter Royals
Ritter Royals are special one-off instruments made with rare materials and frequently feature uncommon construction designs. For example, the body of "The Flora Aurum is carved from a rare, solid piece of quilted maple. Its bridge, tuners, and knobs are hand-cast solid gold. Two flawless diamonds, totaling 3.3 carats, adorn the volume and tone knobs. Gold leaf covers the back of the neck and headstock. It has tiny green-diamond knob position markers and an ebony fingerboard with a Renaissance-inspired solid-gold flower inlay—each leaf decorated with a platinum-set black diamond. The nut was carved from 10,000-year-old Siberian mammoth-tusk ivory. The value of this instrument is estimated at $100,000.00.The Princess Isabella Baritone Guitar
Released in January 2010 in a quantity of 50, The Princess Isabella is a baritone jazz guitar concept instrument with several uncommon features. Inspired by a conversation with a collector, the solid body instrument is meant to emulate the sound of a hollow body. To achieve this, a bridge incorporating hand-cast brass bows for each string is used. Other unusual features include a body thickness of one inch, a nut made from rendered cow bone and 24 carat gold finished bridge components.Models
Ritter Basses come in the following models, each with its own body shape and features: The Classic, The Roya, The Okon, The Seal, The Jupiter and The Raptor. In 2010 Jens introduced The Cora model co-designed with bassist Josh Dunham (PrincePrince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
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Pickups and electronics
Ritter pickups are made out of RARE EARTH magnets with covers typically made from Ebony.
"The tone development is exceptionally consistent over the whole frequency range. This results in a pure pristine sound. You just hear the tone of the instrument without any pickup interferences."
-Jens Ritter
- Masterbar pickups - Each Masterbar consists of two active and one passive coil and be switched between a classic humbucker sound and a pure "humfree" singlecoil sound. The Bridge Pickup is inserted at an angle of 3° and the Neck Pickup is inserted at an angle of 7° to produce a more even response between strings.
- Slimbucker pickups - Ritter Slimbuckers are humbucking single coil pickups. Like Masterbars, the Bridge Pickup is inserted at an angle of 3° and the Neck Pickup is inserted at an angle of 7°.
- The Quattro-Bucker pickup - A Four-Coil pickup installed in the Jupiter model.
Ritter Master Electronics
The controls include a Master Volume (Push-Pull Potentiometer to switch between Active Mode and Passive Mode), Pickup Balance, Tone Blend (only available in the passive mode), a Dual Potentiometer for High Cut and Boost (on Top) and for Mid Cut and Boost (Ring) (only available in active mode), a Dual Potentiometer for Bass Cut and Boost (on Top) and Mid Frequency (Ring)(only available in active mode), Coil Switches for each MASTER BAR Pickup if installed (Up = Humbucker / Down = "Humbucking" Single Coil) and an Output Jack with integrated Power Switch.
The Master Elecronics are powered by 18 Volts (two 9V batteries).
Ritter multi-screw neck joint
"The Neck Joint is a very special and mostly totally neglected sound influencing element. It is responsible for the dynamic and speed (Attack) of the bass and also for the string amplitude power consumption (Sustain). After comparing different constructions (identical wood from the same tree), I developed my ”Multi screw Bold on Neck Joint”. I always use the maximum possible amount of screw per available area. If you compare this connection physically, you will identify a much faster attack, longer Sustain and a different mid-frequency-range of the instrument. If you compare this connection acoustically, you will recognize a better dynamic, a faster response and a greater presence within your band. The reason is a lower absorption of the string amplitude energy, because the absorption area (vibrations-system) is divided into 2 “oscillation-arms” with different lengths, which hardly move with the string frequency." -Jens Ritter
Ritter 3D bridge
This bridge is adjustable in all 3 dimensions, and is made of heavy brass and completely lockable with a design meant to produce perfect conduction of the string oscillation.Ritter B1 String Attachment
Each string attaches to the body separately which is meant to produce an absolutely independent tone development with sonic transparency.
The BB1 tremolo system
The optional Ritter BB1 Tremolo System operates with 4 radial miniature ball-bearings. This construction is meant to produce smooth action without the friction commonly found in classic tremolo systems. With a gear-driven spring tension adjuster, the BB1 can allow regulation of the spring tension without removing the instrument's rear cover plate.Bodies, necks and fingerboards
In addition to the numerous shapes Ritter basses take, the bodies, body tops, necks and fingerboards are made from a large variety of woods and materials including various maples, ebonies, rosewoods, snakewood, kingwood, camphor, ash, amboina, aoplar and more. Jens is known to seek out and experiment with unusual materials for his basses like 9000 year old bog oak.Notable players
- Phil LeshPhil LeshPhillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
of Phil Lesh and FriendsPhil Lesh and FriendsPhil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including groups featuring members of Phish, Little Feat, and the Zen...
and The Grateful Dead - Hellmut Hattler
- Rob DerhakRob DerhakRobert Derhak, also known simply as Rob, is the bass guitarist and a founding member of the American jam band moe..- History :Derhak's earliest known time performing as a member of a band was on Halloween 1989, playing at a party with guitarist Chuck Garvey and a drummer named Ray Schwartz...
of MoeMoe.moe. is an American jam band, formed at the University at Buffalo in 1989. The band members are: Rob Derhak , Al Schnier , Chuck Garvey , Vinnie Amico , and Jim Loughlin .... - Martin Motnik
- Josh Dunham of PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
- Aram BedrosianAram BedrosianAram Bedrosian is a bass guitarist known for composing and performing unaccompanied solo bass guitar music. His work has been acknowledged in numerous international publications including Bass Player Magazine, Bass Guitar Magazine and Performer Magazine and he has performed all over North...
- Doug WimbishDoug WimbishDoug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
of Living ColorLiving colorLiving color could refer to at least two things:* In Living Color, a sketch comedy television series that was produced in the early 1990s* Living Colour, a band...