TalkBass Forums - FS:1976 Ebony Gibson Ripper (With Some Changes)

Today for sale is a 1976 Gibson Ripper, although it is not your AVERAGE Ripper. This is my second Ripper in about two or three months and while I REALLY want to like them.. and while two of my favorite albums were recorded with them, (come on am I making it obvious enough? ;)) I just find myself playing my other bass much more.

As previously stated, this is not your AVERAGE Ripper. What I mean by that is that the varitone/four way switch has been removed by its former owner(s) I literally just received this bass last week from Neal's Guitars in Pennsylvania (who is an AWESOME guy to deal with by the way) and it is setup beautifully. Clean, fast, and sports a smooth ebony fretboard with a huge tone that can work as a true grunge machine as well as many other "machines." :bassist:

Since the varitone switch has been removed, whoever removed it decided to replace it with a Les Paul style three way toggle switch. I have no idea exactly what this switch does in terms of what is activated and what is not, but it still sounds great to me. It also only has TWO knobs as opposed to three on a normal Ripper bass. On a normal, well fully original/functional Ripper, there are three. A tone, volume, and mid range control. This bass in particular has a volume and a tone only. Finally, the former owner has also refinished the back of the bass to black. I was told that the bass was pretty beat up on the back of the body and was refinished some years back.. Not the BEST refinish, but it will do! The front of the bass is flawless however! The pictures I have provided should do it justice in terms of condition. I do NOT have an original case for it but can get a gig bag for shipping purposes for sure. It is a VERY light bass compared to my other basses as well. You would think that it is heavy with its huge body but it is actually a very comfortable bass. I will try to get an exact weight later on tonight. It will be coming from a smoke free home!

Other than all of that, the bass looks, feels, and sounds amazing. There is some obvious wear and tear (on the neck near the fret-markers as seen in the photographs) on the bass and the action is perfect for this type of bass/sound. Sounds great finger style but shines with a pick.

Okay for a sale, how about $650.00 shipped. The same price I paid for it a week ago!