1978 Gibson Ripper - Neck pickup only mod

[williamz0]

Hi - anyone out there know how to do this?

Seems like it is a common modification swapping the thin out-of-phase position 4 setting for a neck pickup only option.

I am rubbish with schematic diagrams but pretty handy with a soldering iron.

I have found this (possibly incorrect*) diagram:



Would anyone be kind enough to edit this so we have a definitive post describing how to do this mod please?

* It may be that #14 goes to #8 NOT #6

Any info on this would be great!!

Gary :0)

[Cadfael]

Hi Gary,

I think this diagram is incorrect???
To my mind, #14 has to be soldered to #7 (or #8) and not to #6 ...

I have the Ripper wiring in my "Bass Schematic Complitaion" (400 pages +) too.
I see that I mixed up the red and black PU wires (which will be corrected soon), but my schematic "proves" that #14-#6 makes no sense.
The bridge PU is already permanently grounded (via red) and doesn't need to get GND for the parallel mode. If #14-#6, the bridge PU would get GND from both sides in parallel mode, the neck PU no GND at all ...

BUT I MIGHT BE WRONG ...

IF I'M RIGHT:
For Neck alone instead of "series out-of-phase":
The connection between #3 and #4 has to be cut. Then, the brigde-HOT has no way out and is quiet.
Make a connection between #12 and #13. Then, the neck PU gets GND via #1 and HOT goes out via #8 (and #11).

To my mind (please correct me if anyone knows better!!!):

Slider 1 > 2 / 15 / 14 / 13
Slider 6 > 7 / 5 / 4
Slider 11 > 12 / 10 / 9 / 8

[Cadfael]

Meanwhile I am a bit confused about the switch layout ...

I know how the switching itself works (and how the soultion to "neck alone" would be).

But which are the three sliders and which are the positions?
I THINK I know, except 1/2/13/14/15???

[williamz0]

Hi Cadfael - thanks for taking a look!

Yeah I found this diagram on the net and there was a note saying about #14 goes to #8 NOT #6

I'm not an electrician but from your instructions, we have to:

1: Break connection between #3 and #4

2: Join #12 and #13

Is it that simple?

Thank you for your time - be great to get this sorted.

[Cadfael]

Have a look at this:
www.ak-line.com/medium/L9-S_Ripper_Neck.pdf

1st page: This is how I see the original wiring
2nd page: What you want ...

[Cadfael]

I posted my post #5 a few minutes too late.

There you see what to do.
In the schematic diagram at the bottom of page 2 you also see why it is that simple.

The neck is "out-of-phase" then - but with one PU on, it doesn't matter / is no difference if it is in phase or not. Sounds 100% the same. In- or out-of-phase only matters when two PUs (or two seperate coils) are involved.

Breaking #3 and #4 means, that the HOT of the bridge PU is cut.
Join #12 and #13 means, that the neck is grounded. HOT is already connected in the 4th position ...

EDIT:
I think MID and TREBLE are also wrong in the wiring diagram above ...
TREBLE is the lower (left) pot. It is wired like a normal tone pot.
MID is connected to the HOT-Out of the choke.
You also see this in my schematic ...

[williamz0]

Superb well done Cadfael - brilliant work and a very neat and easy to use diagram.

Thank you so much - been trying to sort this for months.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Cadfael

Have a look at this:
www.ak-line.com/medium/L9-S_Ripper_Neck.pdf

1st page: This is how I see the original wiring
2nd page: What you want ...

Saved me from having to draw it up!

Nice work.

That series out-of-phase setting was always useless unless you want to play Devo's Jaco Homo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lN2...m6QCXQJaKVrLN9

[williamz0]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Saved me from having to draw it up!

Nice work.

That series out-of-phase setting was always useless unless you want to play Devo's Jaco Homo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lN2...m6QCXQJaKVrLN9

[Cadfael]

Great link Dave!

Reminds me of my youth in the late 1970s/early 1980s!
We heard English (and some Amreican) bands linke this, but we also had our own German style "like this", called the "Neue Deutsche Welle" (New German Wave / German New Wave). The best known German world-wide for this is Nena with her "99 red ballons", but there were much better artists in Germany!!!

@ Gary:
It's good to know the work helped someone. You sit here for hundreds of hours and never know if someone will use your work or if it's done for the paper basket ...

There would be other ways to connect - but I think the original wiring should be altered as less as possible. Changing position 2 and 4 would also surely make much sense, so the bridge is at position 4 and the neck at 2.

But the original Gibson L9-S Ripper is a classic instrument which you alread get a lot of money for. So, the changes should be as small as possible (to my mind).

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Cadfael

Great link Dave!

Reminds me of my youth in the late 1970s/early 1980s!
We heard English (and some Amreican) bands linke this, but we also had our own German style "like this", called the "Neue Deutsche Welle" (New German Wave / German New Wave). The best known German world-wide for this is Nena with her "99 red ballons", but there were much better artists in Germany!!!

Yes, great music! Of course here we also knew Alphaville, Nina Hagen, Falco, Peter Schilling, Klaus Nomi and Trio. I listened to lots of other German new wave who's names I don't remember!

I got to see Nina Hagen perform back in1980. She's always entertaining. She was pregnant with Cosma Shiva at the time.

[williamz0]

Originally Posted by Cadfael

@ Gary:
It's good to know the work helped someone. You sit here for hundreds of hours and never know if someone will use your work or if it's done for the paper basket ...

There would be other ways to connect - but I think the original wiring should be altered as less as possible. Changing position 2 and 4 would also surely make much sense, so the bridge is at position 4 and the neck at 2.

But the original Gibson L9-S Ripper is a classic instrument which you alread get a lot of money for. So, the changes should be as small as possible (to my mind).

I have just finished making the mod and it works a charm, many thanks, took about 15 minutes!

Front pickup sounds great - real classic Precison Bass vibe -wish I know how to do this mod before.

I agree it would be nice to have a more logical layout for the switch now but I'll leave it as it is for now :0)

So once again, many many thanks for your time on this.

Gary :0)

[Cadfael]

Hi Gary,

thanx for the feedback! :0)

There is a schematic of the switch so that you see which the sliders are and which contacts are on rotating the switch.

By knowing this, you could make the convential "series/neck/parallel/bridge" wiring which is in my wiring compilation (and many other schemtics on the internet).

But I would call you a barbarian then ...
Modifiying a L9-S Ripper like this might burn a lot of money - and "destroy the original". Cutting one wire and soldering another (like done yet) is no big issue. But a completely rewiring shouldn't be made to such an instrument ...

[Mr.Fingers]

I did this mod, but differently. Instead of sacrificing one of the positions on the 4-way, I added the 6-way rotary switch from the L6S guitar, which is the same as the 4-way in terms of dimensions. The original wiring was there, but everything was corroded big time, with scratchy pots and a dodgy switch, so I replaced everything. With help of the original wiring diagram from the L6S, I reverse engineered it for the L9S, and came up with this:







sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSURpHQtMV8

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fingers

I did this mod, but differently. Instead of sacrificing one of the positions on the 4-way, I added the 6-way rotary switch from the L6S guitar, which is the same as the 4-way in terms of dimensions.

having been someone that also had the L6-S switch on a bass, as well as separate phase switches on other basses, you have to admit that the out-of-phase tones are fairly useless.

[Mr.Fingers]

It's not about useful, it's about having it... more is more, you know

(but indeed, they are stock not that usefull... that's why I added a cap in the out of phase positions (the white one at the switch), to give it some extra "quack"

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fingers

It's not about useful, it's about having it... more is more, you know

(but indeed, they are stock not that usefull... that's why I added a cap in the out of phase positions (the white one at the switch), to give it some extra "quack"

Yeah, the cap helps. I used to have a zillion switches on my basses to get all those tones. After a while I left out off the stuff I never used. Less is more.

In your bass it didn't add an extra switch so it's not so bad.

[Cadfael]

Hi Mr.Fingers,

first thanx for the wiring and greetings from a "Lower-Rhiner" (Geldern/Kleve) who knows how to pronounce your city name!

I found a nice series wiring option with capacitors.
Instead of out-of-phase, a capacitor cuts the high frequencies so that only the low frequencies of the second coil are added. It could also be done by a series capacitor which only adds the high frequencies of the second PU to the first PU ...

I am a little bit conservative about switching (as I grew up in the late 70s / early 80s where EVERYTHING was possible). I have learnt that less is more. 6 mini-switchs won't help you to find your sound.
But that's something different to your wiring!

[williamz0]

Cadfael - I don't suppose you have one of those lovely easy to understand wiring diagrams for a Gibson Grabber G3 model by any chance. That's the one with the 3 pickups and just a tone pot, volume pot and a 3 way switch.

I have just bought one and all is not well - turning the volume all the way off doesn't kill the volume but changes the tone. And turning the tone pot seems to work as a normal tone control would.

[Stealth]

Originally Posted by williamz0

I have just bought one and all is not well - turning the volume all the way off doesn't kill the volume but changes the tone. And turning the tone pot seems to work as a normal tone control would.

That one lug of the volume pot that's supposed to be grounded isn't - make sure to resolder it to the pot casing and make sure the pot casing is connected to the ground (so it ends up on the output jack).