Can someone tell me what bass this is
 

A friend of my dad sold me this ripper bass some months ago. He got it at a go concert a few years ago. It's got a really warm tone which i really like.:bassist: It has 1 pickup which can be moved towards the bridge and towards the neck, i think it's some kind of plastic. Anyways i have no idea what brand it is. :confused: Maybe anyone here knows more about it.
I think the pics should help ;)










Thanks a lot for reading this :)

Looks like a Gibson Ripper, but I'll guess with the 'E', it's an Epiphone...????

Yep, definitely looks like some kind of epi, especially with the headstock and tuning pegs it's got on it.

Moveable pickup? Never heard of that..

Nice.

Thanks a lot for your quick reply but it just looks like an "e" because the picture is turned by 90 degrees. It actually looks a bit like an "m".

This is some kind of Gibson Grabber Knock off. Neck construction is all wrong. No scarf joint at the headstock and Grabber necks were one piece. The body looks to be Ash, Grabbers were either Alder or Maple. The pickup is the wrong dimension, the knobs are wrong and the logo I have never seen on a Gibson or a Epi. This is from a independent builder.

Also the tuners are wrong, bridge cover, neck plate....................I could go on. However whoever made this did a nice job.

Don't think it's an Epi. Not sure what it is. Maybe look into the control cavity.....

I recall seeing a Mann bass like that in the 80's, i had a Mann strat guitar once, thing played and sounded better than an original Fender

Made for the Canadian market in the 70's to early 90's by Ibanez , I think they morphed into El Degas now, good quality budget knockoffs, i know the LP Mann knockoffs fetch a pretty good price

thank you sooooo much! :)

Ah Interesting! Well I knew it wasn't a Gibson but it looks so well done I thought it might be a independent builder!

Japanese stuff of the 80's usually had a nice fit and finish, These were made at the Ibanez plant before they moved ops to SK i belive

Definately a Gibson Grabber copy.

This is the Epiphone "E" logo

Yea, the Ripper had 2 p-up's and a 5? position rotary switch.

dukeisdog "Moveable pickup? Never heard of that"

Dan Armstrong, clear plexiglass bass fame, had a single p-up bass that was on a track that ran from just shy of the bridge almost all the way to the heel of the neck (If I remember correctly). Trippy bass. I don't believe it ever made it to American market. Maybe in England? But there are a few around.

Body looks like pine, neckplate is narrow like a guitar.

That's why it was called the "Grabber" you could grab the pick up and move it.

Make's perfect sense

It would be interesting to see the bridge.

Aah, I thought they may have had a few differnet "E"s over the years and OP's was one I was unfamiliar with. Guess not, OP,my mistake!