The Gibson Ripper as well as the G3 and the Grabber are some of my favorite basses in the world. The tone on these basses are actually the tone that has been in my head ever since I was a kid, ESPECIALLY through a SVT!
Anyway, I finally acquired a Gibson Ripper two months ago and I am in love with its tone, feel, and look! Krist Novoselic used this bass in the early days of Nirvana as well as the later days before Kurt's death.. I mean murder
The only problem with this bass is that the pickups are very weak sounding. Next to my P Bass this thing sounds like it is hardly plugged in! Now, I know this has been covered several times in the past, but is it worth it to obtain the Seymour Duncan replacements? Does that take away from its value, feel, and "vintageness?" I would of course keep the old ones, but what should I do? Is there any other route to take?
I have tried adjusting the height of the pickups, cables, strings - you name it!
Has anyone found a remedy or cure for this?
By the way, here are some videos of the Ripper in action during Nirvana's peak!
This video (during the scream after the bridge/interlude NEVER ceases to send chills down my back every time I listen to it) My favorite performance by far. You can hear it during the bridge the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=988Cst8qXGo
Here is another video before they REALLY made it big!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mN8zvaqwus
