Selling my Ripper because I need cash. Sorry to see it go...
I spent a lot of time and money restoring this bass to original condition. However, given the age of the instrument, it has spent most of its time in the case stored in humidity controlled storage instead of being gigged. Rather than sell items I do use, I'm resorting to letting go of the ones that are stored away.
This bass has a superb setup. Action is quite low, neck has perfect curve, and frets are well-leveled. The condition of the wood itself is incredible for its age. Not a crack anywhere to be found in the wood and surprisingly few dings. It plays beautifully. All the controls are fully functional to factory spec. The *only* original hardware not included is the bridge cover. It didn't come with one when I bought it and they're selling for insane prices (>$150) on eBay.
I bought this bass from the "original owner" who bought it in Colorado many years ago. I have no way of proving the validity of this so take it for what it's worth... just relaying what I've been told. When I received the bass, the neck pickup was dead on arrival and the bridge pickup was hard-wired directly to the output jack. So much for the cool Varitone and Mid-cut controls featured on this bass. My first step was to restore the entire bass to factory spec.
I sent the pickup out to Tom Brantley Rewinds in NC as many other rewinders I spoke to recommended him specifically for Ripper rewinds. Both pickups sound GREAT now.
Next, the many years of neglect left all three pots in very dirty, scratchy condition and their tolerances were WAY off. Rather than try to clean them out, I replaced them with new Gibson pots. The new pots have a different shaft on them and the factory knobs wouldn't fit on them without risking damage, so I installed new Gibson speed knobs on the new pots. I retained all the original pots and knobs and they are included with the sale.
The original pickguard is heavily warped like old vinyl. It still works fine but there's a bunch of gaps that are easy to catch fingers and clothing on, so I was worried it would be damaged if I left it on the bass. I had a custom made red tortoise pickguard from wdmusic.com and installed it on the bass. The original pickguard is included with the sale and has the factory pots and knobs mounted to it.
Lastly, I was able to salvage the original mid-control choke and Varitone selector switch. They both work properly now. If you do any research on these items, you'll learn that they're quite hard to find, and aftermarket replacements are expensive.
Strings are LaBella tapewounds. Didn't want to be responsible for any fret wear!
I *think* this is a 1977. I contacted Gibson multiple times for help dating the bass but they never responded. The bass has a six digit serial number which would indicate <1976 but there's a few reasons why I believe this is a 1977:
1) It is a SECOND. This can cause a lot of variability in dating. I put it in red so people don't miss this fact and claim I sold them a non-second (First?)
2) The string-through bridge holes have a metal tray on the back of the body. This doesn't appear to be a feature in the models prior to 1977. Earlier models appear to be just bare wood on the back (!!).
3) Three point bridge.
4) Four pole, three point pickups.
5) The original pots are dated 1976.
I'm happy to ship but local pickup (Fort Collins, CO) is better for buyer and seller. Buyer will pay shipping fees of course.
I'm asking $1000 plus shipping. Not interested in trades at this time.
I spent a lot of time and money restoring this bass to original condition. However, given the age of the instrument, it has spent most of its time in the case stored in humidity controlled storage instead of being gigged. Rather than sell items I do use, I'm resorting to letting go of the ones that are stored away.
This bass has a superb setup. Action is quite low, neck has perfect curve, and frets are well-leveled. The condition of the wood itself is incredible for its age. Not a crack anywhere to be found in the wood and surprisingly few dings. It plays beautifully. All the controls are fully functional to factory spec. The *only* original hardware not included is the bridge cover. It didn't come with one when I bought it and they're selling for insane prices (>$150) on eBay.
I bought this bass from the "original owner" who bought it in Colorado many years ago. I have no way of proving the validity of this so take it for what it's worth... just relaying what I've been told. When I received the bass, the neck pickup was dead on arrival and the bridge pickup was hard-wired directly to the output jack. So much for the cool Varitone and Mid-cut controls featured on this bass. My first step was to restore the entire bass to factory spec.
I sent the pickup out to Tom Brantley Rewinds in NC as many other rewinders I spoke to recommended him specifically for Ripper rewinds. Both pickups sound GREAT now.
Next, the many years of neglect left all three pots in very dirty, scratchy condition and their tolerances were WAY off. Rather than try to clean them out, I replaced them with new Gibson pots. The new pots have a different shaft on them and the factory knobs wouldn't fit on them without risking damage, so I installed new Gibson speed knobs on the new pots. I retained all the original pots and knobs and they are included with the sale.
The original pickguard is heavily warped like old vinyl. It still works fine but there's a bunch of gaps that are easy to catch fingers and clothing on, so I was worried it would be damaged if I left it on the bass. I had a custom made red tortoise pickguard from wdmusic.com and installed it on the bass. The original pickguard is included with the sale and has the factory pots and knobs mounted to it.
Lastly, I was able to salvage the original mid-control choke and Varitone selector switch. They both work properly now. If you do any research on these items, you'll learn that they're quite hard to find, and aftermarket replacements are expensive.
Strings are LaBella tapewounds. Didn't want to be responsible for any fret wear!
I *think* this is a 1977. I contacted Gibson multiple times for help dating the bass but they never responded. The bass has a six digit serial number which would indicate <1976 but there's a few reasons why I believe this is a 1977:
1) It is a SECOND. This can cause a lot of variability in dating. I put it in red so people don't miss this fact and claim I sold them a non-second (First?)
2) The string-through bridge holes have a metal tray on the back of the body. This doesn't appear to be a feature in the models prior to 1977. Earlier models appear to be just bare wood on the back (!!).
3) Three point bridge.
4) Four pole, three point pickups.
5) The original pots are dated 1976.
I'm happy to ship but local pickup (Fort Collins, CO) is better for buyer and seller. Buyer will pay shipping fees of course.
I'm asking $1000 plus shipping. Not interested in trades at this time.
