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1972? Gibson RD Artist Bass

#43
"Any suggestions to get that junk off the bass?"
You should post some closeup pics at the guitar re-ranch forum...those guys are always getting yardsale/project guitars and someone could probably point you in the right direction...if you can remove the offending objects and glue and maybe just do a light sanding and buffing/polishing you might be able to avoid a re-finish.
 
#45
If you do decide to have it refinished (repainted I should say) and want to pick a color outside the box, consider Pelham Blue - a beautiful and somewhat unusual color from Gibson.

I think the RD Artist only came in Natural, Black and Sunburst, so Pelham Blue would be a conceptual stretch, but it is one of Gibson's best colors IMO, and one that isn't seen enough.
 
#48
Pelham blue is a cool color but I don't think I would like it on this bass. just my opinion.

Mofo-Kang - $400 is a great deal still even for an 85-86 :) I'm excited, this Friday I'm taking it to Houston to get set up and have the jack replaced. Cant' wait to finally play on it and have a working 4-string!
 
#51
So I finally took my bass to a shop (Lone Star Guitar) in Houston to get it working again. All the vintage shops I have taken it too have been telling me not to refinish the bass since it's already 32 years old :/ After taking off all the extra decoration on the bass the worn look as really grown on me actually. I'll post pictures of it soon. So for the time being, it's going to stay as is. BUT now that I have it working . . . WOW!!! This bass has some amazing tone. I actually think my Warwick Corvette Standard can't compare to the tone of this bass. Which I have to remember that they are 2 totally different basses, but I am really digging the RD Artist sound!!! :) Can't believe I got away with this bass from buying to shop repairs for less than $350.00
 
#54
I played an RD artist at the studio recently very nice bass, but monstrously heavy It has some pretty crazy electronics for the time designed by Moog, onboard compressor etc, nice then but probably antiquated by todays standards, Chris Noviselic of Nirvana has used these, as far as I know the Moog equipped models were made in 77 and 78 before the electronics were redone for later years

if you got this for $150 and its a moog equipped model you're doing pretty well as these are kind of rare and were'nt on ebay when I researched them
 
#55
Yeah, I have a 78 model with Moog electronics. The electronics in the inside are very outdated but this one was never messed with inside.

In Houston I went to a music store that specialize in vintage guitar, basses, and drums. Most of them told me to never sell the bass because it's so rare. One guy told me to put it in a case but honestly, despite electronics that look outdated . . . this thing truly sounds amazing. Honestly, better than new basses that I've played nowdays. Some of my guitar buddies heard it for the first time and couldn't believe the different types of tones I can get from this bass. Alot of it just depends on the type of tone people like personally but I am totally hooked on this one! I still would like a Rickenbaker bass though.
 
#56
There are amazing basses. Just about any tone can be had from them & the electronics are near bullet proof as is the bass itself. The downside is there is a bit of noise from the electronics when boosted. Also there is no passive mode. The battery dies, so does the bass. Always have a spare.

They also have crazy harmonics.
 
#57
Damn dude. I'm jealous. AND, I'd still refinish it. I read somewhere that a ruined finish (like a bedazzler job) will lower value more than a really well done refin...at least that's what I've read

I'm currently deciding between keeping the black "house paint" finish on my 1962 P vs. refinning it something I'd really like in nitro by a reputable company like RS Guitarworks who actually restore vintage stuff professionally
 
#58
Barkless Dog said:
There are amazing basses. Just about any tone can be had from them & the electronics are near bullet proof as is the bass itself. The downside is there is a bit of noise from the electronics when boosted. Also there is no passive mode. The battery dies, so does the bass. Always have a spare.

They also have crazy harmonics.
Click to expand...

You are right!! I can actually get this bass to sound like my Warwick :) Down side to the spare battery is that I need a screwdriver to change the battery :/ Wish it could just pop out easily somehow. So I should basically check the battery after every few gigs to ensure that it doesn't die on me in the middle of a gig
 
#59
Spinal Tapper said:
Damn dude. I'm jealous. AND, I'd still refinish it. I read somewhere that a ruined finish (like a bedazzler job) will lower value more than a really well done refin...at least that's what I've read

I'm currently deciding between keeping the black "house paint" finish on my 1962 P vs. refinning it something I'd really like in nitro by a reputable company like RS Guitarworks who actually restore vintage stuff professionally
Click to expand...

A 1962! Very nice :) With the finish I guess it just depends on personal opinion and who would be buying it. The vintage stores I went too had old beat up looking guitars/basses in ranges of 2k-10k. So who knows, maybe one day I'll refinish it but for now I'm diggin the 'rough' old look
 
#60
The circuit is not a huge power sucker. My batteries have lasted about a year or so.

Also one way to kill a battery is leaving the bass plugged in. It will kill the battery overnight.

I have had mine die in the middle of a song several times. The bass did not go completely dead but just the output was really weak.
 

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