NBD '74 Gibson Ripper time machine

[ajkula66]

Funny, but true!

What always ticked me off about Gibson, was they would introduce a new bass, and never give it time to gain popularity, label it a failure, then cease production.

Such as: The RD series, the Victory bass, The Ripper, Grabber, G-3.

Why couldn't they have made small batches every year until they caught on, I will never know.

Mike

Ripper, Grabber and G-3 actually lived pretty long life as series by Gibson standards.

RD and Victory...not so much. Let's not forget Bass IV/V, Q80, 20/20...all of which died a quick and silent death, some of them with a good reason IMO.

I was never too fond of Rippers for my personal use, but absolutely *love* when other people play them and would argue that it's likely the best *overall* bass out of the entire Gibson bass palette over the past 56 years. And I get very excited when someone picks up a nice one like the OP.

 

[rickdog]

Didn't Greg Lake play a Ripper for a while with ELP?

 

[Thorsoundcore]

The neck was Gibsons usual mortise and tenon. It came with Seymour Duncan alnico humbuckers and a 6-position switch which (if I remember correctly - it’s been awhile) introduced some coil split selections. And a 34” scale vs 34.5” on the originals.

It had a small number of admirers. But genuine reviewers gave it a “meh.” The vast majority felt it wasn’t anything special as far as sound went. Just “yet another me too” dual humbucker bass. And expensive to boot.

Most Gibson bass fanciers consider the Ripper II a novelty item Gibson came up with to generate some buzz and quick cash. There was absolutely no commitment towards it on Gibson’s part. It was produced in deliberately limited quantities with a warning that it was a special one time only release. And once they were gone, they were gone for good. To which most Gibson bass players (myself included) replied: Works for me!

After lusting over Rippers on and off over the past dozen years, I must admit I had no idea of the original 34.5" scale.

Everything else here aligns so perfectly with my repressed memories of the reissue.. It's a shame really. (Though, I'd likely still pick a vintage, mint Ripper as seen in the OP over an improved RI anyway)

I was pleasantly surprised by the Epiphone version (P/J). Sure maybe the tone isn't nearly the same, but it sounds more like an OG than I would have expected. I'm guessing the Pickup spacing is it's saving grace from sounding like any old bass with a P/J config.

This is somewhat of a derail, but running contemporary with the original issue Rippers was a Japanese copy of credible quality, badged I believe as a Greco, although it may have been branded in other ways as well.

Aria and Ibanez if I'm not mistaken were two more to have released lawsuit Ripper copies.

 

[40Hz]

Aria and Ibanez if I'm not mistaken were two more to have released lawsuit Ripper copies.

Aria did a few flat out knock-off versions back in the lawsuit era. Never saw one in the wild however. Supposedly they were pretty spot on copies. But I couldn’t tell you for sure.



And yes, Ibanez did their own knockoff around then (and also got sued for it!) although it was a less blatant copy in that the mudbucker looking pickups it sported were obviously different.

In retrospect I think getting sued and stopped from copying was one of the best things that could have happened to Aria and Ibanez. Because once they stopped copying other instruments, they started producing some of the most innovative and interesting basses out there once they put their considerable in-house talents and resources into creating their own designs. I don’t think anybody who’s played some of either company’s later efforts can fault Aria or Ibanez on their own product lines. They are very nice basses.

 

[godofthunder59]

Rounded horns, cherry burst and single ply tort pg make that a early one and pretty darn rare! Being a 73-74 it certainly is vintage! Congratulations on a beautiful bass.

 

[tsog]

Congrats! One word of caution on the old celluloid tortoise pickguards though, they tend to out/off-gass (found out the hard way). Left mine in the case for a couple of years & it did lots of damage. Leaving it out means playing it more, so win-win!

 

[MoeTown1986]

Love it!

 

[scarekrow]

Where to start? I've been lurking on TB for years but never felt like I had anything worth sharing until now. Through a combination of luck, an unexpected cash infusion and a tip from a fellow gearhead, I managed to score this (likely) 1974 Gibson Ripper in almost new condition. View attachment 3542466

This particular Ripper, as far as I've been able to determine, is a very early one. The pot codes date to the 48th week of 1973; the serial number can only be pinpointed to the 1970-75 range, thanks to Gibson's numbering scheme at the time. It has the slightly wider body and shorter rounded horns seen on early models, as well as the darkest tort pickguard known to man, invisible except in direct sunlight:
View attachment 3542496
The bass was a bit dirty and dusty when I opened the (non-original) case, but the body and neck are virtually untouched. I know I'm only the second owner, but I don't know any of its backstory beyond that. I wish I did. It's finished in the rare tobacco sunburst option, much brighter than the later two tone bursts Gibson did (see Rick Danko's Ripper in the Last Waltz for comparison).

The rotary switch and knobs are all in perfect condition, and positions 1-4 all work as designed: 1 - Both pickups in series, 2 - Bridge pickup only, 3 - Both pickups in parallel in phase, 4 - Both pickups in parallel out of phase. The pickups are the original Bill Lawrence sidewinder "super humbuckers", and they sound incredible, with deep thundering lows but also a tremendous amount of high end clarity, which isn't something you generally expect to hear from a Gibson bass.

The headstock has the most wear, and even that's not too significant:
View attachment 3542502

I hesitate to call it a vintage bass, but it's first bass I've ever owned that's older than I am, and there's a mystique about it that really speaks to me. Throw in the fact that it's a rare finish and body shape and fantastic player to boot, and I'm in NBD heaven.

View attachment 3542504

Love it!

That’s a real beauty!! Congrats!
Ive been on the lookout for a Ripper for a few yrs now. Bought one in ‘76. All black fretless model from Woodsy’s Music in Kent, Ohio. Sold it, or traded it for no good reason. Wish I still had it.

 

[togril]

Wow, man. Jack that disco groove. We are all jealous.
In seriousness, thats a lovely piece of 1970’s design, resource and craft that you and you only are charged with preserving. SO important in this age now. Even though it is rare, she needs to be played. A. LOT. Xx

 

[KimDealWithIt]

Wow, man. Jack that disco groove. We are all jealous.
In seriousness, thats a lovely piece of 1970’s design, resource and craft that you and you only are charged with preserving. SO important in this age now. Even though it is rare, she needs to be played. A. LOT. Xx

Playing it right now!

 

[Pauly 4001]

That’s a real beauty!! Congrats!
Ive been on the lookout for a Ripper for a few yrs now. Bought one in ‘76. All black fretless model from Woodsy’s Music in Kent, Ohio. Sold it, or traded it for no good reason. Wish I still had it.

Here's a typically mutilated example for sale:
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