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NBD, but do I keep it?

offhand35

offhand35

Supporting Member
Jul 11, 2012
216
77
Newtown, Connecticut USA
#1
I was looking for a maple boarded bass, and fell in love with this '99 Epiphone Ripper. The sound is very good , and the bass seemed very playable to me in the store. The price was fair market, not high or low. However, after I got it home I found quite a bit of string buzz, even after adjusting the truss rod. Turns out that the 1st fret is low, the 7th fret it high, and more frets above the 9th fret are high also.
A fret level job with a local luthier will be approx $100 plus $80 for the setup. I am hesitant to put this into a $399 bass. I do have 30 days to decide. That is one good part about GC.

Should I expect to have to do this on a used bass? I did get it because I wanted to play it.


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#3
Well, anyone would hope for something as good as it can be when buying used, but having to do a bit of work getting it to your liking isn't unusual. It comes down to how much you feel it's worth to you. If $600 is within reason for you to have that bass set up nicely…
 
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#4
This is a single humbucker bass, very like the Gibson Grabber of the same era as the Gibson Ripper, but this p/u is not moveable. The sound, is similar to a Precision. [note I said simliar, not the same as a P-bass] .
I have had quite a few relatively inexpensive basses and one or two better ones, but I never encountered the need to work on the frets like this one has.
Ultimately, I have to decide if it is worth the extra cost for me. It is one thing to buy something knowing up front it needs work, but I was not planning on this.
 
#5
I'd take it back to GC and see if you can get one that doesn't require the fretwork or see if they're willing to fix up the uneven frets.
A basic setup I can understand when you buy a new bass (truss rod tweaking etc) -that's to be expected, but I don't know if I would readily accept fretwork like that. It's either due to shoddy workmanship that shouldn't have passed QC, or constant temperature changes/wood shrinkage/not fully cured finishes causing the frets to lift.
I've returned and replaced a bass before simply on this and they were fine with it.
 
#7
buldog5151bass said:
Probably unlikely they have another in stock. I would take it back ans show them the issue, and see if they are willing to do anything.
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sorry guys.... was watching "the Roosevelts" LOL...while on the computer, did not notice "99" and "used" in the op's original posting. Buying used, it's "as is" basically - you can of course return it if unhappy for any reason within 30 days.
Is it worth keeping and spending an additional $180 depends on how much you really want that bass . Personally, I would say no on keeping it unless GC will either do the fretwork for free or for a reduced cost. Not really worth it if you're out of pocket for an additional $180.

If it's a maple neck bass, why not opt for a Sterling Sub Ray with maple neck? It'll cost you $299 new or under $200 used.
 
#10
offhand35 said:
I was looking for a maple boarded bass, and fell in love with this '99 Epiphone Ripper. The sound is very good , and the bass seemed very playable to me in the store. The price was fair market, not high or low. However, after I got it home I found quite a bit of string buzz, even after adjusting the truss rod. Turns out that the 1st fret is low, the 7th fret it high, and more frets above the 9th fret are high also.
A fret level job with a local luthier will be approx $100 plus $80 for the setup. I am hesitant to put this into a $399 bass. I do have 30 days to decide. That is one good part about GC.

Should I expect to have to do this on a used bass? I did get it because I wanted to play it.


DSCF0257.jpg
Click to expand...

Well $180 for a fix is HIGH in my book. He's double charging....a fret leveling *IS* the setup. I know it's hard to find a good honest tech, but don't get gouged, find another guy if you can. That's a 45 min job for a good tech. Is he worth $200+ per hour? I think not.
 
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#15
Thanks for your replies. If this bass had a $599 tag on it, I would not even have stopped to look at it. I really hesitate to let GC take care of it unless they send it out to someone I can trust. If they can offer enough money back on it I might keep it. I will be driving by that store later today. I will have it with me.
 
#19
I don't think GC will even offer to have it fixt for you or offer a partial refund, I have tried this at my local store with defective items I bought on line and they just refund my money and put it back on the shelf to sell to someone else before im even out of the store.
 
#20
I would say used basses are a mixed bunch. I've gotten them perfectly setup, and others that need work. If the frets are buzzing badly it's probably been that way since it was built (and the reason it was sold). But truth is, if you want to keep the bass, put the money into it. It's not an investment your going to get back, so love the bass. If you don't love it, don't keep it.
 

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