Old (and weird) Gibson Ripper!

[magradygrind]

So Im getting this old Ripper from my dad. Super excited! But it's a little odd. The pickups are mudbuckers, the bridge isn't the 3 point bridge commonly seen on most gibsons, and the selector isn't the chicken head one... Anybody have any insight to when it might be from? Or has this thing just been modded and kept in near mint condition for some reason?

 

[magradygrind]

Also, I posted that old Ripper ad because the one pictured seems to have mudbuckers too, so maybe they are original... But who knows!

 

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Old weird Ripper! I'm on it!

 

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Huh. I was going to say, nope, not like mine, not original, but the ad goes and makes me a liar. I will instead say, not like mine, I have the narrow black 4 exposed pole kind, all original, nothing like those. How do they sound? I always associate my Rippers (Rippern?) with a certain "thud", quite unlike that of the mudbucker EB* pickup. Just as ugly in its own beautiful brutal way.
And there was a time in my life when I could have been mistaken for the guy on the poster, other than the pickups, and that leisure suit thing! I was a ripped jeans and ratty flannel over a tshirt 70s post-hippy then!

 

[magradygrind]

Huh. I was going to say, nope, not like mine, not original, but the ad goes and makes me a liar. I will instead say, not like mine, I have the narrow black 4 exposed pole kind, all original, nothing like those. How do they sound? I always associate my Rippers (Rippern?) with a certain "thud", quite unlike that of the mudbucker EB* pickup. Just as ugly in its own beautiful brutal way.

I haven't gotten it yet, probably will by next Sunday or so, and I've only gotten a crappy cell phone video of it so I can't really say yet... Guess I'll find out!

 

[GretschWretch]

My Ripper is fifteen miles away as I type this, but I believe it has the two-point tune-o-matic bridge. A Google Images search for "Gibson L9-S Ripper" harvests NO pics of a bass with the chrome mudbuckers, so the bass in the advertisement may be a pre-production prototype.

 

[bholder]

My Ripper is fifteen miles away as I type this, but I believe it has the two-point tune-o-matic bridge. A Google Images search for "Gibson L9-S Ripper" harvests NO pics of a bass with the chrome mudbuckers, so the bass in the advertisement may be a pre-production prototype.

Very interesting. Yeah, if I recall correctly, the narrower black 4 poles like I have were designed by one Bill Lawrence.
Yeah, like this one:

And it's the 3 point under the bridge cover, not the box. Which models had which and or when that changed, I'm not sure, but my original one that I sold and my replacements are like this. Those big pickups do look vaguely familiar though.

 

[GretschWretch]

Also, my Ripper has the same type of selector knob as yours; no chicken beak.

 

[GretschWretch]

Very interesting. Yeah, if I recall correctly, the narrower black 4 poles like I have were designed by one Bill Lawrence.
Yeah, like this one:

And it's the 3 point under the bridge cover, not the box. Which models had which and or when that changed, I'm not sure, but my original one that I sold and my replacements are like this. Those big pickups do look vaguely familiar though.

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[bholder]

Also, my Ripper has the same type of selector knob as yours; no chicken beak.

Yeah, I've never seen a knob like that, all I've seen have the chickenhead - mod or rare version or prototype? I wouldn't know, it's interesting.

 

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Thanks - look at that sunsetburst fretless with the black board!

 

[bradd]

That's a Japanese copy.

 

[bolophonic]

Maybe it's just me, but the neck pickup looks slightly angled out of square with the neck. Could just be the photo.

 

[saltymonkey]

Looks like it could be a very early prototype according to this article on Ripper variations on the fly guitars site.

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[magradygrind]

That's a Japanese copy.

Site yer sources, boy-o

 

[magradygrind]

Looks like it could be a very early prototype according to this article on Ripper variations on the fly guitars site.

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Yeah I saw that and was thinking the same thing. Could be!!

 

[bradd]

Site yer sources, boy-o

Hmm, I've owned 6 Rippers, including one Japanese copy. The 2 point bridge was never used on the Gibson but was used on some copies (some did use the 3 point).

Here's a Ventura that looks pretty close to OP's bass:

 

[bradd]

Here's a bolt on copy that uses the same bridge:
Westminster Ripper Japan 1976 Natural | Reverb

 

[GretschWretch]

Here's a bolt on copy that uses the same bridge:
Westminster Ripper Japan 1976 Natural | Reverb

But I don't think you ever would have seen a maple-finish Ripper by Gibson with a rosewood fretboard. The maples were maple all the way.

 

[aquateen]

magradygrind, can you post a pic of the headstock? maybe your father can give you some details that would help with identification.
the 2 point bridge was discontinued by Gibson in the early 70s, maybe 71 or 72 so I don't think a Gibson Ripper would've had that bridge. check the serial number and cross reference the features listed on FlyGuitars and you should be able to determine the year if it's a Gibson.