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Special Edition Build off - Walter Ripper

#22
Update

Got the control cavity in
WR11.jpg


WR12.jpg
 
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#26
40Hz said:
Love it, love it, love it! :):thumbsup:

Decided not to go with the Seymour Duncan Ripper replacement pickups or recreate the harness though? Oh well. Can’t have every fantasy of mine fulfilled I suppose. :laugh:

Looks really (as in really really) good. Far classier than even the real deal IMO. And I own two of those.

Can’t wait to see the finished bass.

<Following>
Click to expand...

If I understand the history correctly, Bill Lawrence has his DNA all over the electronics in the series (Ripper Grabber, G3)
As a side note, I prefer his Qfilter for tone control over standard tone control for passive circuits.

I'm pretty sure I'll be using the Big Singles in this build, but there's a big part of me that wants to put some type of sidewinder in this build.
 
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#27
Scoops said:
If I understand the history correctly, Bill Lawrence has his DNA all over the electronics in the series (Ripper Grabber, G3)
As a side note, I prefer his Qfilter for tone control over standard tone control for passive circuits.

I'm pretty sure I'll be using the Big Singles in this build, but there's a big part of me that wants to put some type of sidewinder in this build.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed! The pickups and tonestack are all his. The combination of a pair of extremely narrow aperture ceramic sidewinders coupled with a variable mids choke, a standard passive tone cap/pot and some clever switching gave the Ripper its unique voice.

Fortunately the Wilde Q-filter takes care of the hardest part of his circuit to duplicate due to the difficulty of getting ahold of the choke component.

But as you can probably tell I’m an unapologetic Ripper admirer. (Yes, there are such people!) And I’m really interested is seeing your finished project. I’m sure it’ll sound great with whatever pickups you go with. Besides, why duplicate the past exactly when we have so much more to chose from and work with these days?

Luck with the build. I’m totally chuffed to see how it turns out. :)

BTW, if you’re interested in the history and technical specs of the Ripper, check out the Fly Guitars website. Lots of good info on Gibson basses. Link to the Ripper pages here.
 
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#28
@40Hz

Thanks for the feedback.

The Fly Guitars web pages, which I visit when looking for Gibson bass history, is a great source of information.

The outline of the Ripper shown on the page you link is what I used to create my outline. Of course, I made some modifications. I used the 1975 outline as a starting point. The thing I found odd about the outline provided is that I could not get the outline to scale to the proportions of a Ripper. Not that it matters because I'm not going for an exact replica. The lower bout on mine is just a touch under 14" wide and 19.5" long

Cheers
 
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#29
@Scoops - you’re welcome. :)

Wish I knew you were planning on doing this project earlier. I could have done a tracing of the either of the two bodies on mine. Might have made it easier for you to use as your starting point prior to putting your own spin and touches on it. Not that it looks like you needed any help on that sleek body you shaped. It’s nicer looking than the originals. :thumbsup:
 
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#32
Scoops said:
If I understand the history correctly, Bill Lawrence has his DNA all over the electronics in the series (Ripper Grabber, G3)
As a side note, I prefer his Qfilter for tone control over standard tone control for passive circuits.

I'm pretty sure I'll be using the Big Singles in this build, but there's a big part of me that wants to put some type of sidewinder in this build.
Click to expand...

Zen Blades maybe? Or Q tuner. I imagine sidewinders should work well with a filter pre.

or some Wilde pickups, for a tribute to Bill :)
 
#34
Gary_M said:
This build is looking fantastic. Nice fit on the cover! Where did you get the templates?
Click to expand...

Stewmac....got em probably 15 years ago


sikamikanico said:
Zen Blades maybe? Or Q tuner. I imagine sidewinders should work well with a filter pre.

or some Wilde pickups, for a tribute to Bill :)
Click to expand...

I have a 5 string version of this in another thread. That one is getting Zen Blades and a Q Filter. This build I'm using on hand parts, so it will be the Big Singles with the filter preamp.
 
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#35
@ctmullins

With the ACG filter, I know what the 2 filter boards are, but do you know which one is the Volume/Balance board? The larger or smaller board. The ACG instructions don't spell this out.

Thanks
 
#36
Scoops said:
@ctmullins

With the ACG filter, I know what the 2 filter boards are, but do you know which one is the Volume/Balance board? The larger or smaller board. The ACG instructions don't spell this out.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You're right; the documentation is a bit unclear, isn't it?

I pulled out my EQ-01 (which has never been installed) to check:
  • The two low-pass filter boards look identical, and are slightly shorter than
  • The main board, which has all of the connections on it
  • The fourth stacked pot doesn't have any circuitry mounted on it at all, so its four-conductor ribbon cable plugs into the main board
  • Right next to the spot where the four-conductor ribbon cable connects is a trim pot; this is labelled "Treble feed blend control". This leads me to assume that the main board is Volume/blend, and the smallest unit is the Treble filter control.
Edit: This theory is further supported by the fact that pot body on the main board is taller than the pot body on the smallest unit; a volume/blend control requires three layers, and therefore a taller pot body.

Worst case we have it backwards, in which case you can swap their positions, yes?
 
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#37
ctmullins said:
Worst case we have it backwards, in which case you can swap their positions, yes?
Click to expand...

I don't think it would be that easy.

I'll agree with and accept your assumption that the small board is the treble board.

So if they are indeed reversed, I would have to flip the entire assembly due to the length of the cables to the filter boards

I'm looking to lay this out such that the volume pot is the closest to the neck, then as I travel to the bridge I have the 2 filters, then the treble

I really don't like the look of the knobs all in a line.

I may just hook before drilling holes it all up to make sure.

WR14.jpg

WR15.jpg

WR16.jpg
 
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#38
Hooking it all up for a test would be the most prudent approach.

I like the diamond pattern best.

And - doesn't John East just make the best looking and feeling knobs!
 
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