Gibson Ripper

1974 Gibson Ripper (L-9S)
Standard fretting, 4 string
Laminated Maple.
Volume, Midrange, Treble roll-off, and pickup selector
Gibson Super Humbucking pickups
Passive Electronics
Maple, and maple
Fat body style
String thru body
Gibson Mushroom tuners
Moderate neck thickness
Original Gibson Ripper Bass case

This bass suits a wide range of music styles.
I play it through a 1971 Ampeg SVT and 8X10 Ampeg Cab.
Very diverse in it's tonal settings
Huge variety in combination with the Ampeg
Best for both studio and live.
Not a lot in the way of replacement parts

No problems in any shape or form. I did an overhaul when I bought it and the factory action is right where you want it.
had to replace the input jack (who hasn't done that on their bass at least once?)

I play pick style. But it works just as well with finger style playing.
Since I put in a new bridge, this bass is THE bass. THere is no backup for this guy.
Strap buttons are solid, but the body shape made gibson put the first one in a stupid place.
Of course I would use this with no backup. I all ready do.

Gibson was great. They don't have the part, and tried to find one for me. I went to an electronics store and bought the 3 pole, 4 way rotary selector for $2.35 and wired it in myself. Still looking for an original though.
THe bridge that I got was a GIBSON RIPPER Bridge. The old gibson 3 pole bridges had those stupid plastic bushings which had a tendency to fall out, but I replaced them with the bridge because, hey, it's what they did and this bass is great in it's original condition.

I have been playing for over 10 years. I also own a Washburn MB-40 Studio bass (buzz feiten tuning system is the bomb for that) A fender P-bass (Mex) with '64 re-issue pickups and Warmoth Neck.
If this bass was stolen, somebody would go missing when I got it back (and rest assured, I would get it back)
I don't like the finish, it's pretty thin. some people don't like how big the body is (I'm 6'2" and 260lbs) it fits me great.
You could compare this to every bass out there, this one could get you close to it (tone wise)
I have tried or owned every bass out there. This one just has a character to it's tone. It's blendable to match the other famous basses, but retains individuality.
If you use an ampeg SVT try this setting on your amp for this bass(treble at normal, not super high) treble +8, Midrange (middle select on frequency knob, set to +12) bass (set on super low at +11)
while using the Bright input.

My ebony Ripper was made in 1978 in the U.S. It has the chicken head knob as the 4 way selector. It's made from one big piece of maple and can be pretty heavy, but I am six and a half feet tall, so it's no huge difference. There are two volume knobs and one tone knob, and I keep them all wide open. I really like the selector's capabilities. On "1" both pickups are roaring, it produces a very thick, present sound. Think Tool or Nirvana or Kiss, very present with bite to spare. On "2" only the bridge pickup is on. This is a much thinner, treble sound. On "3" both pickups are on, but with a slight emphasis on the bridge pickup. When I play in dropped-D I use this setting. It's not as thick as "1", but still powerful. On "4" it sounds EXACTLY like generic funk bass. George Clinton and his cronies would go ape for that setting. Probably the best setting for slapping, too.

I play harder rock music, maybe some punk or metal, but it all falls under rock. I like that I have choices with this bass, there is the selector knob that allows me to choose a specific tone. I play with a pick and have a tendency to play REALLY hard. This bass keeps up without getting too muddy, unless you want muddy. Then muck it up. I have an Ampeg B2R head, and though that is a really entry level amp, it still throws out pro sounds. You just need to fiddle around with your amp and you'll find something you like. The overall sound, for me, is REALLY thick and full. I used it with a Pro Co rat distortion pedal, and if I dial it in correctly, it sounds UNBELIEVEABLE. Professionals for years have used this in the stage and studio, and I have as well. Just make sure in the studio, you have the Ripper kept up, so the action and intonation is good. Otherwise, it's stellar.

This Ripper is older than me. It's in a lot better shape than me too. Everything is in tip top shape. I am fairly sure this bass is like wine- gets better with age. ZERO FLAWS.

This bass can take everything short of an atom bomb. It will withstand playing live and even being thrown around a little. The hardware can probably outlast coal. The finish isn't kevlar, but it will keep up for awhile. You can depend on a Ripper as long as the day you play it on ends in "y." I gig this ALL the time with no back up, there's no need. A back-up is futile.

I have spoken to Gibson a few times, they always respond and are knowledgeable. They know their stuff, and since you are a customer that has money, they listen to you and respect you.

I have been playing bass 5 years and have had this 3 years. I also own a Gibson RD Artist, which I like slightly better. If it was stolen, I would weep. I am not getting, I would be so upset, I would ball my fists like a new born and let loose. I would catch the perp who stole it and stay within the parameters of the law to make sure they paid. Or I might serve them a plate full of their ass complete with all the trimmings. I love everything it gives, I want another one in a different color, thats how much I like them.

1974 Gibson Ripper made in Kalamzoo MI. Natural clear nitro cellulose finsh. Schaller open tuners. 2 huge single coil pickups, wirh 5 position switch-knob, one volume, 2 tone. Set 3 piece neck. It seamed to be all maple (body, neck, and fretboard).

It has that old 70's single coil bass tone. Not a lot of low end, actually it has a great bouncy high end for punk rock. The positions wasn't just to switch the pickups, but it also changed the phase. I couldn't imagine using this bass for much out side of punk, but I did see footage of the Bee Gees using one.

The action's a bit high, but I used it for pick style (it didn't have alot of output for fingerstyle). I've had no problems with the neckjoint. The bridge is a bit weird, bassed on the Tune-o-Matic Gibson concept, but you could run the strings off the bridge or through the body. It's very neck heavy.

It was 21 years old when I bought it and it's still going strong.

Called Gibson to find out the age of this thing, and they were very helpful.

I'm not a fan of Gibson basses, I feel their chunky, and their sound leaves alot to be desired, but the Ripper is a fun bass to thrash on. Plus the neck is so thick thick that if you practice on it everyday, you should be able to just fly an a P-bass. I used it for recording and the result was a very ditinct bass character.

My fretless Ripper is from 1976 (I think). I kinda emptied my bank account for it, but am still happy. To be sure what we are talking about: fretless, 20 positions, ebony fingerboard, 34.5" inch scale (although measuring it, it seems to be a bit shorter). Nice thin, set, neck (which turns out to be a con, c below). Two passive pick ups, having each 2 big screws and under each string one smaller screw. Chicken head pu-selector switch, pointing upward. Bridge adjustable with 3 screws. Light weight because of its thin body, 3-piece wood (alder?), string-thru-body. The body is thin, but large, SG-style. One volume control, one control for highs, one for mids.
Head stock with 2 reverse tuners on each side, so that the A-string touches the E if you wind to much of the E around the tuner.
More features than i need, but some design flaws.

PU-switch to position 1: headache. This is the neck PU, booming. Switch to position 2: bridge PU, thin and hollow sound. position 3: Both PUs in series, sound you expect. pos 4: out-of-phase, lower output and the sound with which you can play Paul Weller/Style Council's 'You Are The Best Thing' or so (listen and do ), useless for the rest.
The bass has its own characteristic sound, a bit towards the hollowish. Unplugged with nylonwounds, the sound is a nasal, but, plugged, the electronics compensate for it. Plenty of very low, the highs are always pushing to make themselves heard. Definitely neither a P- nor J-bass sound.
Amp is a Crate b80. I played through Marshalls, Peaveys, just as fine. I did not try the Ripper on a Hartke yet. Its little brother Grabber gives an impossible guitarish sound on a Hartke, playing fine on anything else. Be warned.
I rate the sound as 9, because it is not about taste, but about how well the bass does what it is intended to do.

Well, the action I set myself. I love the ugliness of the big body and its knobs. The knobs make me think of World War II. Who was selling those chicken heads? Man, it was the 70's already! The finish is good, the instrument is well assembled. I once played a Grabber which made the impression of being a produce of the Kalamazoo Chainsaw Massacre (awful neck fit, but played great).
There are markers on the side of the neck. They are in the same spots as on a fretted neck: between, and not on the positions.
Sturdy enough, tuners keep in tune, one tone know needs to be tightened all the time, but OK. Neck is sensitive to the weather though. When it gets colder in the evening, I need to tune again. The neck is too thin imho. In its case with constant temperature, the bass stays in tune well, however.

The instrument is 30 years old, and the pu's are still fine. The pots are noiseless. It still looks great.

Here is a downside. The neck is a too thin for a 34.5 " scale. At the joint with the body, it is fine, but lower down the neck there was a slight twist. I had to play around with the action to reduce its influence. It is a fretless, so I do not bother too much, I can adapt, and need to adapt minimally only, but I do not have the courage to put any heavier gauge strings on it. I also think this is a major design flaw. I would never buy a fretted version. So, even if it hardly bothers me in playing, no points here.

Never dealt with. If the neck were bolt on, i would call them if they did not happen to have a old straight one lying around :) .

I have been playing for more than 10 years. I have owned 3 fretted P-bass copies, and one defretted Fender Mex-P. I have played a borrowed Grabber, Spector, Yamaha, Fender US-Jazz, Godin. This is the only fretless bass I own, next to a fretted Lakland-5 string.
If it were stolen I would have to think a long time ! I like the bass and am not going to sell it, but if it wouldn't be there, I would be tempted by something with a more stable neck. I happen to be in for a new sound also. I guess I would not be able to find another fretless Ripper in a condition as good as this one's. That would solve my dilemma.
I must give a good mark after all, because I am happy

I just got my gibson Ripper out of the case.. 5 years it was in
man and its got dust on it
I never plugged it into an amp when i bought it
I bought it in stuttgart germany back in the late 70 or early 80
IT jsut felt good ..
I was playing a ibanez hummingbird accoustic at the time
maybe that is what made me by the thing
it had feel to it.. was'nt just an electric thing a ma jig
but a real instrument
I was working in a german sawmill at the time
and the bass cost just shy of one full paycheque
dont know what that is today
what i like bout the bass is that it is a real bass
its heavey on the neck. due maybe to the good tuners
but it keeps my eye on wht is important.. bass
not a fast machine. like a guitare
sometimes its too bassy.. and i want to take the lead
the thing i hate bout it most is that chicken knob
the one that has four settings
other than that. i stil own the thing
as far as wear and tear go
this bass is solid as can be
i thought the wood was soft.. but noting like a good few dents to remember
the neck is long and I think that it keeps me in my place as a bass player not a guitar player
comments i heard was that i play the gibson ripper like a guitar
well ok i try.. but the instrument keeps me down.. to the bass level
i got two base ball fingers

never plugged it in. just felt good

after this many years. i dont know
I was living in germany.. cuz im german not military
I just wanted a instrument.

live playing.. hmm
I used to make the beer glasses rattle
in the local bar. jam
I had a 350 wattt traynor amp with the gibson riper
I was never loud . just present
I had to tone my box down some to get a brigher tone.
but the gibson is a bass instrument.. good luck at making it sound bright.. lol

today i bought a banjo. fender top of the li

Bought it new the summer of 77, 450.00. (fifteen years old washing dishes in a casino) Solid maple body, neck, and fretboard. Finished in natural, I wanted the ebony like Gene played but natural was the only thing available. I believe the natural finish has aged better than the ebony would have. Volume and tone controls plus the 4 way selector. Position one and three are full with nice mids. Four is thin and out of phase, while two is thin.

The sound has been incredibly versitile for rock, pop, country, and jazz work. I used an Acoustic 140 head with an Acoustic 18 inch cabinet. With a P bass this might of been too muddy, but with the Gibson it never was. Mostly mids and highs, lows were good enough. One thing though, the pick-ups are not that strong. Sometimes I'd add an MXR EQ to get a little compression and boost.

Besides knowing that Gene played one, the first time I picked up a Gibson Bass (a Ripper) I was blown away by how low the strings were and how easy it played. That summer as I was saving for one I played a few different ones that had the same nice action. Excellent factory setup with the one I bought, never no issues.

Never let me down, had to have the frets dressed after running a set of Rotosounds, afterword only used half or ground rounds. Today after twentyseven years the pots need to be cleaned, the natural finish is a bit duller and the chrome not quite as bright, but otherwise it's good to go. Aound 80 I put an straplock on and it wears a little bucklerash and dings but the natural finish has held up well. The Gibson hardshell case has not held up as well, but it certainly saved the instrument.

Lifetime warranty, but never had to use it.

Been playing thirty years, even made money doing it in college. Have a real life now, so it's just a pass-time. If I lost it I'd have to search out another one. I did buy a Rick 4003 a couple of years ago and I love it. The only other brand of basses that consitantly have good actions that I've found, plus I love the Rick tone. Even though the Rick is a thing to behold, the Ripper is the one I grew up with. Once in a while I wish it would of been finished in ebony with the ebony fretboard, but then it probably would show more battle scars than it does.

1977 model, natural finish, maple neck, maple body, 20 frets, 4 position chickenhead knob, passive soapbar pickups?, string-thru-body, long scale, jumbo frets, glued-in neck, made in USA, with case.

Very versatile. Used by Rick Danko, Bob Casale, (Devo - sawed off and covered with electrical tape), the self-important Mike Dirnt. Positions 1, 3, and 4 were useable on the chickenhead. I had no use for position 2 -- too thin. Mine sounded clicky on the low E, like the string was brushing metal. I never could get rid of that sound.

The neck was bowed. Adjusting the truss rod helped. The action was high. The E string made a clicking sound when plucked hard. Weighed a ton. The use of roundwound strings wore off the black paint on the headstock.

Plenty sturdy, you could kill someone with it. The clover leaf tuners corroded over time. Some little kid pulled off the chickenhead knob while I was playing it.

N/A

I've been playing 25 years. I consider myself primarily a guitarist now. My present bass is a Guild Pilot, which is easier to play, but is not as versatile soundwise. I wish I had had more experience playing different basses before I purchased it. D.A. stole it in 1993, I later found out. I didn't have to hunt him down, his heart finally gave out a year ago, after many years of substance abuse. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

Mid to late seventies American made four string bass, natural wood (no paint) three knobs; Volume, tone, and mid i believe. Two pickups and a four way selector "chicken head" knob. String thru the body bridge but it also allows the choice to be strung at the bridge as well.

A very nice sound for rockin'. (nirvana, hot snakes, crazy horse,) I'm using an old fender 2x15" cab and a new gallien kruger head (the 280 watt 400 rb IV). I just recorded a demo with a friend who has many years of experience with recording and he commented on how good this bass sounded, thru the amp as well as straight into the box.
We also noticed that the pickups were slightly microphonic in that they picked up the sound of a cymbol crash from the drummer when we listened to the direct bass track by itself, but im not particually bothered by it.
this bass does sound decent without an amp, louder that most electric basses played unplugged for some reason.... Thin Body too...

This bass is has an awesome action, thats one of by faviorite parts. The neck is easy. ONe problem is that is kinda dives head down when you let it go with a strap on... it doesnt really bother me, and i found that a leather strap sticks to your shoulder better and helps pervent that from happening.

This bass it probably more worn than most out there, but is is still working great, i bought it very used and its still strong, holds in tune well, very durable.

Very affordable and great sounding vintage american instrument.

This is one of the early models. 1973 when I ran a check on the serial number. Although gibson apparently didn't start making them till 1974. Beautiful maple, 2 pickups with three controls and a four way selector. Controls are volume, tone, and mid boost, cut. lots of variations. This is a very light bass. I have tried a 1980 (I think) ripper which was awful and weighed as much as a tank. A really different bass which had none of the quality of this one. So, avoid the late ones.

The sound is a very fat, natural, and vintage. I have recorded this through valve pre and valve comp and the bottom end is so rich you don't need eq. it just sits brilliantly. Because the bass is light it also is good for stage work. No dislocated shoulders so far...

Decent action, nice fat frets, very smooth to play. You just don't get this type of feel on modern basses. It's a taste thing i suppose. You can probably play faster on a modern bass but I'll take tone any day. The finish is quality. Considering this intrument is 31 years old it goes to show that craftmanship mattered in those days. It is strung through the body and keeps it tuning very well. My only concern is the where the jack input is. It's on the top and if you stand on or snag the cable it can crack the scratch plate. They should have put it on the side.

Because of the input socket I had to have some wiring work done but apart from that it has been very reliable and very solid.

I have had this bass for about 6 years now and when i first tried it I fell in love with it. It just fits. This is half the price compared to other gibsons of this era i.e. The eb series. Maybe people don't like the look of it. I don't care. You just can't get this quality for this price elsewhere. Vintage fenders in the UK are a thousand pounds and more. Great basses but too expensive. Don't know what I'd do if it were stolen...

No idea when or what spawned the Ripper. Heard a story that it was Carol Kaye who helped Gibson design this monster, if true she's a tough bird as this thing is a tank that weighs in with the heavyweights. No visible serial number and a previous owner refinished the body... Though that is putting it nicely. This bass started life with one large humbucker near the neck, then the previous owner added a single coil jazz pick up at the bridge. Also some Dr Frankenstein added a coil tap to the humbucker. Though this seemed to be among the nicer things he did to this bass.

It was a mess when I got it. I had to have ALL the wiring redone and replace the toggle switch. Everything inside was old and rotting. As to whether this was due to normal aging or the malfeasance of previous abusers is a good question. Also replaced the tuners, pots, and lined the inside of the body to reduce electrical and radio interference.

Lost the bridge cover a long time ago... assuming it was orignal (kinda got in the way of my playing style anyway).

Running the Ripper through an Ampeg 350vt sounds good. Lots of punch and low end. Definitely has it's own sound and character. Even sounds good unplugged and acoustically louder than other basses I've had (not that this matters much with an electric instrument). Since the pick ups were rewired the all permeating buzz has disappeared. Can't imagine what this bass was supposed to sound like straight from the factory 30 years ago but it's quite powerful now.

Neck is a bit thick but I find that I can get used to most anything after awhile. The neck also developed a hump along the way (no jokes please) This requires replaning to fix it... but it's still very playable. The bridge is the same simple hunk of metal I still see on Gibsons. The craftsmanship must have been rather remarkable to have survived this long given the shape it was in when I rescued it.

The body is very durable. Feels like cast iron in a wood casing. I'm a tall guy so it feels like the right size to me but I can imagine that it might be too heavy for a lot of people. Then again, I've played Les Paul 6 strings that I thought were even heavier.

Gibson was extremely helpful and responsive with emailed questions regarding wiring and replacement parts.

This bass has a lot of unique character. Not to mention sentimental value as my first bass. It's also a conversation starter. At gigs other musicians always ask about it. It's not a starter bass by any means. In fact other bass' are probably a lot easier to play and won't break your back. So it the kind of bass only it's parent could love... But love it I do. Given the scarcity of Rippers out there I don't know that replacing it is possible.