spinynorman Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm wresting with a rather strange problem and wondering if anyone else has had anything similar. I have a 1978 Gibson Ripper. At home I have a Crate BT50 combo, and through that the Ripper sounds like it should. For band rehearsals and gigs I use a Markbass CMD121H and through that it sounds terrible. 3 of the 4 varitone positions on the Ripper are unusably harsh and grindy, position 3 just has no volume or tone worth speaking of. I've tried the vintage filter, but that just makes it sound muffled. My MIJ Precision sounds great through either amp, though now I come to think about it, my 51 RI P was quite harsh through the Markbass, though not as bad as the Ripper. I'm assuming the Crate is a less "modern" design than the MB, or at least there's something different about the MB that doesn't suit the older bass. Can anyone shed any kind of light on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I think the problem is Rippers sound quite bad. The good ripper sound is the sound of a driven Ampeg. More coloured the amp the more it covers it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I agree that the Ripper is a one trick pony and you better like that sound. Like most Gibson basses, actually, IMV. I can't see a way round selling either amp or bass...chalk and cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I don't think the problem is your amps. You may not agree but the surprise here is that the Ripper sounds good through the anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Have you tried going to a nearby (bass) amp stockist with your Ripper and giving it a whirl through various different gear? I have encountered a similar syndrome but to a lesser extent with some of my gear. In particular, my Ampeg SVP-Pro flatters my Fender Jazz and Fretless 'Ray 5, but not my Yamaha or Status. My Vigier sounds phenomenal through anything. Dunno why. It just [i]does[/i].. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLEWING Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1111498' date='Feb 1 2011, 07:36 PM']Have you tried going to a nearby (bass) amp stockist with your Ripper and giving it a whirl through various different gear? I have encountered a similar syndrome but to a lesser extent with some of my gear. In particular, my Ampeg SVP-Pro flatters my Fender Jazz and Fretless 'Ray 5, but not my Yamaha or Status. My Vigier sounds phenomenal through anything. Dunno why. It just [i]does[/i]..[/quote] Yep, gotta agree with the shop thing. Every guitar has a favourite amp which complements it. My Yammy RBX375 sounded pants thru my Peavey 300 combo, but good thru the TNT 150 and awesome thru my Ashdown Mag head and 2 x 15" Hartke. My Squier p-bass was pure Entwistle in the 300. It's trial and error I'm afraid, but when you find the right setup you'll be laughing. Bit like a woman, but don't get me started.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilLordJuju Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Some real lazy, pointless, and cliched replies here. [quote name='JTUK' post='1110490' date='Feb 1 2011, 12:28 AM']I agree that the Ripper is a one trick pony and you better like that sound. Like most Gibson basses, actually, IMV.[/quote] I just don't know why people say things like this. Gibson have made so many basses using different woods, pickups and construction techniques. Some have few sounds, some have very very many. My Rippers sound great - I do use mostly old amps, but sometimes modern ones. Is your Ripper working ok? The out of phase sound will require an even output from both pickups. If one is set too high or low, these positions won't give the sound it is supposed to. See the control descriptions here [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Ripper_controls.php"]Gibson Ripper controls[/url]. You might be able to work out the problem by working out which position is the one that sounds ok. Try playing with your set up maybe? Even doing this some settings may be less useful than others, but probably not to the extent you describe. Also Ripper pickups have VERY fiddly wire connections inside, and do damage easily. If a set up doesn't help, maybe measure their resistances. Are both pups giving a good output? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I say it because every Gibson bass I've tried has been a dog. Basic electronics... clubby necks, high actions and dullsville sounds without fail. The only one I haven't really got my hands on has been the Les Paul but that was in a different league money-wise. Admittedly, these predjudices are a few years old...and I have had plenty of Fender types stack up like that as well, but the fact remains that when handled, there is nothing about these basses that didn't make me want to put them straight back down again. Most basses, I have to tweak a bit to make them playable for me...but you need some encouragement that this is possible.. sadly, with this make of bass, I never found that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) [quote name='evilLordJuju' post='1111541' date='Feb 1 2011, 08:12 PM']Some real lazy, pointless, and cliched replies here. I just don't know why people say things like this. Gibson have made so many basses using different woods, pickups and construction techniques. Some have few sounds, some have very very many.[/quote] yes, I thought I'd wandered into Talkbass for a minute. I wouldn't bother with it if I didn't think it had potential. Neck suits me fine, action is great, and it shouldn't sound like it does. [quote name='evilLordJuju' post='1111541' date='Feb 1 2011, 08:12 PM']My Rippers sound great - I do use mostly old amps, but sometimes modern ones. Is your Ripper working ok? The out of phase sound will require an even output from both pickups. If one is set too high or low, these positions won't give the sound it is supposed to. See the control descriptions here [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Ripper_controls.php"]Gibson Ripper controls[/url]. You might be able to work out the problem by working out which position is the one that sounds ok. Try playing with your set up maybe? Even doing this some settings may be less useful than others, but probably not to the extent you describe. Also Ripper pickups have VERY fiddly wire connections inside, and do damage easily. If a set up doesn't help, maybe measure their resistances. Are both pups giving a good output?[/quote] The bridge pickup is a Kent Armstrong relacement and is 7.78K on my meter. The neck pickup is original afaik, it's 6.38K. But the back of it was shielded with copper tape, and earthed. I've just removed that and under it was an acetate cover over foam padding. There was another earth wire added from the back of one of the pots to the control cavity. So I've taken all that out. Certainly not any noisier without it. I played it through an Ampeg B-2RE last week into a GK 4x10. Sounded bad through that too This is how it was ... Neck pickup with extra stuff removed ... KA Bridge pickup ... Edited February 2, 2011 by spinynorman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilLordJuju Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 [b]So which setting is sounding ok?[/b] The only thing I would change if I was designing the Ripper would be to have an extra varitone setting for neck pickup only - it isn't that easy to test the necks sound in a Ripper with standard wiring. The stock positions are for both pickups, except pos 2 which is bridge only. Could you neck pickup be giving a low output? Could it be that the neck and bridge are not well matched for each other? This is a bit tricky to test really, when you can't isolate the neck pup.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) I wasn't really happy with any of the settings. Position 3 had no bass or volume. 1 had heavy E and A, very harsh trebly D and G. 2 was muddy and boomy, 4 was the closest to ok, but very dark. As a result of all the things I've done, playing with EQ on the amp, changing pickup heights and angles, taking out the earth wires and padding, it does seem to be getting better - 1 and 3 are now closer to being usable. I've got a gig tonight and am trying flat wound strings on the bridge, not through the body, hoping this will take out some of the resonance. I'll get as much playing time as I can with it - the band's getting slightly impatient with my experiment, especially as I have a Precision that they like. But I can only really tell if it's working if I play it with the band. Neck pickup is 6.38K, I thought that was about standard. The KA rebuild at the bridge is hotter, 7.78K. So it could be they're not a good match. Edited February 4, 2011 by spinynorman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 New strings? Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 [quote name='Truckstop' post='1115626' date='Feb 4 2011, 05:24 PM']New strings? Truckstop[/quote] As the problem or the solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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