ShergoldSnickers Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Great project with plenty to get your teeth into, and the Ripper is a classy shape. Good luck with this, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1366564395' post='2054131'] None of it is mahogany. Alder body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard. [/quote] I thought the body on these was maple? Or was yours the year that they went to alder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) - Edited February 18, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 [quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1366571340' post='2054293'] I once turned down a Gibson Ripper in favour of a cheapo P-bass. The difference was only about £20, too! It was a natural maple body with the 'arrow-head' headstock, as on the Flying-V bass, and with the sliding pickup. I couldn't get the pickup to move, the frets had been pulled, and even then my preference for P pickups was starting to show. Still, it remains a bargain I should have put the time and effort into fixing up. [/quote] It was a Grabber, another highly underrated bass. On my list for one day, however the power of P always draws me to safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 [quote name='3below' timestamp='1366572034' post='2054305'] It was a Grabber, another highly underrated bass. On my list for one day, however the power of P always draws me to safety. [/quote] Sounds like a Grabber - though when they went to the G-3, they finally did away with the moveable pick-up and settled for three single-coils, with the a switch. I had a 1976 G3 and it was a great bass. Looks a very good project Neep. Assume non-standard colours are in, too? I mean, Gibson didn't always give bassists a lot of choice - but you could paint it anything. Red, maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 [quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1366568732' post='2054237'] I thought the body on these was maple? Or was yours the year that they went to alder? [/quote] According to Jules' site - 1975 and 76 were alder years. All other years body was maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 [quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1366576128' post='2054429'] Sounds like a Grabber - though when they went to the G-3, they finally did away with the moveable pick-up and settled for three single-coils, with the a switch. I had a 1976 G3 and it was a great bass. Looks a very good project Neep. Assume non-standard colours are in, too? I mean, Gibson didn't always give bassists a lot of choice - but you could paint it anything. Red, maybe? [/quote] Well, I had a crazy idea of doing a translucent cherry red like an old EB, but that depends on how well I deal with the various dings on the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) - Edited February 18, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1366579214' post='2054504'] According to Jules' site - 1975 and 76 were alder years. All other years body was maple. [/quote] Exactly where i got the info too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Far too many posts without pics! More pics, please!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Well, I had a successful day's sanding and steaming out dings. I'm glad I got the front sorted out, it looks like my original idea is back on - classic cherry red translucent. It's sanded all over to 120 grit, still some pink in the horns to get rid of. I guess if I go down the cherry red route then it'll look a bit like this "wine red" Grabber: (picture nicked from Jules' site) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umcoo Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Really nice grain on that body. I'm half-temped to strip my G-3 now to see what the grain's like on that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Oh Yeah! That steaming was well worth it...that is a really nice Alder body. This is a great restoration job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus bell Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 I had a very productive lunch hour at work, splicing together various bits of pictures from flyguitars.com (thanks Jules once again for your website) to come up with a mockup of what I hope the final result will be: The Ripper that never was! Also have ordered a few bits and bobs - strap buttons, 4 way switch, pickguard and screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) Very interesting. In the early 1980s I had a black 1970s Ripper that had been subject to an amateur defret rather like this one. I played it in a ska band. I've no recollection of what happened to it but wish I still had it. Edited April 24, 2013 by EssentialTension Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 Small update - more steaming/sanding. Also fixed a nasty bit on the back of the lower horn, wood was actually split - I have no idea how people manage this. I mixed wood dust and glue into a paste then filled the hole. Glad it's in the back as it turned out much darker than I anticipated. Still, at least it seems solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardjmorgan Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Do you know what I think would look awesome on this? White. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 [quote name='richardjmorgan' timestamp='1366969558' post='2059552'] Do you know what I think would look awesome on this? White. [/quote] I'm sure it would. Maybe next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 Small update: another pass all over at 180 grit, it's beginning to actually feel smooth now and the swirly orbital sander marks are almost gone. Got some 240, 400 and 600 grit to come then I think it'll be ready to be sprayed. Also, the 4 way switch arrived. Of course it's different to the one in the schematic! So I had to do a bit of detective work on how the switch worked, make a translation table of pin numbers from old -> new then redo the schematic for the switch. Here's what I've got. Would anyone like to idiot check it? My switch works thus: Position 1: A -> 1, B -> 5, C -> 9 Position 2: A -> 2, B -> 6, C -> 10 Position 3: A -> 3, B -> 7, C -> 11 Position 4: A -> 4, B -> 8, C -> 12 A is wired to ground, B takes the (reversed) hot of the bridge pickup, C is final output to the volume pot. X means no connection. Position 1 should give both in series Position 2 should be bridge pickup only Position 3 should be both in parallel Position 4 should be neck only I think I'm right, am I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Been following your updates from the start neepheid, it's fairly coming on impressively well. I'd be keen to do something similar myself, but it's this stage where I'd be absolutely clueless trying to do the electrics myself. Looking forward to seeing the end result!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untune Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Agh.... this has made me want a Ripper so badly! Great work so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Loving this. The schematic looks logical and right to me...but I am no expert when it comes to guitar elecs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Is that the order that they would be originally? Every bass I've had with this wiring system has been bridge only, both in parallel, both in series, neck only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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