lozbass Posted October 23, 2009 Posted October 23, 2009 Again, after months of promises, I finally had a chance to take some photographs of my Ripper this morning. I bought the bass from A1 in Manchester in '79: it had been there for a couple of years and had experienced a hard gigging life - it played beautifully and sounded stunning (just like Patrick Djivas' bass) and was my first expensive bass - about £280 I think. I was well-chuffed to get hold of it and it served me fantastcally well during the second period of my 'career' from around '79 to '86 (see the Status pages for period three!) I had the bass re-finished by the incomparable Ted Lee in 1981 - check out the 2 pack AC burst and attention to detail: the guy's a genius! Around a year later, I had a Seymour Duncan Precision pickup and a cloned Precision Special active circuit fitted. The bass gained a lot as a recording instrument but lost its original Ripper sound - not a great idea but I still absolutely love it. The bass is now retired as I only really play short-scale, however, playability is unbelievable and the bass has a great old school tone Quote
steve-soar Posted October 23, 2009 Posted October 23, 2009 That is one of the most beautiful basses I have ever seen. I am a total sucker for sunbursts. Nice one Loz. Quote
TheButler Posted October 24, 2009 Posted October 24, 2009 Looks awesome. Pitty they're all so favoured by the hardcore/metalcore bands out there now. Regardless, do want Quote
lozbass Posted October 24, 2009 Author Posted October 24, 2009 Thanks for the kind words guys - this bass is very special to me (we spent a lot of time together - some of it fun - in the late '70s and early '80s). I hadn't seen it for a while, but took it out of the case yesterday and still got a lovely buzz Quote
Shaggy Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 Stunning bass - that finish looks superb with the maple board. I've always modded old basses, in fact it's half the fun of playing bass, but with the vintage market being driven by collectors it's a criminal offence these days. This bass has history, character, the personality of its owner, and is far sweeter than when it left Kalamazoo. Respect! Quote
Rayman Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 That's absolutely fab, love it. I used to love A1 music, it was like the catacombs down there, a proper music shop, and I loved Rhythm House in Stockport too, bought my first bass from there around '79, a Columbus Jazz, which was crap, but I were only a lad. Quote
Dread Bass Posted October 28, 2009 Posted October 28, 2009 I love these basses and id like one don't no if they ever made left handed version ones. Quote
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