1979 Gibson Ripper Vintage Electric Bass Guitar Black Bill Lawrence Pickups

Up for sale, a 1979 Gibson "The Ripper" bass in excellent condition and in perfect working order. One of the more unique and versatile Gibson bass designs ever produced, the Ripper comes equipped with its original pair of Bill Lawrence designed "Super Humbucker" pickups and a four-way rotary pickup selector switch for series, parallel, and out of phase tones. The contoured maple body and set maple neck design gives the bass great sustain, and a note attack that has great bite and growl. Weighing in at 10lbs 4oz, this bass has a clear, punchy acoustic tone that translates well through the pickups. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, the Ripper is currently strung with a set of roundwound 45-105 strings, delivering equal parts fundamental thump and top end cut.

The three-piece maple neck has a fairly chunky C shaped profile with generous shoulders and a substantial feel. The ebony fretboard has pearl dot inlay and original frets that are in fantastic shape. The frets are the wide/flat variety favored by Gibson in this era, and the frets currently show light, uniform wear beneath frets 1-2 extending beneath the A and D strings until fret 6, with sparingly little wear further up the neck. The truss rod is responsive and the bass has a balanced and clear sound in all registers with no buzzing or dead spots. On the headstock, the original tuning machines are intact and work as they should, and the "Ripper" truss rod cover is present.

All of the electronics work as they should, with untouched solder joints and CTS pots that date to the 42nd week of 1979. The four-way rotary pickup selector switch works as follows:

1 in phase — series
2 bridge only — single
3 in phase — parallel
4 out of phase — series

All of the original hardware is intact, including the black speed knobs, stock four saddle bridge, and strap buttons. In terms of cosmetic wear, there is moderate buckle rash in the clear coat of the finish on the back, and a few finish chips around the edges of the contoured body. The ebony finish is 100% original with no touchups or overspray, and this Ripper is structurally sound, completely original, and professionally setup.