What you’re looking at here,I can assure,is one of a kind. Sometime ago I purchased what was advertised as a 1974’/75’ era Gibson Ripper bass body coupled with a proper Gibson Ripper neck and fretboard,both of which came from the original factory in Kalamazoo prior to it’s closing. My initial thought was to assemble it and paint it black,as I was playing in a KISS tribute band at the time. Upon receipt,the neck was unfinished and the body sported an unattractive finish that I had my tech remove to achieve some uniformity.The back of the neck,despite having a nice comfortable feel,was also never finished in terms of shaping and contouring and remains that way to this day! And,it follows that there is no serial number or MADE IN USA stamp as we Gibson owners have become accustomed to. (For those looking for something unique,here’s your chance to have the neck custom-contoured to your liking,in addition to affixing your very own serial number!)As you can see despite the lack of a proper finish,I did have my luthier complete the bass,and I spared no expense in getting it right. Features: ‘74-‘75 era genuine Gibson Ripper bass body w/maple neck-Ebony fretboard with brand new small nickel frets(virtually unplayed)…to simulate the original Gibson frets which were barely there..that being said,it’s very comfortable to play.) The bass sports the Seymour Duncan Ripper bass pickup set…and they sound amazing!!! The bridge is the 3-point,made by Gotoh and includes the chrome bridge cover...the strap buttons are also Gotoh and are dead ringers for the old Gibson type. The Ripper harness comes with Choke and uses Bourns pots. The 4-position Varitone-style switch is manufactured by de Lisle and sounds great:provides usable tones in each position. Schaller machines and a WD-style Ripper pickguard round out the vintage look! And,of course,the period-correct knob pointers are present,along with the string ferrules and original Gibson string anchor. As I said…attention was paid to detail. The result? A great playing/sounding bass that really captures the spirit of the original Ripper and maybe one up’s it a bit. The bass,although not perfect,is in great shape overall. (see all pics),and comes complete with (2) Gibson gold decals and an LM-brand black studded strap that bears a striking resemblance to the strap used by Gene Simmons on his Ripper of the same era. *There is no bag/case for this instrument…feel free to message me should you have a case for shipping or if you want to make the proper arrangements* (There’s also some video footage of my playing the bass if you‘re interested…) In terms of weight..she’s nice and light!!!