I miss my old Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass and I regret selling it. I might have mentioned it before but I tricked it out with a selector switch, EMG-HB pickups and an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ circuit. I might be doing something about the lack of Les Paul in my bass collection and I have a BQC lying around. I was wondering if anyone had paired up TB+ pickups with active EQ here? How did you get on? Did you like the results?
I'm going to give it a bash anyway, I just thought I'd ask while I've got scheming time. If it's rubbish then I'll have to get a couple of EMG-HBs in there as well, because I know that works
A model that never made it past prototype, and a long lost one. And two Fenders that most certainly would give me GAS, especially the Starcaster. Is anyone else excited by this prospect apart from me?
I think it's a 1974/75 Ripper, there's no other clues like pot codes to pin it down further, but I'm going to err towards '75 due to the magnitude of the serial number (574623).
All I've got with it are 8 half pressed in frets (now removed) and the three mounting bolts for the bridge. It's an alder bodied Ripper, so it's nice and light and the ebony fingerboard is a nice bonus - I do like an ebony fingerboard. So I've got a lot of parts to find.
I'll be trying to bring this back to as close to original as I can, but I will be changing a few things.
It will probably be wired like the second diagram in this file: http://www.ak-line.com/medium/L9-S_Ripper_Neck.pdf - out of phase wiring is horrible. Just because one CAN do something, doesn't mean one SHOULD. Maybe I'll try both and see. It will have a period incorrect 5 ply pickguard (I don't like single ply pickguards) I'll probably end up reaming out the holes in the headstock for some Schaller BM sized tuners instead of the weird sized ones that used to be on it.
I fancy refinishing it like the "wine red" that some Grabbers came in:
I should be able to find most of the things I need, but I'm currently headscratching about the truss rod cover and the string through ferrules for the top of the body. And if I can't find any old Ripper pickups then I'll have to take a deep breath and empty my wallet in Seymour Duncan's direction...
Well, after the "Gibson Grabber 3 70s Tribute Bass" fiasco, I consoled myself with an Epiphone Jack Casady. In gold, of course, gold is the colour of winners (medals) after all. Well, unless you are literally coloured gold, then you lose:
But I digress. I always liked the look of these, and let's face it - the chances of me owning a Les Paul Sig are virtually zero - I've never spent more than a grand on a bass (my wife bought me my RD ). However, I tried one in a shop a couple of years ago and thought "meh" to myself - it didn't particularly stand out or do anything special. So I put it down and tried to forget about it.
But I started finding YouTube vids of it sounding tremendous:
So it got me thinking again. So I ended up with some money after the refund. So I bought one. You've seen them all before, so I'll only bore you with one pic (to prove that I have it, naturellement)
Had a very successful band rehearsal on the day it arrived (only had time for a quick tune up and off I went) and it performed very well - I did experience a little feedback if I stepped too close to the amp, but rehearsal rooms are cramped both physically and acoustically so I'm sure it won't be so much of a problem in a bigger environment. Since then I've put my preferred strings on it (Hartke nickel roundwound 45-105) and tweaked the setup. Also did a wee recording of a song idea (varitone on 250, tone at 10) -
I am really fond of this bass, it definitely has a sound all of its own - it has no problem being heard in a band mix, but at the same time is quite old-school and warm. And growly. I've located a gig bag it'll fit in. I am going to pimp it up a little - got a set of Hipshot Ultralite tuners on their way - there is but the slightest hint of neck dive - more like a slight tugging on my sleeve than any actual movement, but also one of the press fit bushings is lifting out of the headstock under string tension. I do not like press fit bushings. They're fine if they're properly installed, but if the hole is even a hair's width oversized then this stuff is bound to happen. And the three pointer's got to go. I'm not saying this to stir the pot, just a declaration of my intentions.
But consider me a happy camper. Got another band practice tonight, and I've just acquired a Zoom H2n so I hope for some tasty recordings
I attended the Moffat Bass Bash (a gathering of bass players in south Scotland for beer, curry and basses) last weekend. A fantastic array of basses was on display. Represented the brand with my Victory, RD and SG-Z (no room for the IV this time, sorry!). This is what the feeling of playing a Victory Artist looks like:
Here was my little corner of the room:
Happy to report that during the big jam later on (house band of 2x guitar/vocals and drummer then we all swap in and out playing different songs), the Victory was praised for its thick but defined tone. Full active, neck pickup, bass +2, treble -1 in case you were wondering
Thanks to Peter Jamieson for taking the pics and capturing me in a happy place
My taste for the unusual in bass life continues with the acquisition of a 1985 G&L El Toro - certainly the most Fenderish thing you'll find me with.
Black headstock means it sits neatly in with all my Gibsons
Got pole pieces?
Volume, treble, bass, black = pickup selector, red = mad series mode + OMG treble cut, white = active/passive.
It's quite a beast - gobs of thick bass and that's before you kick it into active mode. A little different to my Tribute L-2000 (one would hope), haven't done enough A-B to give you a definitive comparison, but I think it's a keeper. Black crinkle finish on the control plate/bridge keeps the bling down and keeps it tasteful (for me). Some people have described these as difficult to get along with, a mid heavy sound but to me it sounds fantastic and my only complaint is that it's a bit hissy if you kick it into active and have the treble all the way up.
I might have to get rid of the L-2000 to help balance the books, but I'm putting that off, as I'm sure you can agree they do look lovely together
Yamaha BBs and G&Ls, my little non-Gibson indulgences
As some of you may recall, I sold my G-3 a while back. Well, I've replaced it with a 2001 SG-Z. It's pretty mean looking and it's a bit like a growlier version of my IV. Can't really tell much difference between single coil and parallel, but then again I can't really tell much difference on my G&L either Very light weight (probably the lightest bass I own currently) and a surprising lack of neck dive with a grippy strap (I remember with the same strap the bottom end of my old Epiphone EB-3 would try to go up as the neck made a slow descent towards the floor)
I headed down to the south of Scotland to a place called Moffat to participate in a bass bash (geeky gathering of bass fanatics and their equipment for the unaware). I thought I'd keep the Gibson end up and took my 4 along with me (as well as my Guild B402-A and my Yamaha BB614). Needless to say, I was the only one with Gibsons, but they got some appreciative looks and comments, the RD in particular. Excuse the terrible photo:
The G-3 is hiding behind a G&L inspired custom build a friend made. Later on we had a "bassyokey" (house band with each participant bass player going up and doing a song) and I took the RD up and had a go.
Apologies for bum notes. I kinda wish I had remembered to put the Moog stuff on.
Anyway, it was a good laugh and I was happy to keep the Gibson name in the frame with some fellow bass enthusiasts with my small collection of beautiful freaks
I have a very lovely wife who has bought me a 1979 RD Artist (two switch Moog). I have looked longingly at these ever since I got into Gibson basses but always shied away from the cost vs. my bass playing skills. However, my wife recently got a financial boost and decided to treat me. I am a very lucky man.
Pics to come, it's a little grubby and needs a good clean (lacquer feels rough in places due to the accumulation of dust/dirt and the machine heads will need a good coke soak), but with fresh strings on it sounds great and all the Moog stuff is working. Some chump had confused one of the machine screws that goes into the threaded insert for the battery cover with a pickguard screw and tried to jam it into the threaded insert - no permanent damage done thankfully. The only missing thing is one of the 5-0-5 speed knobs has obviously been lost and replaced with a standard 0-10 one. Anyone got a spare?
Allow me to introduce the latest addition to my collection of "under-appreciated American basses of the 70s and 80s" - a 1981 Guild B402-A. Please excuse the rather washed out looking mobile phone pics:
Here's one better colour from the auction (showing the original hard case):
I've always been intrigued by the Guild B300 series basses, I loved the quirky shape coupled with the traditional build touches like the set neck and 2 + 2 headstock. However, I questioned the need in my collection for another passive, 20 fret, single coil bass (that base being covered very nicely by the Gibson G-3). So it went on the "if I was loaded/bored" list.
That was until I discovered the B400 series. Early active electronics, 22 fret nonsense anyone? Yes please! I realised that I had seen one before - one of the weird ones that they stained the front and back faces of the body and left the rest (including the contours) clear.
I probably thought "Yuck!" and left it at that without even thinking. Anyway, while doing my research I discovered that they were only made for 2 years (1980-81) and only 335 were made (assuming all serial numbers were allocated). That's 335 total of single and double pickup varieties. That's not a lot. I didn't feel too hopeful.
So, imagine my surprise when one dutifully appears on eBay, right on cue. I hummed and hawed for a day or so then decided to go for it. You only live once and all that.
Well, I'm delighted with it. Sounds great, feels great, looks weird - completely at home in my collection!
A couple of nights ago I did some cleaning - dismantled the tuners and cleaned them up, polished the brass nut and the frets. I'll take some nicer pics with a proper camera soon.
Last night I put together some soundclips. They're not very good (recorded direct into Audacity through an E-MU 0202 USB) but hopefully they show the tonal variety.
During a drunken conversation at the Moffat Bass Bash, I proposed a solution to the neckdive of the Thunderbird bass - make it headless. I remember it being a visionary idea at the time, but in the cold, sober light of day it seems like a daft project to take on for a laugh
This may be the talk of a dead heretic walking here but I would like to butcher a bolt on Thunderbird (Epiphone Goth preferred because of mahogany body) and add a headless neck and bridge. I might alter the body shape a little to address another of what I see as one of the faults of the Thunderbird - high fret access.
I've been pottering around in the GIMP and come up with this:
Possible moving of the lower horn to allow improved high fret access:
I think I've managed to source a donor headless so all I need now is a loaded t-bird body, or a t-bird with a broken neck. As I said above, I would prefer an Epiphone Goth for the donor body. Has anyone got anything lying around?
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