Depending on one's taste a Ripper is either a very natural sounding or nothing to write home about!
I used to think the latter, but I've slowly come round. If you prefer a bass sound that jumps at you and goes for your throat, other basses will make you happier.
The bass has authoritative lows, audible mids and gentle, but clear treble and presence, yet it favors none of these frequencies, it is very even sounding. It is not a middish grinder like a Grabber or an attack-happy snapper like a G-3 nor a sub-woofing monster like an EB. With its balanced core sound, it is actually pretty versatile (as it was intended to be) and much is down to what amp you use and how you play. You can get a Ripper to growl (like Mel Schacher and Gene Simmons did), have it just sound nice (like Peter Cetera did), have it clank in Ric mode (like Greg Lake did) or have it warm and fuzzy (like Rick Danko with The Band preferred).
