Does this sound like a Ripper to you?

[PhilT]

Since I got my 78 ebony Ripper, I've had real problems with the sound I get from it. Eventually I worked out that the bridge pickup, which is a rebuild by Kent Armstrong, was wired single coil and reversed polarity. I can't get my head around the effect that has electrically, with the 4 settings, but I used the pictures on Jules' site to wire it correctly, and it's better. It still sounds completely different from the earlier alder/maple Ripper I have, but I'm not too surprised at that.

When we played for the Jubilee in June my daughter filmed some of the set and I was using it in position 2, so the KA is solo. Sounds very aggressive to me. What do you think, does that sound like a Ripper? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR_fg5B3UpU&feature=plcp

(There may be other factors, the 1x12 combo for example. BTW, I know my playing was awful, we'd been laid off since Feb and had 1 rehearsal.)

[Denis]

Hmm, sounds like a Ripper to me. I love the all black ones, too. I like the song too!

[uwe]

As ripperish as Jack himself. Rippers often sound a little dry and stiff to the point of "dusty", they are not sustain monsters like, say, TBirds.

The differences you hear to your blond Ripper are probably due to the maple board and the alder body, it should sound fuzzier, not as dryly-focused as the black one. And of course the Ken Armstrong pup must have an effect too.

[Stjofön Big]

Nice raw sound, and good bassline too! I like the singers voice. Bit like Grace Slick?
For my rock-blues band, Shake Down, I use a Ripper. Though it's not a Ripper no more, to be honest. Had some P-bass pu's installed, so I got rid of them, and put a black T-bird pup in her, made a new pickguard, 2 controls, and, voila, a new bass with a great sound saw the light of day.

[nofi]

it sounds fine. lots of sustain in a bass is still a mystery to me.

[uwe]

I like a note to "sing" beyond the 12th fret upwards, attack is secondary to me as I am a pick player - we invented attack!  There are lots of bolt-on and set neck basses with ample sustain, but they don't sing in the upper register like a neck-thru Reverse does.

[PhilT]

Thanks everyone. That means I don't have to venture again into the labyrinth of Ripper wiring. Hell, those things are complicated.

I still can't see why mine was wired the way it was when I got it. I lived with it for a while, but rarely got through two songs with it.

And, yeah, pick players unite!

[PhilT]

Nice raw sound, and good bassline too! I like the singers voice. Bit like Grace Slick?
For my rock-blues band, Shake Down, I use a Ripper. Though it's not a Ripper no more, to be honest. Had some P-bass pu's installed, so I got rid of them, and put a black T-bird pup in her, made a new pickguard, 2 controls, and, voila, a new bass with a great sound saw the light of day.

Thanks, I'll pass on the Grace Slick comparison to her. I've been trying to get some Airplane in the set, but no luck so far. I've even got the JCS waiting (though it's good for way more than that).

[Dave W]

I can hear the Grace Slick comparison, but her voice is better than Grace's. Besides, she's nowhere near scary looking enough to do Grace.