Uwe! Six string RD Artist bass

[Basvarken]

Definitely one for Ze Kollekshun!

https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/vintage-guitars-and-musical-instruments/1976-gibson-rd-artist-natural-6-string-electric-bass-guitar/a/7172-85160.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

[Rob]

Nice looking.

[4stringer77]

There's a tune-o-matic bridge that won't tilt thanks to the through body stringing. Shame they couldn't fit proper strings on it. I suppose this is basically a baritone G-3 similar to a Fender VI or the six string EB.

[Granny Gremlin]

That ain't no Artist.  Love those G3 pups, thoughit would be nice if they were closer to the neck 

Also bolt on.  I don't even think this is a real Gibson at this point.  Best case employee project for personal use.

Also also zoom in on the bridge - what's up there with the string spacing?

Shame they couldn't fit proper strings on it. I suppose this is basically a baritone G-3 similar to a Fender VI or the six string EB.

That's what I thought at first too , but then I zoomed in a bit and that low E (or whatever; the 6th) is pretty thick. This would predate modern style 6 string basses so they may have added 2 higher strings (to litterally be a guitar but an octave lower) vs a Low B.

[Basvarken]

Yep. No Artist but Standard.
At closer inspection this bass is a bit of a sloppy job. The head stock doesn't have any ferrules for the machine heads. The way it is stringed with the silks is sloppy.
The bridge looks incrediby crude. Indeed the spacing is way off.
The pickguard shape is sloppy.

But still a nice concept.

The bass looks kinda new to me. The wood looks so blank. No yellowing. A bass this ago would have yellowed over the years.
And so does the fretboard. Too fresh. Too purple. I think rosewood of that age would have turned a more even kind of brown.

[Basvarken]

The thread at TB that mentioned this bass also mentioned this prototype Ripper.
Which looks similar to the one that Uwe has. Except for the knob layout

[Granny Gremlin]

Yep; avoid.

... is it just me or are the outer strings precariously close to the edges of the fretboard too, at least the low E.  That explains the missalignment at the saddles.  It's as if the bridge was mounted off center and they tried compensating for it by slotting the saddles off center the other way.  Def not a Gibson.

The OG Hobbit for $900 openning bid on that same site is a much better deal.  Too bad about the gold aftermarket tuners, but for that price I'm not gonna complain.

[uwe]

I discussed this previously with Rob during our habitual border skirmishes. I missed the bolt-on plate then, that is a dead giveaway, good eyes Jake! This bass certainly contains original Gibson parts and is Gibson-inspired, but it is not a Gibson prototype. At best, something a Gibson worker with access to all these parts attempted thought it is a bit sloppy for that. But mixing a 60ies bridge with 70ies pups and varicontrol on a late 70ies/early 80ies body is weird.

[Granny Gremlin]

Considering how sloppy the build is, I don't even think a gibby employee made this (unless it was the janitor).

The body is probably not a Gibson part - the bolt on neck joint sticks out too far for it to be an actual RD body.

[Dave W]

Not a real Gibson.

[Granny Gremlin]

More like bring out the holy hand grenade.  It's an abomination.

[jules fly]

I wouldn't immediately rule this out as legit... clearly got some new hardware, but remember the first RD prototype was indeed bolt-on...

I also feel I have heard about a six string RD (though I can find no reference to it now I look)

That headstock looks pretty good - where else would that have come from?

I'd like to have a proper look (not willing to buy it though)

Shame we can't email the seller for more pics.

[Basvarken]

Welcome back Jules! What took you so long?

Don't you think it looks kinda new? The colour of the body (not yellowed). The freshness of the fretboard. They don't look like they are more than forty years old.

[jules fly]

thanks.. yeah maybe... stuff kept in a case for 50 years can look pretty good still though. I have an untouched L6S that looks similar

I am not asserting any strong opinion on this, just that:
1) the first RD was bolt on... nobody has seen that in recent years (perhaps Bob moog has it)
2) that headstock looks too good for a fake - if it is longer than a normal headstock where did it come from? No evidence of other tuning keys, and the ones fitted are right

My biggest doubt is the bridge  - but then Gibson didn't have a six string bass bridge, so who knows what they would use if they were considering making one.

clearly work has been done with parts changed. Would love to see under the scratchplate, and in the control cavity - maybe the neck is legit and the body is a repro? Maybe body is good too?
The '76 pots sound right - doubt they came from the G3 that the pups came from because the shaft would be too short. Be very interested in more pics.

Glad to be back!

[Basvarken]

2) No evidence of other tuning keys, and the ones fitted are right

But they don't have any ferrules... Did Gibson ever do that? Or anyone?