RD Artist- Worth it?

[rexdiablo]

I've always thought these look great, but never actually laid hands on one. The price on this is lower than I'm used to seeing, think that is just because of the stripped finish? I still dig the look. Am I crazy if I bite? Any input is greatly appreciated!

https://reverb.com/item/461949-1981-gibson-rd-artist-bass-guitar

[dadagoboi]

Yes...Go fast, take chances!

[Granny Gremlin]

SECOND!  Go for it (IMO the non-maple fretboard ones are more desirable).  If the Moog circuit works it is a good price.

When you get it (or a while after) you may notice output intermittency or some switch positions not working/noisy; fret not, these are finicky like that - cleaning and or moving parts around resolves these gremlins (e.g. bending the spring leaves back into place; one of those is a multipole that's more complex than a normal pup 3-way; I recently had to rotate the output jack to move a wire that was causing an intermittent short - dealt with the switch 's blades a few years ago).

They are heavy and large, but don't have any neck dive issues due to the weight of the solid maple body.

[rexdiablo]

WORDS TO LIVE BY, CARLO!!!!!

Thanks for the quick replies! Order has been placed! I love the knowledge base to which I have access here. Now with one band I'll be playing Carlo's bass that I ordered because of this page into the Sunn head I bought on advice here, and hopefully using the RD in my other band.

Any advice on a two channel head that can get really wooly for a heavy band? Round out my LBO advised rigs!

[neepheid]

Go for it.  Apart from the obvious finish stuff, the only other thing that stuck out to me is that the 5-0-5 knobs are missing and replaced with normal 0-10 numbered ones.

The advice about the multipole three way doesn't apply in this case - this is a post '79 model with the two mini switches instead of the single three way for controlling the Moog stuff.  Of course, the pickup selector is still the old school switch, so that might still be buggy.

I love my RD, and I'm sure you'll love yours

[rexdiablo]

Yeah, I'm super excited! I've always thought these looked great in an imposing sort of way. I like look stripped as well- kind of ugly-pretty

[pamlicojack]

I had one for a few months before selling it to a guy on these boards years ago..  It just didn't fit my body the right way.  Unfortunately, I have the same problem with T-birds. I enjoyed it, despite the weight.  I hope you do too...

[rexdiablo]

I know what you mean about not fitting your body- Ricks are that way with me. Like the look, love the sound, can't comfortably play one. In another life, as a 6 string player, I could never make an SG sound like an actual guitar, either. Which is super odd as I love my EB-0...

[gearHed289]

Any advice on a two channel head that can get really wooly for a heavy band? Round out my LBO advised rigs!

How about an Ampeg V-4B? Or SVT.

[TBird1958]

RD's are so cool, looks like they've gone up in price quite a bit too!

[rexdiablo]

How about an Ampeg V-4B? Or SVT.

I had some pretty negative interactions with Ampeg customer service, which has turned me off to the brand (even though I still have a B-15 kicking around the house.)  Currently using a Verellen Meatsmoke preamp into a crown power amp. I like the dirt on the lead channel, the low end I'm getting, and being able to level the clean and dirty channels outputs. BUT something is missing. Is it something with missing a tube power section?

In my garage rock band I tried head after head (SVT 4-pro, TC Electronic, 700RBii, Streamliner, the Verellen, Mesa M6,) until landing on the Sunn- it just feels right. The Verellen is close for this band, just hasn't given me that feeling. Maybe I'll look for a bigger Sunn and go with pedals for my dirt?

RD's are so cool, looks like they've gone up in price quite a bit too!

I'm floored with all the RD love! I hadn't seen much mention of them, even here. Only one I've seen in person is the guitar version.

[godofthunder]

 Well the listing has been taken  down, glad you got it pics when she arrives!

[Highlander]

One of my favourite instruments and owned from new in '79 - buuuut...

I butchered mine to overcome a playing issue one by slimming out the upper fin to an "axe" edge ...
Kicked my Moog out years back... err snapped it into itty-bitty pieces in a fit of rage - but the switches went before that - I still have them in the shed and they still jam...
Yours has the later mod with a separate switch for expansion and compression - hmm... those switch positions... really stupidly placed... moved the pup selector to an LP position and modded the comp/expand to two minis placed in a more logical position on the lower left of the scratch plate...
Some guy called Peter Cook defretted her for me back in the early eighties, and also changed the white dot markers for black ones - all maple; found it frustrating under certain lighting conditions to have "white-on-white"...
Presently in pieces as a stalled refin/rebuild...
When I was last gigging I had her running with just a single pup (TII pos) and a single pot... beautiful sound... truly beautiful sound... and all that maple just rings-and-rings...
I broke the other pup in an accident, ended up force-fitted into my PC Thunderbird in the bridge slot... eventually stripped the plastic and fitted the remainder inside a 70's T'Bird casing that is presently back in my PC but will be swopped out for a gold Lollar I have, then will be held over to either go into a Jazz body or a headless through-neck Hohner I have...
Did I mention I "branded" her...?

Enjoy... and ignore my gripes...

[veebass]

Congrats. They are a really versatile bass, if a little heavy. Enjoy.

[Nocturnal]

Seems like a great score!! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you receive it.