A few questions about Ripper basses

[pjm]

A 74 Ripper (Alder body) has come up for sale locally, I had a play of it and instantly fell in love with it however it has some issues and I'm looking for some advice from the experts.
They're asking $1999 AUD = $1430 USD
1.   The fret wire is universally flat and wide. This didn't affect the notes just found it odd compared to fender frets.
2.   The 3 point bridge was screwed down to the body, the overall setup was nice but does that indicate a neck adjustment problem?
3.   The nut has been replaced and it doesn't match the space of the old one, it's smaller but the string grooves are fine.
4.   There's a chip taken out of the ebony fret board between the 1st fret and nut, didn't affect playability but should deduct from the premium price they're asking.
5.   The vari-tone dial is loose and didn't work but apparently it does intermittently by wiggling it.
6.   The pickups sounded OK
So I'm thinking it'll need some work and the price is pretty high.
Thanks 

[amptech]

A 74 Ripper (Alder body) has come up for sale locally, I had a play of it and instantly fell in love with it however it has some issues and I'm looking for some advice from the experts.
They're asking $1999 AUD = $1430 USD
1.   The fret wire is universally flat and wide. This didn't affect the notes just found it odd compared to fender frets.
2.   The 3 point bridge was screwed down to the body, the overall setup was nice but does that indicate a neck adjustment problem?
3.   The nut has been replaced and it doesn't match the space of the old one, it's smaller but the string grooves are fine.
4.   There's a chip taken out of the ebony fret board between the 1st fret and nut, didn't affect playability but should deduct from the premium price they're asking.
5.   The vari-tone dial is loose and didn't work but apparently it does intermittently by wiggling it.
6.   The pickups sounded OK
So I'm thinking it'll need some work and the price is pretty high.
Thanks

1. I'd focus on wether or not frets are worn. If it's not affecting notes, I assume it's OK, the width is a matter of taste.
2. Never had a ripper, but if you suspect a truss rod problem then sort that out before buying.
3. Nuts are not the most expensive part, just make a new one.
4. Got to haggle!
5. These sometimes go bad; if you can fix electronics yourself, it''s no biggie but it should be reflected in the price.

[Chris P.]

My '76 T-bird has very wide and flat frets and I don't dislike them. Works fine.

[Basvarken]

1. I like wide and flat frets better than thin high ones. Matter of personal taste I guess.
2. On pics that I have seen of Rippers they all have the three point down pretty low. No issue as long as the action is okay for you.
3. If the nut does what it should do it;s fine. You could always have it replaced by a wider one.
4. This should help you to get a (little) lower price.
5. Get your soldering iron out.
6. Good.

Go for it! 

[uwe]

1.   The fret wire is universally flat and wide. This didn't affect the notes just found it odd compared to fender frets.

Standard with Gibsons of that era and especially Rippers. A matter of taste and being used to it.

2.   The 3 point bridge was screwed down to the body, the overall setup was nice but does that indicate a neck adjustment problem?

As above. They had to be screwed pretty low to bein with because the saddles initially used were way too high (the became less tall over time). No neck realignement or new bridge neccessary, just file the saddle notches deeper if need be.

3.   The nut has been replaced and it doesn't match the space of the old one, it's smaller but the string grooves are fine.

Purely cosmetical.

4.   There's a chip taken out of the ebony fret board between the 1st fret and nut, didn't affect playability but should deduct from the premium price they're asking.

Cosmetical and price-decreasing.

5.   The vari-tone dial is loose and didn't work but apparently it does intermittently by wiggling it.

"Intermittently by wiggling it" is not enough for a Ripper of that price, have them fix the vari-tone so it's no longer loose and then play it to see if it works then. It should. Getting the right entrails for a Ripper is not that easy anymore if there is anything wrong.

6.   The pickups sounded OK.

Just ok? You should really dig them, there is little point in buying an old Ripper and then chucking the pups out because you can't live with the sound. Rippers have a deep sound (that can be scooped via the varitone and the midrange control), but they are not violently assertive basses like a Ric, Stingray or P-Bass can be.

I shall be very happy if the value of my four Gibson Rippers (plus two Epi Rippers and one Gibson Ripper II) has risen that much over the last decade or so, but I find the shop's offer pricey for an instruement they have seemingly put no work in (unless there is a significant markup on everything Down Under), 1,000 USD should be more like it (even if you count in that a shop is the seller). 1,400 USD for a pristine, well-kept one with everything in working order and no obvious replacements.

[pjm]

Thanks everyone.
The shop sells used gear on consignment only so that's why the price is high and they won't pay for any repairs because technically it's not owned by them. 
My concern about the pick ups comes from watching Ed Friedland clips on you tube and he talks about Ripper pickup loosing tone and having low output because they weren't sealed.
I thought the pickups on the Ripper sounded sweet but I can't compare it to other Rippers.
 

[Aussie Mark]

Australian prices for used basses are higher than in the US, but even so that is overpriced.  You're right that being in a shop on consignment automatically translates to unrealistic pricing - on eBay or forum classifieds in Australia it would top out around AUD$1300-$1500 with the issues you've mentioned.  One in better condition, or a black or burst example might hit AUD$1800-$2000 though.

If the truss rod is operable, the neck is not twisted, and the issue with the Varitone can be easily fixed, then I'd suggest offering something like AUD$1300 and see how you go.  I wouldn't pay more than AUD$1500 though - you can import one from the US on eBay or Talkbass for that cost --- http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_sop=16&_nkw=gibson%20ripper&LH_PrefLoc=2&_dcat=3858&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=1000&_udhi=1500

[Dave W]

Thanks everyone.
The shop sells used gear on consignment only so that's why the price is high and they won't pay for any repairs because technically it's not owned by them. 
My concern about the pick ups comes from watching Ed Friedland clips on you tube and he talks about Ripper pickup loosing tone and having low output because they weren't sealed.
I thought the pickups on the Ripper sounded sweet but I can't compare it to other Rippers.

IMHO if Ed said that, he's mistaken. A pickup doesn't lose tone or output for lack of being sealed. Ripper pickups are relatively low output anyway, and as Uwe said, they aren't assertive. If you don't like the tone, pass.

That price would be on the very high end for a Ripper with no issues. OTOH the shop can only do so much on a consignment. You could always make an offer contingent on the Varitone being fixed.

[doombass]

One in better condition, or a black or burst example might hit AUD$1800-$2000 though.

But since it has an ebony fretboard it should be either ebony or burst right?

[pjm]

This is the clip where he talks about the pickups being" toast"

[pjm]

It a black Ripper

[Dave W]

This is the clip where he talks about the pickups being" toast"

The pickups may have been toast on his particular bass, but there are many unpotted pickups out there (including Seymour Duncan's Antiquity and Seth Lover guitar humbuckers). I've never heard of pickguard gases damaging an unpotted coil, and I doubt Seymour has either. It is possible for a pickup to get a partial short and that would reduce output, but who knows if that was true in Ed's case since the originals aren't high output anyway.

[neepheid]

I played my Ripper at a gig last Saturday.  Admittedly it has SD Ripper replacement pickups in it but I really don't understand where you guys get this "non-assertive" thing.  Also admittedly I was playing through an Ampeg 8x10 rig (sweet house gear!).  But to cut a long story short it was sounding absolutely beasting, most certainly assertive!  The singer/keyboardista was in front of me in the firing line and turned around every so often to give me a half approving, half disapproving look

Someone's going to jump on the fact that the pickups are "modern" replacements but I thought the point of them was that they were wound/constructed as per the originals - "The Seymour Duncan Ripper bass pickup is an exact recreation of the originals inside and out" - taken from the SD Custom Shop website.

What gives?  Have I got a magic Ripper, or is it just a case of me hearing something different to you guys?

[uwe]

The Seymour Duncan Ripper replacement pups are also what went into the Ripper II and that does sound a lot more assertive, yes, it's much sharper and more "there" then its old predecessors. It's the difference between hearing a shoddy (recycled) vinyl pressing full of hiss and an immaculate CD remaster of the same recording. Those SD Ripper pups are really, really good, you made the right choice. And that fretless Ripper in the vid has a clarity to it too that the orinal pups would not be able to deliver, they don't have the detail and focus. That is why - ignoring vintage aspects (which in this forum where "vintage" is a synonym for "better" and "new" a synonym for "worse quality in all aspects" is of course impossible  ) - the Ripper II is a better-sounding bass than the original Ripper (same is true for the Grabber and G-3 Tribute reissues of recent years btw).

Re pickguard gases: I had an old Ripper (big body version) that had forever verdigris issues. It crept out of the pg and attacked everything: clear coat fin, hardware, controls, strings and I'm sure eventually also the pups. No amount of cleansing and oiling helped. After years of constant issues - you'd put the bass away for a week or two and it would be all fogged-up already, the new strings dead (I wrote about it a couple of times here, you all thought I was mad  ) - I chucked the nice original tortoise pg away, got a new one and had the bass completely re-clearcoated and the hardware rechromed. That finally solved it (even though the newly chromed hardware dulled in rapid time). There might have been an issue with the mineral content of those old tortoise guards Gibson used (or maybe just a batch of them), it was really an unsettling experience because there was nothing either I or my luthier could do. It took a while too until we realized that the pg was the culprit. So I'm not discounting the possibility that the guy in the vid is actually right with his theory. Given how aggressive the verdigris on mine was, I have doubts though whether it would not have eaten away the potting in the long run too.

Here is something about it:

http://www.fine-instruments.net/repair.html

[amptech]

Pickguard gases have long been known to eat/destroy wood, so why not other materials?
When the police gets reports on stolen jazz guitars, they always first check if the guitar was eaten by the pickguard:-)