lozbass

I always preferred Rippers to Grabbers but like the black finish on the Grabber II. It's still reasonably easy to pick up an original G or R for a decent price (brilliant instruments in my opinion) and I'd be interested to see who'll be going for the re-issue at this price point. I'm not sure that I understand Gibson's business model/rationale here

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='406223' date='Feb 11 2009, 01:16 PM']We hereby demand pics and soundclips of that too please. I love Rippers - definately my favourite of the grabber/ripper/g3 group - although many disagree[/quote] Pics aren't too much of a problem (when I get time) but soundclips could be more technically challenging, i.e., I haven't got a clue. The sound with the Ripper pickups and the active engaged is surprisingly modern (the clank and growl of the original Ripper is gone). Without the passive, the Ripper pickups aren't particularly characteristic/reminiscent of anything. The precision pickup soloed is like err...a Precision (even surpsingly so) - in active mode it sounds like a Precision Special: this is what the circuit was modelled on. The bass was originally natural but now has a 3T sunburst (body and neck) - it's a beautiful job, done around 1980 by the massively talented Ted Lee. Ted did all the work on the bass. He's now retired and living in Australia as far as I know - he sprayed Manzanera's Firebird pillar box red I believe. He really was luthier to the stars and has an unbelievable client list. I'll try to post pictures soon - the finish is in excellent condition. The bass was my main gigging instrument for the first part of my playing career (massively hard work, good fun and unsuccesful) but it was treated with great care. I too love Rippers and was inspired by Patrick Djivas of PFM (though my playing didn't come close!) - I've frequently toyed with the idea of getting another just to get back to that original sound

Lovely bass - never had one of these but my first serious bass was a Ripper (bought second hand in '79 and I still have it). Thanks to Jimbartlett for the soundclips - took me right back! I loved the sound and playability of Rippers: mine plays better than ever but it's been modded out of recognition (we did that in the '70s and '80s) and now sounds nothing like a Ripper. It had one of the first ever active circuits installed and a SD precision pickup between the two Ripper pickups - it sounds great but nothing like it did originally.

Nice stack indeed and a very cool precision

Interesting post - I'm looking for the same kind of supplier for a shortscale bass that's too small for a standard Hiscox bass case and too long for a Hiscox guitar case. I suspect (but don't know) that it's not easy to find a custom moulded case of the Hiscox/SKB variety - if anybody knows different...

[quote name='misrule' post='404895' date='Feb 9 2009, 11:00 PM']Stop showing pictures like that, Dave -- you'll ruin me Cheers Mark[/quote] +1 - I thought I was done with heavy gear but that stack's a stunner! I've gone all green

Hi - I played and bought my first one last Friday and I'm really impressed and enjoying it! Mine's a Wechter (bought here on BC!) and it's pretty loud even with TI Jazz flats - I think phosphor bronze strings would be even brighter and have more attack. It's a bit difficult to judge the volume and projection when you're playing the bass (your sat behind it) - it's probably better to stand in front and listen to somebody else playing. The bass is big but surprisingly easy to play - I was told that the action was as low as a lot of electric basses and - amazingly - it is! It's good to have a bass that you can play anywhere (no need to mess about with cables etc.) I haven't tried it against an acoustic guitar but suspect it could just about hold its own. As for using it against amplified instruments...I doubt it could cope (unless amplified itself - it has a Fishman fitted). As ever, my advice would be try a few - the Gallery in London has a really good stock of ABGs.

[quote name='dickandjill' post='402200' date='Feb 6 2009, 05:37 PM']I just emailed an Ebay seller in the US who sells pickguards for US and CIJ Mustangs. He states they are not interchangeable. Anyway I emailed him to see what the actual difference was. The difference is that old Mustangs have smaller pickups! Puzzle solved!! Anyway I now need a pair of older U.S. Mustang bass plastic pickup covers if anyone has any available I would be most grateful.[/quote] In one way, I'm very relieved to hear this. In another, I'm sorry - the quest goes on. I'll keep looking (in fact, I was looking whilst the bass was in my ownership but didn't find anything). I hope everything else is going well - it's a fantastic player!

I love the title of the thread - I don't know how many times I've said the same! On to the new rig - very nice indeed! I've never owned Warwick gear but what I've heard has been very impressive. On the with/without sleeve question, I'd go for the latter as I like the industrial look. If you're gigging a lot however, it may be better to have the protection of the sleeve.

Hi Nick, all the best mate - we're missing the cheery wit and infinite wisdom and it'll be good to have you around again asap - take care and keep off the Tango

This is really weird and I'm sorry I can't offer an answer. It may be worth asking BC members with mid '70s and those with recent re-issue Mustangs to measure the pickups/covers and spacing for the adjustments screws. The only explanation I can think of is that the re-issue pickups and covers have different dimensions to those on a '70s model but it would be good to have this confirmed. As the seller of the bass, I'm pretty concerned. If it turns out that there's something strange/inauthentic about the Mustang in your possession, I'll undertake (publicly) to offer a refund.

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='399872' date='Feb 4 2009, 12:21 PM']On the Alembic forum, you tend to get people with money who would rate anything as long as it is expensive. Other than DFUNG there's hardly anyone there who has anything acoustically or technically sensible to say about amplification.[/quote] That's me sorted out then

To take up some of BossHog's points: I agree entirely that Foderas should be gigged - it's what they're built for and my suspicion is that they're amazing in a live situation: I don't gig mine 'cause (i) I'm sh*te and can't get a gig, and (ii) I'm too old. I agree too on the price issue - 'certainly worth the outlay if you want one sufficiently (and we're talking seriously good basses here). On the wait and build time, well I'd certainly balk at 2 or 3 years plus. This is one of the reasons that I went down the second hand route. The other reason is that I wouldn't part with the sums that Foderas fetch without playing a bass first. This means that you don't get to spec the bass yourself, but you do get a chance to see if it suits your playing style and tonal needs. It's also likely that any initial problems will have been dealt with. I haven't heard too many horror stories re: Foderas, however, given the price, most players are going to be justifiably picky and require a 'perfect' instrument out of the box (or a quick resolution to any initial dissatisfaction). As BossHog suggests, the 'certified used' scheme is probably a good way of sourcing a great used instrument without a crazy wait. All this said, I've never bought a second hand bass that I didn't take to be set-up to my liking straight away. This is no reflection on the sellers - some basses have been set-up beautifully but not to my (somewhat idiosyncatic) taste. It's good to have the details of the new MP pre - I knew this was available but didn't know of the cost of retro-fitting. I'm perfectly satisfied with the original version and personally have no need. I also don't want to be without the bass for a number of weeks. I'd considered replacing the pickup covers with wooden versions on the MG but I learned from Fodera (in a very rapid response to my email) that they need the bass on their premises to effect the change. The covers are no big deal and I'd rather have the bass around so that I can play it. I must say though that I'm impressed with the turnaround time on my enquiry (a lot of questions were answered in the message too) - I don't know if anybody else has experience of Fodera's customer service, but it looks good to me. On the NYC models, I suspect that Fodera is trading on its brand identity and trying to enter the (substantial) market at the $2-3k pricepoint. I've seen NYCs but haven't played one. I can understand the strategy and business model, however, the market is crowded with other high kudos brands. I'm sure that NYCs will sell because of Fodera's branding and profile. I can't comment on quality but suspect that the customs are quite different in terms of construction and attention to detail. Finally, some thoughts on my own experience with Fodera. The electronics are superb. I've owned and played a good number of high-end basses but the Fodera sounds 'better' to me than nearly all of them (i.e., it's capable of exactly the tonal characteristics that I look for). In terms of playability, it's almost flawless. The action is super low, the tension is very low (not to everybody's taste), and there are just three 'dull' notes around octave c-e flat on the high c (I've only ever played three basses that didn't have any dead or dull notes - two Alembics and a Sei). Ergonomics are perfect for me - the MG is a very compact bass. The 33" scale feels shorter because of the body shape and positioning of the bridge. The bass is very heavy but extremely comfortable either on a strap or played sitting. It simply 'feels right' and I suspect that considerable thought was dedicated to ergonomics and comfort throughout the design process. Construction is amongst the very best I've ever seen: the MG is made from a lot of pieces of (exceptionally beautiful) wood and the jointing and finishing is simply superb. This is not just my view - I took the bass to a famous luthier and he agreed. Even unplugged, the bass is incedibly resonant and the fundamentals ring through across the board. In sum, the Fodera is very much at the top end of high end. For me (and I've only owned the MG), Foderas are superb working instruments and can fit just about any bill. Fantastic to play (with a good set-up), aesthetically pleasing, solid, and tonally very versatile. Again, I don't want to get into the 'too expensive' debate. The MG wasn't cheap, however, I am very pleased with the bass, so no problem.