neepheid

Well, I had a successful day's sanding and steaming out dings. I'm glad I got the front sorted out, it looks like my original idea is back on - classic cherry red translucent. It's sanded all over to 120 grit, still some pink in the horns to get rid of. I guess if I go down the cherry red route then it'll look a bit like this "wine red" Grabber: (picture nicked from Jules' site)

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1366580687' post='2054528'] For the glasses wearers among us, do you wear them when gigging? I remember reading how John Lennon only had the confidence to wear his after seeing Buddy Holly. Has it ever been an issue? [/quote] It would be an issue if I didn't wear them, I'm so myopic. Also joined the gigging game later in life where I was in a position to say "I am what I am".

I wouldn't agree that parallel wiring of a humbucker makes the tone "thin". It's a non-invasive mod if you use a push-pull pot that's easily reversed if it doesn't do what you expect or want. Out of phase, now that's thin, anaemic and pointless.

Nice one, glad you like it. I'm still not talking to Gibson after my G-3 reissue debacle.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1366576128' post='2054429'] Sounds like a Grabber - though when they went to the G-3, they finally did away with the moveable pick-up and settled for three single-coils, with the a switch. I had a 1976 G3 and it was a great bass. Looks a very good project Neep. Assume non-standard colours are in, too? I mean, Gibson didn't always give bassists a lot of choice - but you could paint it anything. Red, maybe? [/quote] Well, I had a crazy idea of doing a translucent cherry red like an old EB, but that depends on how well I deal with the various dings on the body.

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1366568732' post='2054237'] I thought the body on these was maple? Or was yours the year that they went to alder? [/quote] According to Jules' site - 1975 and 76 were alder years. All other years body was maple.

[quote name='Gareth Hughes' timestamp='1366558409' post='2053994'] NIce one. Go for the original black. I had a late 70's one that was as sexy as all get out. Were it not for my short arms I'd have happily kept the beast. [/quote] Nah, I'm not fancying black - I think it would be too stealthy with the ebony fingerboard and the obligatory black headstock.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1366559057' post='2054005'] Is this all mahogany? [/quote] None of it is mahogany. Alder body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard.

[quote name='the_skezz' timestamp='1366543414' post='2053705'] Never understood what so many people have against Off Topic. It can get heated at times but it's a million times more polite and interesting than the OT section of any other forum I've used. [/quote] I think it's a gigantic waste of time. I also haven't set foot in there since I was rounded on for "offending dyslexics" by having the audacity to start a thread about common misspellings on eBay (Squire, kneck etc.). So it's OK for some people to poke fun but if you're not part of the OT gang then you're not allowed to even attempt to be observationally mildly amusing? Fine. That was years ago, but I'm a grudge bearer. Any time I've appeared in there since, the thread has been moved into OT after my contribution. OT can poke it.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1366542070' post='2053670'] Will you put in original pups? Could this take something like the Thunderbuckers? [/quote] Yup, I want to put in original pickups. Or Seymour Duncan replacements if I can't find any.

When I said level, I should have said level, front to back. Nothing wrong with a difference of opinion between the height of the E and the G, whatever it takes to get the action as close to how you want it.

Yup, you should, because they sound great.

The front screw has the effect of tilting the bridge back and forth. Get it wrong and you could end up lifting the threaded inserts out of the body. I'd aim to keep the bridge level. I used to think it was preferable to have the front slightly higher, but I did that with my Epiphone Jack Casady and surprise surprise the G side insert began to lift out. As far as your particular predicament goes, just screw the G side down until you're as close to happy as you're going to get. You basically can only adjust the overall height at either side and hope for the best in the middle. Man, I dislike these bridges.

Mods are people too. Just sayin'.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1366410448' post='2052411'] Ok then SubDrop I've clearly overstepped the mark. I'm really sorry, I was just saying how I felt about your song based on what I've learned over the years. If I've in any way offended you then I offer my heartfelt apologies. Believe me, my past is littered with rubbish lyrics and songs. Yours is much better than my early efforts. I really really awful now [/quote] This makes me sad. Honest critique is now frowned upon? Hell, no! Don't feel bad. You did nothing wrong. OP asked for "any feedback" not "a circle jerk of positive comments only please".

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1366490179' post='2053242'] Looking good! What are you going to do about that nasty looking defret? If your Gibson Victory restoration is anything to go by this is going to be another fascinating thread. [/quote] Cheers guys Dunno what I'm going to do about the fret slots yet. It probably looks worse than it is in those photos because of sanding dust in the slots. I'm guessing a little radius sanding, keep the ebony dust and use it with glue in a paste to fill any large chips. Then big, chunky frets. To be fair, any Ripper/Grabber/G-3 I've come into contact with had big frets.

Quick update - a few hours of sanding and it's going pretty quickly:

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1366474534' post='2053052'] I have three or four Gibson three point bridges, one of which I'd be happy to contribute to this worthy cause. They're all black though...so you'd need to sandblast/chrome. P [/quote] Wow, that's a very kind offer, thanks. However, I have the three pointer that came off my RD Artist for the short term and will eventually fit a Supertone. Still, thanks again for the kindness

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1366411810' post='2052428'] Isn't this a job best left to Mark D Philips? [/quote] No. Hell no!

Chordbot - [url="http://chordbot.com/"]http://chordbot.com/[/url]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1366401587' post='2052267'] That looks a nice project.Are you going to try to restore it back to the original `75 Gibson, or a custom job? [/quote] It is my intention to restore it as far as possible back to stock but with the following changes: Waterslide logo instead of silk screened Possibly different tuners (early Rippers used a weird sized tuner, later ones used Gibson branded Schaller BM - these holes are too small for those) Probably a Hipshot Supertone bridge It will be finished any colour I like (Rippers only came natural, black, tobacco burst and a very few "cherryburst" - none of which I fancy)

Cleared out my shed so I can actually walk about in it, couldn't resist giving it a quick scrub. Pleased to report that the red stuff it's currently wearing is soft as the proverbial. The amount that I achieved with some 180 on a sanding block leads me to believe that with some 120 on the power sander I should get this cleared quickly

I saw this on eBay and felt so sorry for it that I decided to restore it. There are a lot of parts to be found - all I have is three bolts that a three point bridge would be attached to. But it is my mission to bring Gibson Ripper, serial number 574623, born either in 1974 or 1975 (no pots so I can't tell any better than that - would err towards '75 given the magnitude of the number) back to life. It was black and is currently covered in some rather thin red which I'm hoping will sand off real easy. On the plus side, there neck looks pretty straight and the truss rod had been slackened off. It has an ebony fingerboard. Wish me luck

The only time we've ever stopped a song was when I once started a song in the wrong key. Singer pulled me up, I had the mick royally (and rightly) extracted out of me, then we started again. Audience laughed, no harm done to anything apart from my pride No way in mid song though, carry on. A mistake is such a fleeting moment in time, even if it is noticed it will be quickly forgotten.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1366373236' post='2051652'] If its the one on your guitar than it's an [b]output[/b] jack!!! Grrr [/quote] Grrr indeed.