Gibson L9-S The Ripper Bass | Natural | USA | 1974
Here’s a great early and very original example of Gibson’s iconic 1970s bass. This 1974 L9-S Ripper is a particularly desirable early example. Built by Gibson in their original Kalamazoo factory , the Ripper was designed by Bill Lawrence and is renowned for its punchy, resonant low end with prominent mids and top end detail. Bass players Gene Simmons of Kiss, Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Rick Danko of the Band utilised the L9-S ripper to great effect. With the Bill Lawrence Super Humbuckers and phase modulation/pickup selector, the Ripper Bass is capable of a wide range of tones - from deep and powerful to bright and articulate. This bass is in good, playable, original condition. It has honest play wear and light marks all over, but no cracks or structural issues. The 4 metal string-through eyelets on the body have distorted and cracked over the years, which is very common on these models and doesn’t pose an issue to playability. The bass has a very low, fast action and is a lot of fun to play. At just 3.91kg, this is a light instrument and well balanced with no neck dive. Stand out from the sea of Fender Precision and Jazz Basses with this very cool, great sounding and easy playing vintage Gibson L9-S. ______________________________ Brand: Gibson Model: The Ripper Country: USA Year: 1974 Serial: 398XXX Case: OHSC Body: Natural Neck: Natural Finish: Nitro Body Material: Alder Neck Material: Maple Fretboard Material: Maple Scale Length: 34.5” Frets: 20 Radius: 12" Profile: U Action (Low E): 1.7mm Nut: 42.1mm 12th Fret: 56mm 1st Fret Depth: 22.1mm 12th Fret Depth: 24.1mm Pickups: Original Resistance: Neck=12.27K Bridge= 12.21K Electronics: Original Knobs: Original Pick Guard: Original Tuners: Original (one non original retaining bolt G tuning gear Hardware: Chrome Weight: 3.91 KG Mods, Repairs: N/A