Gibson basses

Ralphe talks about his music, playing, and his endorsement of Gibson bass guitars. By John Fertig

Ralphe Armstrong with Gibson L9-S.Photo Armando Gallo, courtesy www.armandogallo.com

FlyGuitars So the first Gibson bass you tried was the EB-2?

Ralphe Armstrong I always liked the sound of it. Being a bass violinist, I like its mellow tone. Some guys had it sounding mushy, but the guys in Detroit that played around here, they had a sound! Labella strings, they had a big sound going through Ampegs.

FlyGuitars You soon got a contract endorsing Gibson basses. How did that come about?

How I got with Gibson guitars was with John McLaughlin, he took me to Lincolnwood, Illinois, in 1975. I met Bruce Bolen and designer Walt Johnston and they asked me to write down what I wanted; and that’s how they came up with this bass called the Ripper and the G-3 with three pickups. And we had the RD Artist, that was a great bass. It was a whole lot of wood and a whole lot of sound! It had a hell of a sound. I had a mahogany fretless RD too, with an ebony fingerboard!

FlyGuitars Tell me about your fretless Ripper you used.

Ralphe Armstrong Oh, that bass had a good sound. It had a real deep sound; then it had a very high legato, which is very long. I could do glissandos on it. It had a lot of sustain.

FlyGuitars I noticed you had ebony and maple Rippers; did you find any differences?

Ralphe Armstrong The ebony is always closer to the bass violin, the tonality of it.

FlyGuitars Tell me more about the RD Artists.

Ralphe Armstrong That to me, it was one of the best ones ever made. A lot of people did not like it because it was heavy, but I liked because it was big and it had a long fingerboard; you can play a G harmonic on it and it had a big sound. It was a well-made piece of machinery.

1978 advert for the Gibson RD Artist. This RD is a real rarity in that it is mahogany, with a fretless ebony fretboard. Production models were maple-bodied, and rarely fretless

1981 advert for the Gibson Victory. Ralphe remembers owning fretted and fretless Victory Artists, though perhaps also the one-pickup Standard. In 1982 a Gibson Gazette edition claims he had phoned in 'to let us know how pleased he is with his Victory Standard bass... says it gets down, but never lets him down'

FlyGuitars Ever use the Moog options on it?

Ralphe Armstrong Oh, of course! I used everything on that bass!

FlyGuitars Did you have more than one Mahogany RD? Where is it now?

Ralphe Armstrong No, just that one and a maple fretted one. I sold it years ago to Marion Hayden. She still has it today; she still plays it. She's an excellent musician. She also teaches at University of Michigan.

Demonstrating the Gibson Victory bass (fretless in this case) at the Atlanta NAMM show, 1982

FlyGuitars Another bass you endorsed was the Gibson Victory; appearing in a 1981 advert along with a number of other musicians.

Ralphe Armstrong (thinking) Oh yeah, the Victory, a great maple bass. All Gibsons are great sounding basses. It was heavy, but that never bothered me. I had the two pickup one, I had a fretted & fretless version.

FlyGuitars Do you still own your original Gibson basses or other Gibson basses? What basses do you play now?

Ralphe Armstrong No, I got rid of them, but I still have the last two they made for a Jimi Hendrix and me special. You know they are making some really great basses now. I really want to get a 5 string Thunderbird. That bass is amazing. They make some fine instruments. I play some Fenders: a P bass, a Jazz Bass fretless. Also a Thunderbird, the black Les Paul with Bartolinis, an acoustic Hohner bass and a Yamaha 6 string.

Gibson bass guitars for sale

Flyguitars.com is funded by its visitors. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission. For more info see terms and conditions.

1972 Gibson L6-S Bass Prototype (Ripper, Grabber) Singlecut Sunburst

Syracuse, New York, 132**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$9000

1972 Gibson L6-S Bass Prototype (Ripper, Grabber) Singlecut Sunburst
 
This bass guitar is the prototype for the L6-S bass, a model that was never manufactured by Gibson. Although it is the prototype for an instrument that was not produced, it also seems to be a prototype of the Ripper and Grabber models introduced later that are constructed with the same materials (maple neck and body) and similar dimensions. The look of this one does foreshadow those later models
SETUP & ... more

Gibson Ripper (L9-S) Bass Guitar with Seymour Duncan

New Florence, Pennsylvania, 159**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3500

Gibson Ripper (L9-S) Bass Guitar with Seymour Duncan.
This bass is in very good condition. There are a few small marks located in the pictures. Feel free to ask questions, can send more pictures. Must have at least 10 positive comments to purchase. For sale in the United States Only
... more

1975 Gibson Ripper L9-S Vintage Bass Sunburst, Alder Body w / Case, Hangtag

Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3800

Up for sale, a 1975 Gibson "The Ripper" L9-S bass in exceptional condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and warranty card. One of the more unique and versatile Gibson basses ever produced, the Ripper comes equipped with its original pair of Bill Lawrence designed "Super Humbucker" pickups and a four-way rotary switch for series, parallel, and out of phase pickup settings
The contoured alder body is a particularly rare option, only offered on the ... more

Original 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar case plush lined

Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$300

Original 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar case plush lined. Case is in good shape. It does have some black tape along the edge where it was starting to peel. Very solid . Will ship FedEx ground fully insured with tracking shipping to the lower 48 states only. No Alaska Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam or PO boxes. No international shipping
... more

Replacement 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar bridge with studs

Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$66

Replacement 1970s Gibson Ripper electric bass guitar bridge with studs. This is an aftermarket replacement. Great condition. No damage will ship USPS priority mail
... more

1976 Gibson Ripper L9-S Vintage Bass Ebony Black

San Antonio, Texas, 782**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$1990

1976 Gibson Ripper L9-S Vintage Bass Black. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Ground Advantage.
... more

1974 Gibson Ripper Bass

Coudersport, Pennsylvania, 169**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3200

A serious bass for a discriminating collector or player. Very versatile tone options. Solid maple body and neck. Comes with original case. Equipped with flatwound strings for a darker tone but sounds great with roundwound strings. Some minor finish checking as can be expected on a nearly 50 year old instrument. I've played this bass regularly for decades and always get compliments on its great sound and uniqueness. I've made a minor alteration to the strap pin location. The original locations ... more

Gibson L9S RIPPER 1976 Electric Guitar USA Vintage Rare Maple with Hard Case

Chesterfield, Virginia, 238**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3800

I bought this guitar around 1982. I played it in the high school marching band. It is a marvelous instrument that has always deserved a better player than myself. That being said, my only consolation in letting it go is that whoever owns it next plays the hell out it. They didn't call this model the Ripper for nothing and rock stars have long sought after this model built during this time. It sounds beautiful and it is painful for me to sell it. But I don't play it often and my home air ... more

Vintage 1974 Gibson The Ripper L9S Natural W / Good Hard Case

New York, 100**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3295

Vintage original circa 1974 Gibson The Ripper Model L9S in original Natural finish
A real nice example with a good straight neck, and great sounding pickups
Original Natural finish is clean and looks great. Some honest signs of wear and use
Comes with a Gretsch hardshell case that fits it well and protects it well
Guitar is exactly as pictured.
Buyer pays $125 shipping in the USA, $150 to Hawaii or Alaska, $400 International, $450 to Australia
Pay Pal Accepted ... more

1977 Gibson RD Standard BASS Black

Carbondale, Illinois, 629**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$3590

Add Me to Your Favorite Sellers
Olivia's Vintage would like to present this 1977 Gibson RD Artist Standard Bass in its original Black finish. It has a great playing neck with great frets. It's all original and 100% complete along with the original hardshell case (missing handle and some damaged on the sides of the case). This RD Bass looks great with some nicks + dings (some are touched-up) and other cosmetic wear. The bass itself remains structurally sound with no cracks, breaks or ... more

1980 Gibson RD Artist Bass Sunburst

Antioch, Tennessee, 370**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$4499

Very good condition 1980 Gibson RD Artist Bass. All original, outside of the removal of the Moog electronics. Original pickups sound MASSIVE and have tons of low end on tap. Really a special bass from Gibson that was not made that long. Original sunburst finish looks great on this specific bass. Some signs of play as pictured, but nothing crazy. All electronics have been tested to be working perfectly. Recently set up as well. Kept in a smoke free, pet free studio for recording purposes. Comes ... more

Gibson Slothead EB-3 1971 - Cherry Fretless Bass w / Original Gibson Case

Huntington, Indiana, 467**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$1500

For sale is a Gibson Slothead EB-3 1971 - Cherry Fretless Bass w / Original Gibson Case in Good Condition!
This bass is an absolute monster and sounds incredible! I don't know for sure (I kinda doubt it) that this would have come from the Gibson factory as fretless. However, whoever did the job has done it professionally and it looks great!
The electronics work perfectly and it has that classic "double bass" tone in the first position!
There is some bow in the neck. The truss doesn't ... more

1974 GIBSON GRABBER / RIPPER BASS CASE - made in USA

COLOGNE, GERMANY

€299

1974 GIBSON GRABBER / RIPPER BASS CASE - made in USA:
+ black tolex, has a lot of wear & rips
+ bottom is loose=check pic 7
+ strap that holds case open is gone
+ deep purple interior, has stains
+ 1 latch is broken=check last pic
+ handle was replaced
+ all feet on bottom are missing
Over 1000 more
GUITARS-BASSES-PARTS in our OTHER
AUCTIONS !!!!
TAKE A LOOK !!!... more

Basse Gibson Ripper Fretless Black Ebony ~ 1976

Balanod, 39***, FRANCE

€2550

Superbe basse Fretless Gibson "The Ripper" L-9-SF Black, touche ébène, en très bon état. ~ 1976Configuration d'origine passive avec 2 micros humbuckers Bill Lawrence d'origine, sélecteur 4 positions d'origine, réglages Volume, Treble et Tone. Potentiomètres "CTS" et condensateurs "TAD Mustard" neufs. Chevalet d'origine avec pontets laiton réglables en hauteur individuellement. Etui d'origine usagé inclus
... more

1974 GIBSON GRABBER / RIPPER BASS CASE - made in USA

COLOGNE, GERMANY

€350

1974 GIBSON case for RIPPER & GRABBER models:
+ black tolex, has a lot of wear & rips
+ rips & material missing at the plastic surround
+ strap that holds case open has a rip
+ deep purple interior, has some wear
+ all latches work fine
+ handle is gone
+ top of case is at headstock front resting on the bottom part=NOT OVRRLAPPING AS USUAL
+ all feet on back are missing
Over 1000 more
GUITARS-BASSES-PARTS in our OTHER
AUCTIONS !!!!
TAKE A LOOK ... more

Find more vintage guitars for sale at vintageguitarsforsale.co