At the moment Mark is band-less, having recently returned to Australia after living in Indonesia for a couple of years,
Mark lives in Sydney, Australia, and his 1973 Ripper is original apart from some screw holes that suggest a previous owner may have experimented with a different shaped pickguard at some point in time. This Ripper was imported to Australia by Mark from the USA, with the previous owner being Steve "Dude" Barr of Vintage Bass Trading Company and Dudepit fame.

Mark says - "I've owned several Gibson basses, and despite the size of the body, the all-maple Ripper is lighter and more ergonomic than other Gibsons I've played.  The body is actually quite thin, hence the light weight, and the neck is a pleasure to play.  Ripper pickups don't have the balls that, say, a Thunderbird or long scale Les Paul bass has, but the Ripper does have a great sound that lends itself to a variety of musical styles.  I've recently sold quite a few of my basses because my young family is expanding, but the Ripper is a definite keeper"