Kinda want this. Hopefully someone will have a review soon to help me decide. I can see the Bass Channel guys with this since they are big Gibson fans.
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Epiphone Grabber
- Thread starter jd56hawk
- Start date
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
I checked one out last week, decent enough $500 bass, the $999 MAP is ridiculous.
Putting a MM style brick pickup in this bass shows a clear lack of understanding within Epiphone's current design team.
Putting a MM style brick pickup in this bass shows a clear lack of understanding within Epiphone's current design team.
I just stumbled upon this while looking at the Epiphone site. I think it's really cool but the different pickguard shape kinda bothers me.
It'd be hard to say no to $599 but $999 seems a bit much. I'm not against higher-priced Epiphones; I recently got an Epi Les Paul Custom.
It'd be hard to say no to $599 but $999 seems a bit much. I'm not against higher-priced Epiphones; I recently got an Epi Les Paul Custom.
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Epi's expensive guitars tend to have "correct" appointments, such as their good pickups. This Grabber could appeal to... Stingray players wanting an alder body??
Nitpicking here, but I've always thought the pickguard was wrong in so many ways...flat on one side, round on the other, flat on the bottom when a curve like a Stingray 5 pickguard would've looked much better.
It's very incongruous and off putting.
Almost as bad as a Telecaster pickguard
And the bridge cover?
Please, it looks like something someone made in metal shop and got a C+ on at best.
Seriously, it's supposed to look preferable to the bridge itself?
Other than that, $1,000?
Give me a Thunderbird or a Jack Casady bass any day of the week.
It's very incongruous and off putting.
Almost as bad as a Telecaster pickguard
And the bridge cover?
Please, it looks like something someone made in metal shop and got a C+ on at best.
Seriously, it's supposed to look preferable to the bridge itself?
Other than that, $1,000?
Give me a Thunderbird or a Jack Casady bass any day of the week.
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It’s the Grabber Three Pickup: G3. While I totally agree with you on the logic, it’s what Gibson originally decided and now we’re stuck with it
According the MIKE DIRNT, they’re making an Epiphone version because Gibson sold off all their equipment to make bolt on necked guitars.
While Gibson selling off unused equipment is probably true, I’m sure Gibson could have made a set neck version and had an Epiphone bolt on. Either way, the original was bolt on and bass players are luddites who hate anything more advanced than 1972.
That sounds strange. They are a modern manufacturing facility with a lot of CNC machines. Seems odd they can't figure out how to make bolt on guitars when they arent all that much different than a glued in neck.
I saw and 'touched' the INSPIRED by Gibson Epiphone Grabber in Natural today. Uhmmm....
The Positive
1) It looked looked the part. ( There is a 'family' photo of it with 2 Firebirds )
2) The neck felt good and the fret work was great
3) Humbucker mode, sounded full
The not so Positive ( some nit picky stuff too )
1) The neck pocket was a little too big for the neck, you could see buffing compound or something that made it look worse.
2) Some of the neck dots were not flush with the top of the neck
3) With the toggle in the humbucking position it sounded big, move the toggle back and it was more of 'where did the sound go?' Useless.
4) The Volume and Tone knobs were about 6 mm above the pickguard
5) Volume and Tone knobs felt weird and cheap, and there was no resistance when turning them ( I like a little )
6) The nut wasn't seated properly - slight gap
7) Cosmetic deal - not a fan of seeing knots on a natural finish
8) Kind of wanted the bass to weight a little more - made it feel cheap
9) The edge of the pickguard could be polished out
I wanted to like it but couldn't.
If the pickup was made in such a way that you could have a P -bass / Humbucker / Reverse -P set up it might be cool.
And... if the price was more in the $600 range at MAX even better. $1000 no way.
The Positive
1) It looked looked the part. ( There is a 'family' photo of it with 2 Firebirds )
2) The neck felt good and the fret work was great
3) Humbucker mode, sounded full
The not so Positive ( some nit picky stuff too )
1) The neck pocket was a little too big for the neck, you could see buffing compound or something that made it look worse.
2) Some of the neck dots were not flush with the top of the neck
3) With the toggle in the humbucking position it sounded big, move the toggle back and it was more of 'where did the sound go?' Useless.
4) The Volume and Tone knobs were about 6 mm above the pickguard
5) Volume and Tone knobs felt weird and cheap, and there was no resistance when turning them ( I like a little )
6) The nut wasn't seated properly - slight gap
7) Cosmetic deal - not a fan of seeing knots on a natural finish
8) Kind of wanted the bass to weight a little more - made it feel cheap
9) The edge of the pickguard could be polished out
I wanted to like it but couldn't.
If the pickup was made in such a way that you could have a P -bass / Humbucker / Reverse -P set up it might be cool.
And... if the price was more in the $600 range at MAX even better. $1000 no way.
Attachments
This may be of interest to some of you, Matt Freeman of Rancid, currently on tour with Green Day, just shot a little interview with Mike, mainly focused on the original G3, and the upcoming signature model gets mentioned too.
I'm sure they can figure it out BUT Gibson is heavily leaning towards legacy customers, and to them a bolt-on Gibson is not a Gibson, therefore a concept not worth pursuing. Not to mention that the company - regardless of the ownership - treated bass guitars as an afterthought for a better part of the past 72 years...
Epiphone is where Gibson builds basses - whether we like it or not - at least for the most part. Sadly, it doesn't seem like the new Grabber is going to grab too many customers.
I was excited when I first saw this but realized I was thinking of the ripper. I had one a vintage unlined fretless one some 5 or so years back but sold it not long after I got it, loved the sound but would've preferred a fretted version
Anywho I'm not sure about this one. Generally I like the gibson/epiphone side of things but I have a feeling these won't be worth the asking price for me.
Anywho I'm not sure about this one. Generally I like the gibson/epiphone side of things but I have a feeling these won't be worth the asking price for me.
Well, I don't play much anymore, have always wanted a black Grabber like Gene played back in the day, saw this and without even thinking, I ordered it.
I know it's not the real deal, but I'm not either, more of a hobbiest than anything.
It was delivered this morning, but I'm up camping so will see how it is tomorrow when I get home!
Hopefully it's at least going to be fun! Lol
I know it's not the real deal, but I'm not either, more of a hobbiest than anything.
It was delivered this morning, but I'm up camping so will see how it is tomorrow when I get home!
Hopefully it's at least going to be fun! Lol
IF I lived to be 200 years old, in 131 years, just like today, Gibson will still be CLUELESS when it comes to bass.
I could revive the Ripper/G3/Grabber trio and the Victory bass in a far more authentic fashion than what I've seen so far, and our friend Bassvarken and the Brooks Guitar basses he fabs are working art pieces that should have 'Gibson' on his pieces built under license to great success.
What a sled. Wait, sorry, I meant to say what a THOUSAND DOLLAR sled.
I could revive the Ripper/G3/Grabber trio and the Victory bass in a far more authentic fashion than what I've seen so far, and our friend Bassvarken and the Brooks Guitar basses he fabs are working art pieces that should have 'Gibson' on his pieces built under license to great success.
What a sled. Wait, sorry, I meant to say what a THOUSAND DOLLAR sled.
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Got to agree with you, it's at the point where they've made it clear they really don't care about bass. Which, fine, I guess bass never really took off for Gibson/Epiphone like their guitars did, but at the same time, they don't do themselves any favours breaking into the bass market when they make reissues that just, don't get it right. Being realistic, the pickup sliding mechanism on a Grabber really isn't that complex, it's just a pickup mounted to a piece of plastic under the guard, with a big swimming pool route underneath. That's what, an extra 5 minutes of machine time on the CNC's, and then a few extra pennies for the plastic pickup mount?
It's not surprising, but it is disappointing to see how little effort they're willing to put into their bass releases. Thunderbirds are the only ones that seem to get any love, which is a real shame because Gibson have made some very cool basses in the past. For the kind of money they're asking, I'd want to see something much more true to the originals. And please, give us an RD reissue that isn't an insanely priced Krist sig model.
