Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Epiphone Mike Dirnt Grabber...definitely won't be grabbing one!
- Thread starter jd56hawk
- Start date
I had a Gibson G-3 back in the late 70s, but never really warmed up to it.
I thought I was going to get a Jazz bass sound out of it, but it never happened.
I sold it to a friend, and he loved it.
One man's trash...
Mike
I thought I was going to get a Jazz bass sound out of it, but it never happened.
I sold it to a friend, and he loved it.
One man's trash...
Mike
I'm glad i took up building a decade ago, i've built my own - though the G3 is getting a complete remodel/revamp.
Saves me money, practices my craftsmanship, & well i can do most of anything in electronics/hardware choices.
the Epi Dirnt looks cool, & with the release of the Grabber, i figured it'd be a matter of time before they'd have a G3 with Mike's name on it. WAY too much.
Saves me money, practices my craftsmanship, & well i can do most of anything in electronics/hardware choices.
the Epi Dirnt looks cool, & with the release of the Grabber, i figured it'd be a matter of time before they'd have a G3 with Mike's name on it. WAY too much.
Only if it uses correct-ish pickups and electronics. My gripe with the current Grabber is that I can't "grab" it; it sounds really fine otherwise (better than the Gibson Grabber II I've played).
Absolutely!
My preference would be all maple, but I'd be ok with an alder body.
Scale length and mid choke negotiable.
The Epi Mike Dirnt is all maple body, so if they want, they'll do...
Curious on your thoughts of the grabber II? Ive got an original g1 from 75, which is a beast!
Novaks would be sweet, but expensive with currency exchange (usd to Cad for me). So was in talks with a "local" pickup maker (they're in another province, love their pickups, Pegcity pickups if you're curious, no affiliation), So potential recreation of the original G3s to some degree, & the green sparkle grabber of mine is also getting a minibucker, in place of the EB0 Mudbucker, at a later date. & i'm either building an entirely new neck for it, or cheating & getting a premade one i just shape the headstock, & lots of refin/mods to the g3 overall. Most of its current pictured parts are going on a lefty version for a friend of mine (he's a die hard Green Day fan, & we've had a tribute together, i left at the start of the year to focus on my own original band).
The pickup on the G2 was a bit honky. It wasn't like the growl-honk of alnico Thunderbird pickups, but just honk.
Wasn't G1 the Carol Kaye bass with single-coil pickup? I believe it sounds great, and I've always got the itch to replicate the sound in a new bass (such as the Epiphone Grabber). I'd need to re-route for the pickup, though, and the Curtis Novak pickup isn't cheap!
^^ My 1975 wine red G1, got it for a steal price cause broken truss rod. I've fixed it up, replaced the very worn down frets, new bone nut, switchcraft output jack, & swapped the slotted saddle height adjustment screws for shorter allen head ones. All original parts (aside from frets) are kept in its OG hardcase.
& honestly, i keep reading it's a single coil, but that's kinda hard to believe with how thick & growly this is. & Agreed, the Novak is not given, would be sweet to have a backup.
There's a lot with the Epiphone Grabber i don't like, they got the body shape "wrong" as it doesn't flow with the pickguard like the original ones, it looks larger. Not doing the sliding pickup is a huge miss.
When comparing what these basses cost to the price of gold, the cost has gone down. In 1977 a G-3 with a sunburst was $509 according to fly guitars. At the time the price of gold was around $150 per oz. Therefore a G-3 cost more than the equivalent of 3 ounces of Gold. Today you can get a new G-3 for less than the price of 1/2 an ounce of gold. Prices in this regard have come down substantially.
I prefer to measure my bass prices in bushels of onions. In October of 1977 the onion price index was 54.30, for a ratio of 9.37. The onion index was 168.4 in August of 2025, for a ratio of 5.94. Pretty modest inflation when measured in onions!
Alright then, I'll send you some bushels of onions and you can send me a new Epiphone G-3 please.
You know what else is a trip? A 2012 Gibson G-3 cost $999 when it came out. My how the world has changed.
At least the jeans are gone!
Nice review. I kinda want one but only as a G3 was my main gigging bass from 88-93. Likely more nostalgia than anything else as I haven't played a G3 since.
$999 is a great price point for a USA bass but I decided to spend ~$1200 last week and order one of the first Gibson Midtown Hollowbodies. Likely more usable tones for me over the G3 as I have Modulus and Fenders and a USA MTD and Spector on the way.
TBird, do you see a Midtown in your future? Looks like a killer bass IMO and i am pumped to get mine (likely 2 weeks).
Nice review. I kinda want one but only as a G3 was my main gigging bass from 88-93. Likely more nostalgia than anything else as I haven't played a G3 since.
$999 is a great price point for a USA bass but I decided to spend ~$1200 last week and order one of the first Gibson Midtown Hollowbodies. Likely more usable tones for me over the G3 as I have Modulus and Fenders and a USA MTD and Spector on the way.
TBird, do you see a Midtown in your future? Looks like a killer bass IMO and i am pumped to get mine (likely 2 weeks).
The price is in line with any Fender MIM signature bass. It's also in line with the Epiphone Rex Brown signature Thunderbird. So I guess I don't know what people were expecting.
