Hey friends. I am currently the owner of a Fender Jaguar bass and have wanted/been interested in owning a Gibson Grabber for quite some time. I have never been able to play a vintage G3, so I am seeking out the opinions of people who have played or know enough about both. I just wanted to know if swapping the Jaguar for one would be beneficial to my situation. I play music along the lines of mostly extreme rock. (IE: Progressive/math rock, post hardcore, post metal, etc.) Would really appreciate any feedback on this mental dilemma of mine. Thanks!
Absolutely. The G3 is more sonically versatile, and in my opinion a better crafted instrument. The all maple construction will also cut through a mix better than the alder/rosewood of the Jaguar. There's one for sale in the classifieds right now
Appreciate the input! I actually have a prospect worth trading for at the moment. And it's only a few hours drive, so I can go check it out in person.
It is unlikely that Gibson builds a "better crafted" anything than anybody. Having said that, both will be versatile instruments. Jags tend to neck dive a bit, and grabbers/rippers have freakishly large bodies. Best to check out the Gibson before committing to anything.
I've actually played both, and fretwork and resonance of the Grabber was better...as I said, 'in my opinion' Hopefully the OP lets us know how his AB findings compare
Aren't vintage Grabbers a slightly longer scale length? I think I read that they're a 34.5? That might be worth taking into consideration. But, I love my Grabber (G3 Reissue), I use it mostly in a hard rock band, but I also play more progressive & extreme stuff (think, I mix of Mastodon & Dillinger Escape Plan) & it sounds perfect for that kind of thing! If a vintage one sounds like the reissue, then you'll be sorted! All IMO, of course.
The G3s that I have played, and a grabber, have all been very good basses. I would deffinatly take the G3
Between those the Gibson. The Jaguars have great necks, haven't played one that wasn't noisy and as someone else said they tend to be neck heavy. The G3 is one of very few basses I have gas for. To me they are better sounding and more versatile than any other Gibson bass.
Yeah I'll definitely keep you guys posted on things. To be honest the only reason I wanted a vintage one as opposed to the 09 reissue is because I heard the vintage G3's were considerably better. But if DannyBlueOrigin says he loves it, maybe I should consider the reissue seeing as how they're much easier to come by? :O Either way, I'll be dropping by my Sam Ash to test drive the reissue. Thanks for the feedback guys!
Gibson uses plek, so the fretwork is good. They also paint with their eyes closed, based on the work I've seen.
My Jaguar never did neck dives, but the neck was finicky in regards to string tension. That and the noise issue were its downfalls, IMO. The way I see it, a vintage Grabber in good shape is worth a lot more, and Jaguars can still be found all over the place for very fair prices.
^ That's very true. Might be getting my hands on a 1981 in pretty good condition. Thanks for furthering the input here!
The noise on the 4 or 5 Jaguar's I've come across is pretty terrible. I think they could be cool basses if completely modded. They are at their core jazz basses. The G3's I've played, one from the 70's and one of the recent re-release both just seemed so right. felt great and sounded surprisingly amazing. Don't forget the magical mojo you get with a vintage bass.... . It will give you something to worry about when you play out.
I liked my Jaguar just fine. Played the snot out of it, and had it loaded with copper sheeting, since I work in the stained glass industry. But, although they're great basses, compared to what you're looking at, I personally would consider them to be a little more disposable, that's all. I don't intend to disparage Jaguars at all. I just mean that if I were you, I'd go for the Gibson if it moved me in that way.
I've never owned a jag but I used to gig with a G3...but when we would record it was my jazz everytime. The G3 won in the cool category (and it was a super rare '82 in candy apple red that is the bass that I really regret seeling, damned rent) and it sounded pretty good but when I'd A/B it with the jazz, the jazz won going away everytime.
Yeah, I've never owned a vintage bass so I'd look forward to that. But it does sound like the Grabber is more for me. To be honest though it's hard to tell when you're playing a bass that isn't yours if you truly will like it more unless it's blatantly obvious. When I played the G3 reissue, it was great, but I liked my Jaguar more at the time because of the strings, action, etc.