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P-Bass or Grabber

K

Kiteman23

Jun 30, 2008
9
0
San Mateo, CA
#1
I'm a young bass player in 2 bands and I've been playing for 5 years now.

I have a couple of great basses, but one really catches my eye all the time and it's a Gibson Grabber. I've always wanted to play something like that.

It was featured on an issue of Bass Player magazine and the reviews were commenting that it sounds almost like a P-Bass, I'm guessing because of the alder body and bolt-on neck. The sliding pickup looks pretty cool too.

I'm just wondering would it be a good bass, even as a back-up for my Fender MIA P-Bass?
 
#2
Kiteman23 said:
I'm a young bass player in 2 bands and I've been playing for 5 years now.

I have a couple of great basses, but one really catches my eye all the time and it's a Gibson Grabber. I've always wanted to play something like that.

It was featured on an issue of Bass Player magazine and the reviews were commenting that it sounds almost like a P-Bass, I'm guessing because of the alder body and bolt-on neck. The sliding pickup looks pretty cool too.

I'm just wondering would it be a good bass, even as a back-up for my Fender MIA P-Bass?
Click to expand...

My first bass was a Gibson Grabber back in the early 80's. It was okay, generally considered to be a "cheap" Gibson bass compared to the T-Bird. I personally didn't care much for it, but that was mostly because I tought it looked like a tick. If you can get a good P-bass that would be my choice between these, no doubt about it.
 
#6
Rick Danko says to go with a Ripper :)

rick_danko_1.jpg
 
#9
I'd get a grabber because I've had the grabbers sister, the ripper, well still have it but the neck is shot.. And I really miss playing it.. BUT, although I've never played an actual FENDER P-bass, I'd recommend the p-bass for comfort and versatility. I'd PERSONALLY take the gibby though :P but I'm not normal by any means :P
 
#10
I have had both, i loved the Grabber. I miss it and i am going to buy one again whenever i get the chance to. They juts look so cool

The ripper on the otherhand just didnt do it for me, it sounded really scooped on the series and parallel settings and even with the brightest rounds it didnt sound very good.
I only paid $400 for it so i just traded it for a Grabber....
That was my Grabber they had at BassNW not to long ago if anyone here bought it i want it back!.
 
#11
i saw a band a while ago and the bassist was playing a ripper and i remember him having the hugest tone i heard in a while. this is most likely because how he was eq-d also but his tone was all just huge bass it sounded awesome for what he was playing.(it was like experimental rock along the lines of minus the bear/trophy scars but alot slower)
 
#13
In general and this is my opinion, Gibson basses are not even in the league with Ibanez and Fender which are the number 1 and 2 bass makers/sellers in the world. I've been playing bass since 1975 and remember when Gibson's Ripper and Grabber came along, there was something about Gibson at the time they were making guitars and basses that had that all natural look. Their basses have never impressed me at all, they have a very thuddy tone, which doesn't project.:scowl: One of my first basses was a Gibson EB-0, the worst sounding bass I've ever played and that's counting cheap Japanese copies of the '70's, it had the worst neck dive, too.:rollno:

Stick with the P-bass, you'll be so much better off.;)
 
#14
i just picked up a G3 (same as the grabber but with the 3 singles rather than the sliding humbucker) and I have to say it really does nail the P-bass tone. I thought it would be more akin to my jazz, but definitely has the P-sound. The only issue I've had with it is that the output doesn't seem to be as strong as my other basses, so I had to make adjustments.

If you're after that sound, and you like what you hear, then go for the grabber, especially if you already have a P as stated above.
 
#15
I've been playing bass since 1975 and remember when Gibson's Ripper and Grabber came along, there was something about Gibson at the time they were making guitars and basses that had that all natural look. Their basses have never impressed me at all, they have a very thuddy tone, which doesn't project
Click to expand...

The G-3 projects nicely, the most Fenderish sounding Gibson. RD's also cut through a mix nicely.

Each Gibson sound is unique to it's self so it's hard to broad blanket all their basses with one sound description.
 

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