Underrated Bass Guitars: 1978 Gibson Grabber G3
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- I seem to have a heart for bassguitars, which are a bit off mainstream. Instruments that may sound quite different to the usual suspects or which look or feel completely different.
One of these special creatures is the Gibson G3 Bass.
In this short video I give you some background information about the history of this instrument and some general info about the production of the Ripper and the Grabber basses, taking a closer look and last not least a glimpse of an idea how this particular G3 bass actually sounds.
If you are interested in Gibson bass guitars, their history and pictures I would like to highly recommend "The Gibson Bass Book", by Rob van den Broek". Check it out:
www.thegibsonb...
!!! Error correction !!!
In the video I mistaken the the term "neck thru design" with "set neck design". The Gibson RIPPER Bass has a set neck design, which means the necks are glued to the body and NOT going through the entire body. My apologies for the wrong use of definitions.
Enjoy and have a beautiful day
Oliver
©️ 2022 by Oliver Poschmann
I have had a g3 for 35 years. I took the frets out (sin of youth) and it sounds even better. I wouldn't trade it for any other. Greetings from Argentina.
ahh, wonderful. Yes, I can imagine that it sounds really good fretless. Greetings to Argentina
Thanks for posting this review. I have a 1975 G3 (ebony) made in Kalamazoo that I bought around ‘93-94 at Guitar Center for $450. One of my favorite local band’s bass player played a G3 and it always sounded amazing so I bought one to play in my band. I gigged with it throughout the 90’s and it always sounded great live and on recordings. It’s surprisingly light at 8.5lbs. I still have it 30 years later. Glad to see the G3 is finally getting some love and recognition.
Aaaah, what a delightful story. Makes me happy to hear that the G-3 kept you happy for all those many years. I totally agree. They are great bassguitars. Wish you many more years of joy with it.
Loved my G3. Black with maple neck with big tuners, translucent pickups.
I remember it was used by the Green Day bassist! Beautiful piece
My first bass was an all black G3 with the maple neck and fretboard, I was lucky, and I really did enjoy it and actually gigged for 3 years with it in high school. I'm sad to say I didn't appreciate it the way I would now but that's just 20/20 hindsight, hopefully one day I'll own another, such a great bass, very cool design, and great sounding to my ears.
Dear Josh,
I can feel your pain. Have been there myself with selling instruments which I should have kept. But we cannot turn the wheel backwards. However, every once in a while these basses pop up on the market and eventually you may find one which you like. I wish you good luck.
All the best
Oliver
Nice!! Didn't know about the G-3! Sounds great!!
And by the way, great Thin Lizzy, Dancin' in the Moonlight riff!
Thank you for your kind words! Yes, the G-3 definitely flies under the radar, but it’s great to see it getting some love. I’m glad you enjoyed it! And even though Phil Lynott never used a Grabber, I have to agree-it suits that bassline surprisingly well. Sometimes, a different instrument brings out a whole new character in a classic riff!
Great presentation! Thanks for posting. I bought my blonde G-3 brand new in ‘75 and am still loving it as much as I did then. They aren’t for everyone, but they are certainly in a lane all their own.
Thanks so much! Wow, a blonde G-3 from ‘75-what a gem! It’s awesome to hear you’re still loving it after all these years. You’re right, the G-3 isn’t for everyone, but it definitely has its own unique charm that stands out. It’s always great to connect with someone who appreciates that distinctive lane it’s in!
Dancing in the Moonlight.. very nice. Sure wish I could get my hands on one of these! Great video, thanks for sharing!
thank you, glad you enjoyed the video and good luck with finding a G3 to put your hands on :-) ... keep on dancing in the moonlight !
I'm from the UK but back in the late 70's, my Dad was stationed in Ramstein when I was a kid. I played a grabber with the sliding pickup in a music shop in Kaiserslautern. I loved it but sadly couldn't afford it (14 years old at the time...). Playing precisions now but always fancied one of these...
Hi Bob, I had similar experiences with basses I fell in love with, but could not afford at the time. It's never too late though. They are are still circulating and eventually you might get lucky. However, can't go wrong with P-Basses after all :-)
@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 It's true. I used to hate P-Basses. I couldn't get on with the neck profile but I have a lovely one from 2006 that plays like butter and an old one from 1969 with flats on. I barely play anything else. That said, the best basses I own are Ibanez Musicians from the early 80's. (An MC-924 - extremely versatile ) - and a rare MC-888 'bean bass'. this is the best playing and sounding bass I own - particularly for recording.
@@bobstratton9294 , I had a similar journey with P-Basses. I used to hate them until one day I started to love them. And I totally agree, the Ibanez Musician basses are really good instruments. Very advanced in the time they came out and still rockin' ...
Great review- you are the first G-3 reviewer to mention the string tension which is substantial! The G-3 was designed for lighter gauge strings so, like you, that’s what I use. You can see my 76 in the profile pic.
Very cool! Glad I watched this as I just bought a 77 G3, and put 105s on it. You're right, its a little tighter with those, so I will try the 100s like you demonstrate. I love mine, its a tank, totally heavy duty bass construction wise, but sounds amazing plays great, low action. All the guys in my band were like, "Now that sounds good! Can you get your others to sound like that"? It has those transparent pickups to, pretty trippy. I think its a keeper..
Ahh, great. Glad you enjoy your new (old) bass :-)
The clear pickup covers were replaced with black covers by 1978 (like mine in the video). I think too, that they look pretty cool.
DEFINITELY a KEEPER 😊
Thanks for your video ! I have bought one today, it is in poor condition, but still sounds good from the little I could play. According to your description, it is one of the first ones because it has the large pegs. Its number is 0255 with the 0 difficult to see. Could have been some more worn out digits at the left… Now I have to renew it.
Love seeing new videos of G3s! I have one myself, 1976, picked it up about 2 or 3 years ago!
You have been lucky George. Congratulations, seems like the G3s are not really easy to find, from what I observe.
Very nice. Well done Oliver! Cheers from The Netherlands.
The Ripper was a glued-on neck, not neck thru. I owned many Rippers and most were terrible. Very inconsistent and the maple body/maple neck models would always have neck issues. The black and sunburst fretted models with ebony boards were far better. I had a black G-3 that I bought used in 1977. GREAT bass, sounded just like yours. It had the clear pickups, though. Excellent bass. Great video! Thanks for honoring this bass.
Dear Joe,
thank you for your comment. Yes, the Ripper basses indeed have glued on/set necks, I used the wrong term in the video - there is a note on that in the video description, but that can get overlooked easily unfortunately. My apologies for that.
You obviously went through many Gibson basses, , thank you for sharing your experiences.
To my knowledge, the clear pickup covers on the G3 were replaced with black covers by 1978.
@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 Neck-thru Rippers would've been amazing! I wish I still had my sunburst fretted Ripper. It was the best. And now, thanks to your wonderful video, I want another G-3!
Thank you for sharing! I think Gibson basses are underappreciated and also versatile. Of course, Gene Simmons of Kiss comes to mind, but if you watch "The Last Waltz", The Band's Rick Danko backs up so many different types of musicians with his Gibson bass. Best wishes from California, Rob.
Thank you Rob. I could not agree more. Rick Danko was a most fabulous ambassador for the Gibson bass, gone far too soon. Such a great talent.
Hi Oliver loved the review..I have a G3 bass and wondered what brand of strings you mentioned
Many thanks .. Martin
thank you Martin. As far as I can recall I used unbranded roundwounds, but I am almost sure they were GHS, as they used to be the main supplier for the luthier who I bought them from
Bravo ragazzo.
Ho un gibson Ripper del 78
Bassi favolosi
Fantastic Bass!!
Nothing else to say!
😎👍👍
Word 😊
Come on O P! I'm excited now!
Oliver wishing you a Merry Christmas!! ❤🎄
Man, seems like I discovered this too late... Awesome bass, killer sounds, incredible look, but almost impossible to get already, and if you find one, it's already around 3000 bucks...
I know, the vintage instrument market in general exploded over the last 2 years and even "outlaws" like the Grabber become less and less affordable.
I would like a Sting Ray body routed for three EMG Jazz Hz pickups with the G3 spacing. I love the tight sound of the G3.
thank you so much for this great review, i really enjoyed it
Would love to get my hands on one but unlikely given the prices they fetch nowadays
Is that an original piece @11:35 or part of a song? Such a cool bass, thanks for sharing!
That's a piece I wrote, called "Dixie for Pixie"
Here a link to the original version, played on a Fodera bass:
www.dropbox.com/s/2gin2htmte7bn7w/Dixie%20For%20Pixie.wav?dl=0
@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758
That’s absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. Who are your favorite bass players and bands? I’m switching from guitar to bass. Any scales or anything you recommend mastering?
Thanks for the info on the serial number!
Glad to hear that you find it useful, Matt. 👍
Played one in a music store back in the day and remember it weighing a bunch. Pretty bass though.
I remember Suzi Quatro had a blonde Ripper in the video "I bit off more than I could chew"
Thanks for the comment! Thank you for pointing out this gem. I never saw that video, neither did I actually know that great song. You’re spot on-Suzi Quatro is playing a blonde Gibson Ripper in the video for ‘I Bit Off More Than I Could Chew.’ You can clearly see the two pickups and the set neck, which gives it away as a Ripper, not a G-3. Great catch, and thanks for watching!
This channel is so amazing, Oliver, so cool really!! But, a thing worth to point out I think is the fact that some of your videos, the sync is off a bit! I don't mind that much actually but maybe it can be a factor that makes everything a little bit less appealing to watch.
Anyway, you rock :)
Liebe Grüsse!!
Hi Francesco,
thank you for your kind words. I am surprised that you encounter some sync problems with my videos. They all run perfectly in sync on all my devices. I remember from time to time having similar issues with other people's videos on youtube occasionally, possibly linked to slow internet streaming connection - not entirely sure what the real issue is behind this. Maybe also browser related? I will keep an eye on this. Thank you for letting me know.
All the best
Oliver
I guess that should be my last custom bass. Maybe it is the only one I have ever needed.
incredible bass !
Thank You.
I lusted bad after that bass back in the day, and the Marauder guitar. Wouldn't it be great if Epiphone reissued these.
I have a Grabber and love it. But the Ripper don't have a neck through like you said - it has a set neck. The Grabber has a bolt on neck.
Thank you. Yes you are correct and I mentioned my mistake in the video description. My apologies for the language messup. Keep enjoying the Grabber 😊, great bass.
There is nothing like it on the planet.
What's the pickup spacing from the neck? I had a custom body built with a maple center section and I would like to route it with a G3 pickup layout.
I just found a link to the album that we recorded back in 1995 on which I played all the bass tracks using my ‘75 G-3. It may not be everyone’s cup o’ tea but you can’t deny some of the sounds we got using it. Cheers. th-cam.com/video/BtZV1oDAgwE/w-d-xo.html
I have a G1 Grabber in the attic. Needs restoration. I need to fund a new bass so old Mr. Gibson will have to be let go. Any offers?
Anyone notice this is mike dirnt’s dookie bass ?
Actually, he used a different bass on Dookie. I found this section in an interview on Guitarworld:
A: On Insomniac, I played my Gibson G3; you can really hear it on Kerplunk and Insomniac. It’s distinctive, like on the intro to “No One Knows.” On Nimrod, that was mostly my ’69 P-Bass and a ’52 Precision, I think.
Q: You seem to favor passive basses.
A: Some guys have gotten great active sounds, but that’s just never been my world. Actually, on Dookie, I played an active P-Bass that I rented from SIR, because my basses were broken and thrashed from touring. That bass had P/J pickups, but the way I had it set, it might as well have just been a P-Bass.
@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 Wait so the bass he used in Woodstock 94 was a rented one?
Jayden, while I absolutely adore Mike Dirnt's playing, I have to admit that I don't know much about the gear he is using. But regardless what he uses, his sound is epic 💪
it needs a decent bridge. A style hipshot. ,schaller something better.
Yet Gibson will absolutely not reproduce these basses now .
I know, hard to understand, yet they did not sell huge amounts of them back in the day, so maybe that’s why they are reluctant. But they truly are great bassguitars
They need to do some kind of reissue, they have no problem reissuing guitars no one gives a flying fuck about but the stuff people actually want (basses) we get literally Nothing
I agree. It is quite strange that Gibson has never come up with a fully committed re-issue on any bass model. Fender just released the new American Vintage II Series and these instruments are amazing. It can be done - of course, but whatever is going on at Gibson, I am afraid this might never happen.
@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 it won’t, there just gonna keep releasing the same overpriced thunderbirds and EB3s that they’ve Ben doing for 20 years
Gibson should have figured this out years ago to compete with Fender.
Just make it in a five string with a Fenderish neck and headstock with a MusicManish or Rickenbakerish body and we have global domination. With and without a preamp. You did not mention the scale.
haha, it's 34" standard longscale. My apologies for omitting that information.
Please.
I think )) is '76?
It is definitely 78 :-)
49 years ago.
Didn't copy Fender basses.
Too much blab.