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I think the bridge gives these basses their identity. Once seen, never forgotten. Love the finish and colour of the body and scratchplate. Looks and sounds a quality instrument.

Oh come on, you've got to love that freakishly large, F-Vee head. I prefer ebony myself but what have you got against rosewood fretboards?

Thanks [color="#282828"]umcoo.[/color] [color="#282828"]Though I live an hours drive from Promenade, I go there a lot. Great shop.[/color] [color="#282828"]That restoration sounds interesting, you should post pics.[/color]

Review posted here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/210732-gibson-grabber-3-70s-tribute-bass/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/210732-gibson-grabber-3-70s-tribute-bass/[/url]

I remember, back in the 70s, when the Grabber and it's cousin, the Ripper came out, I thought they were ugly. I hadn't given them much thought since then and so hadn't changed my view. Then, a couple of months ago, I saw this new version, with it's dark, honeyburst finish, black scratchplate and three, big single-coil pickups and I was very attracted to it. I wasn't in the shop looking for a bass and if I had been, it wouldn't have been a Gibson Grabber. But my eyes kept straying to it. After getting my Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat bass, I was really getting into the whole retro thing. And my mind went back to that Grabber, I'd seen. And after checking out a number of "retro" styled basses, I decided the Grabber 3 was the next bass for me. Now the looks of this bass are a little odd-ball. The body is wide with a lot of bevelling. Yet it's depth is relatively thin. The honeyburst finish is rather attractive and a little translucent, allowing some of the wood's grain to show through. Yet there is a large, black scratchplate, which covers alot of the body's front. Then there are the 3, large, rubbery single-coil pickups. And to top it all, literally, is a massive, triangular, Flying-V style headstock, with huge, clover shaped, Grover tuners. Yet somehow, all these attributes come together to give a very cool looking bass, IMO. With this American made bass, Gibson have used many tried and tested features, like the aforementioned F-V head, the traditional 3-point anchored bridge, the old Grover tuners. Then they went and added 3 S/C pickups, with the wackiest wiring/switching. Most other makes would have given the bass individual switches for each pickup. Or at least a 5 or 7 way switch, to get as many combinations as possible. What did Gibson give us? One tone, one volume and a 3-way switch. What!?! For a start, you cannot use any of the pickups on there own. There is a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup, that is always on. Ostensibly to cancel hum. So, this is what you get from the 3-way switch: bridge+middle / all 3 / middle+neck. Now, all this may sound a bit poor to you. It certainly surprised me. Stay with me though. This Grabber is made of just one species of wood and that is maple. Maple body, maple glued in neck and even baked maple, for the fretboard. I'm not sure if the baking hardened the wood or just darkened it, to look more like rosewood. Possibly both. Now maple is known to give a harder, attacking edge to tone. Possibly it may enhance the high-mid frequencies. Anyways, my point is the combination of wood and wierd/innovative pickup wiring does indeed come together to give the Gibson Grabber 3, a very distinctive sound. And yes, that sound could be described as reminiscent of the 70s. No, the wiring doesn't allow a huge variety in tone. But all the tones you can dial in, sound very good and in keeping with the bass's image. It is hard to describe tone but I think the reverse phase, middle pickup, always being there, gives this bass some extra space or width to it's sound. It's a rather lovely characteristic and in conjunction with the all maple construction, that keeps the sound nice and tight, the tone is a real winner. And there's just enough variation in the 3 pickup selection, to adjust to most situations. I don't know how many bassists out there are like me but I've had all singing and dancing basses, that had a huge variety of tones available through multi-switching, coil-taps and a variety of pickups. But almost always, I found a couple sounds I liked and just used my technique to alter things further. So the Grabber's approach is quite appealing and it's tonal range is just great, to my ears. It's very reponsive to playing technique and although powerful, it remains a tight sound, that won't boom all over your gig's or recording's mix. I've really enjoyed playing it with fingers, thumb and plectrum. And with a little palm muting, it's amazing, too. This Grabber is relatively cheap, for a US made bass. So what gives? Probably the cheapest thing about it, is the gigbag it comes with. It's large enough and has a Gibson logo but it's mediocre at best, with not much padding. The bass's knobs and 3-way switch are also nothing special. They work and seem reasonably solid. Only time will tell but they're not the best. Also the traditional, 3-point, Gibbo bridge is not the finest design. But it works and is a sturdy peice of kit. On the positive side, the construction is very solid. Everything fits and works well. The overall finishing is pretty decent too. There's nothing flash here, it's actually quite a workmanlike bass. Playing wise, the bass has a wide, comfortable neck. It does seem to stick out a ways, from your body but I soon got used to that. Mind you I had been playing my short scale bass, for a number of weeks before getting the Grabber. But I actually enjoy switching between the 2, now. Having very much it's own sound, it took me a couple of days playing to really appreciate what this bass can do and how it is very inspiring to play. Having said that the Grabber is such an individual instrument, I can however, see it being someone's mainstay bass. OK, it doesn't cover all the tonal bases but I reckon, with some thought, it could fit rather well, in most musical situations. This is a mid-priced bass and looking at it's parts, that's exactly what it is. But the sum of it's parts, come together to give you a little more than that. I don't know if the team that put this bass together knew exactly what they were doing, or if they just struck lucky. But if any of what I've said about this bass appeals to you, I'd strongly suggest finding one to try out. Not that easy in the UK but worth a try I reckon.

[quote name='LeftyJ' timestamp='1371927771' post='2119788'] Saw Lefties Soul Connection performing last Saturday, their bass player used one of the original G3's with those white rail pickups through an Ampeg SVT + 8x10. Massive thump, sounded incredible! I also really like the look of Grabbers and Rippers, they're just massive! [/quote] Funnily enough, I used to think that Grabbers and Rippers were quite ugly. Now, I luv 'em. I've just moved from using Ampeg (got too heavy), to a GK head and MarkBass cab and the Grabber sounds awesome through them.

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1371839151' post='2118773'] Very nice, those 3 single coils should give a lot of options tone wise and a great dub tone from the neck pick up. [/quote] Not as many as you may think. The mid pickup is always on, in reverse phase. So the 3-way selector is: neck+mid - all 3 - mid+bridge. The mid pickup also acts as a hum canceller. Kind of wierd but with the all maple coonstruction, it all adds up to a very cool, individual sounding and playing bass, IMO.

I got it from Promenade Music, in Morcambe. The only other shop that seems to have one, actually in stock, is GAK.

Yes, I've officially gone bass mad. Having found my little 60s style, Epi Rumblekat bass, a few weeks ago, I've really got into the retro thing. So I thought I'd move on a decade and went for the Gibson Grabber 3: 70's tribute bass. It'll probably be impossible to find a hard case for (comes with gigbag), as it has a wide body and headstock but I doin't care. This is a seriously cool, individual bass. It's pretty much made of nothing but maple. And with it's uniquely wired, 3 single coil pickups, it really is something else. Yipee!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371309198' post='2112438'] IMO YouTube "demos" are mostly useless for making any tonal decisions about a bass. All they tell you is what that particular example of the bass sounds like when played by that particular player going into their choice of amp/computer interface etc. with whatever post processing they have used on it and then with YouTube's audio compression applied to it. In other words not very much. [/quote] Yeah , I think most people realise that. But doesn't the excessive buzzing and rattling, just make the whole thing even more pointless?

Those Yammies are so cool and so solid. Congrats. Could've made more effort with the pic though.

(Sorry, if this has been covered before). Like many folk, when I'm looking at a particular bass, I often check out video demos, on youtube etc. Know i know it may be that some people see this as a style of playing but I find it really annoying that so many bass demoists can not play without excessive string rattling and buzzing. It's quite often so bad, that it's pretty much impossible to hear the bass's tone/sound/character. Am I just being too picky or what? And don't get me started on excessive overdirve in bass demos

Thanks guys. I've read that before, about them getting better with time. Sounds cool.

Up until last saturday and after about 40 years on the bass, for the first time, I tried flatwound strings. They were on a nice Gretsch Goldtone bass. I'd read a lot of people, saying they go very well, on my recently acquired, Epiphone Allen Woody bass. And I really fancied taking it to the next level of 60s retro-ness. So I got some short scale, D'addario Chromes, flatwound strings and put 'em on, this evening. Funny thing is, it's one thing trying someone else's bass, with different strings but when you put flatwounds on a bass you've been playing a lot, with roundwounds, it does take some getting used to. The sound is really, very different. You lose some ring and bounce and perhaps a little definition. But you gain a solidity and smoothness and that lovely retro thump. Yes, I'm warming to them, it'll probably take a few more days and a little amp fiddling to really use them to their best. Definitely feel I've made a good decision though.

Very classy bit of kit, congrats.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1369675983' post='2091512'] D'Addario Chromes... ECB81M, the shorter scale set [/quote] Cheers

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1369662779' post='2091309'] We had one of these in my shop and it was only one set of flats away from excellence! You can buy this bass, it's hard case and a set of decent flats for less than £400! Unbelievable value really. I've actually ordered one for my younger students (who struggle with scale length or don't own a bass) so that they have something inexpensive yet good quality to use in lessons. No doubt I'll be gigging the hell out it in between that too! [/quote] Out of interest, which flats did you put on yours?

Cheers guys. I may put flatwounds on, in the future. They certainly would complete the retro sound. Here's my review: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/208599-the-epiphone-allen-woody-rumblekat-bass/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/208599-the-epiphone-allen-woody-rumblekat-bass/[/url]

I'd been aware of this bass for a while, via the internet. I was attracted by it's retro styling, although the few youtube vids I'd watched of it, were hardly inspiring. But that was pretty much down to the players, god bless 'em. I've owned some nice basses over the years, Overwater, Goodfellow, Wal, Rickenbacker, Fender, Gibson etc and most of my gigging has been done, playing bass. When my last band split recently, I thought I'd probably not play bass again. But to my surprise, the old, low-end 4 (5) stringed guitar, has continued to inspire me. When composing, it's many a time, the peice starts with an interesting (to me) bass line. And even when the bass line is added to a fully constructed peice, it can often make or break the arrangement. Anyways, finally I got to see this Epi bass, in a shop. My first thought was, that it's wine red colour looks a lot darker and nicer, than in the internet pics, I'd seen. My second, was that thankfully, it had been set up well. So, a good start. So I got this baby home and put it through my Ampeg combo. Now, in the shop and at home, I kind of knew what to expect, tonally. Having 2, passive, mini-humbuckers, near the neck and a semi-hollow body, I expected and got some fairly traditional, retro, Gibsonesque tones. So if you are after the sounds of a Fender Jazz or P. bass, look elsewhere. Having said that, this is no one trick pony. With a very simple and effective control set up, of one overall tone knob and a volume knob for each pickup, there is some nice subtleties in tone to be had from this bass. Being of simple tastes, I quickly identified the 5 most useable and easily dialled in, control combinations. 1. Both pickups on full (10). Which gives the thickest tone. Pleasing to the ear and responsive to playing techinque. 2. Neck pickup on full (10) and middle pickup on 7. Gives a more articulate tone but still full and responsive. 3. Neck pickup on 7 and middle pickup on full (10). Similar to 2. but with a little more edge. 4. Neck pickup on full (10) and middle pick up off. A nice, retro, slightly thunderous, Gibsonesque tone. 5. Neck pickup off and middle pickup on full (10). As you may have guessed, a slightly thinner tone, with some edge. I think 2. & 3. are my most favoured tones. And I really like that each combination retains the same volume level. No drops, that you can get from 3 and 5 way, pickup switches. Now, don't expect the massive tonal range you can get from many contemporary basses. This bass has some variety but it always sounds a bit retro. Warm and woody. But one thing it has done for me as a bassist, is re-introduce the use of the plectrum. In my teens and early twenties, being a fan of players like Chris Squire (Yes), Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) and Paul McCartney (??), I played with a fairly light, Dunlop Nylon plectrum. But over the last 30 years, it's been fingers only. But this bass really sounds nice with fingers and plectrum. I think it's the mini-humbuckers. Their warmth suits the extra attack from a plectrum. And if you add a little muting, it's the early 60s, all over again. Lovely. Obviously you can use your amp's EQ to boost your harmonic range. But when I gig, I don't want to be fiddling with my amp. I get one sound from my amp and just use the bass for variety. The spec. on the Allen Woody Rumblekat bass is as follows: The semi-hollow, chambered body (2.1 inches / 53.33 mm. thick) is made of mahogany. The top is made of a 5-ply, laminated, flame maple. The neck is mahogany, with a bound, rosewood, 20 fret, fingerboard. The nut measures 1.68 inches (42.672 mm). The fingerboard radius is 14 inches (356 mm). The string scale is 30 inches (762 mm). The mini-humbuckers are gold, as is the bridge. The bridge is a typical, slightly unwieldy, Gibson design, affair. The strings can be individually intonated. But the whole bridge has 3 height adjusters. Which in practice is the less appealing side of retro. Fortunately it came set up, very well indeed. The semi-translucent, wine red body, with it's white binding and black and white purfling, looks rather excellent. As do the retro, opaque, amber control knobs, set on a tortoiseshell block. The headstock is of the sloped, "Dovewing" design, with attractive binding, Epiphone in pearloid, Allen Woody's signature in gold and the large E logo, on the truss rod cover. The tuners are Epiphone's own, with a 17:1 ratio. The 2, NYT Bass mini-humbuckers, are a good choice, as they are nowhere near as boomy as many bass humbuckers can be. This bass was made in Korea. As many will know, Korean made instruments have really gained in reputation over the last decade. And if the finishing and set up of this bass are anything to go by, the rep. is well earned. Being a fairly low priced Epiphone, I was expecting to see a lot of compromises on this bass but in most cases, there just aren't any. On the rear of the headstock it reads "Limited Edition Epiphone Custom Shop". I've no idea what that really means. But I suspect it means that really tried to get it right. And they pretty much did. So overall then, this bass has a lovely, retro look, feel and sound. But unlike many of the originals and many of the modern incarnations of the 60s/70s era, this bass is nice and solid. The shorter scale makes it very easy to play, as does it's comfortable, neck profile. This Epi can handle a few different styles and even sounded quite cool, with some slap. But it's no all-rounder. If you wanted to really go the retro route, I'd suggest putting some flatwounds on it. And that's something I may do, in the future. But I like it with the roundwounds. It can really sing at times and can also give a nice thump, to your sound. It will definitely suit the more melodically inclined bassist. If you fancy adding a little retro glamour to your life and can appreciate the warm subtleties, of a bass like this, then the Allen Woody Rumblekat bass, could be for you. And at very little outlay.

Cheers BSB. My 2 nearest Dawsons are Leeds and Manchester. And they couldn't bre more opposite. The Mancs branch are, as you say, very half arsed and pretty ignorant of their stock. Leeds however, are really on the ball and helpful. The Woody did have a lot of finger marks but they cleaned that up and to my surprise, the bass was set up really well already. Thumbs up to the Leeds Dawsons and to Epiphone, for this rather tasty bass.

Out in Leeds today and spotted this: It was very cheap but surpringly good. Some lovely retro cool, both in looks and tone. Very playable, short scale bass. I'm chuffed.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1363466433' post='2013168'] Nice looking top. It is bloomin amazing what you can get these days for not a whole lotta cash. [/quote] Agreed There's some tasty basses out there, for very little cash. The B-205SM certainly feels and sounds as good as many far more expensive basses, I've owned.

[size=4][color=#000000]I went out today to remedy the fact that I recently become bassless.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]I wasn’t sure whether to go for a 4 or 5 stringer. I tried out a couple of Fenders. A Mexican Jazz, which I didn’t take to at all and a really nice, hand stained, S/B Precision, with a maple fretboard. This was a real looker and very nice to play. But that precision pickup doesn’t really give me the sound I want.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]I had a quick go on a Traben. A decent bass but I wasn’t that keen on the looks and the sound didn’t make up for them. Good for the cash, no doubt.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]Basically it came down to a choice between a black, 4-string, Yamaha BB424 and the ESP Ltd B-205SM. The Yamaha is for me, a totally giggable bass. Solidly built, decently finished, with a very nice neck and great sounding, very powerful, passive pickups.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]The ESP Ltd fiver, also punches well above it’s price. It’s a stylish bass, with a great look. The spec is:[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]A (6) bolt-on, 5-peice maple/rosewood neck.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]An ash body, with a spalted maple top.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]A 34 inch scale.[/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000]24 frets, on a rosewood fingerboard.[/color][/size] [color=#000000]All the hardware is ESP and finished in “Black nickel”. Which looks [/color] [color=#000000][size=4]like a glossy, dark gunmetal and is cool.[/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=4]The ESP pickups have great definition, with plenty of character and punch.[/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=4]The 5 controls are volume, pan and active bass, mid and treble.[/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=4]So I took the ESP home and am very chuffed I did. Through my Ampeg, it sounds spot on.[/size][/color]

In played a Cort A5 on Saturday, selling for £499, new. Tremendous bass. Great spec/sound/feel. Really worth checking out, IMO.