Missed the premier, but I can hear the similarities between the 2. I think the Grabber is my pick due to the bite its pickup has. I like the P Bass, but I like the Grabber a bit more just because it's different. God bless and rock on!
@@marksguitars5617 I read he also had a P bass he used in he studio but had a Gibson pick up in it because it had better clarity than the Fender pick up. He sold it to Seven Stills for $300 back in 1973!
I remember when the Grabber & Ripper came out. A lot of guys I knew laffed at them... until they plugged them in.. The Grabber sounds much thicker in the mids without being muddy. I’d love to hear both of them with some Pyramid Gold flatwounds on them! I’ve never cared for round wound bass strings.. Cheers Johan!
Back in the days, having a 1964's Precision Bass, I allways wanted a Grabber because of the sustain and bite it has. I changed my playing style and strings and had the tone I was looking for. I still would love to get a Grabber, for nostalgic reasons. I love the tone that gave a lot of Punk Rock bands their distinctive tone.
The cool thing about the P is that it has a distinctive and very useful sound even when its only an Asian copy. So you can get tonal personality for cheap. The P sounds more open to me, the Grabber a little darker. I would still choose the Grabber just for the incredibly cool look.
@@JohanSegebornHuge fan from Brazil here… I know this video is 3y old, but I was looking for some Grabber reviews and arrived in your channel again :) So, could you elaborate your choice for the P, please? I play a P, never played a Grabber but love its sound.
The P-Bass is such a simple and effective design, and so much of an archetype, that you don’t even need the name “Fender” on your headstock and you can get the same reliable experience. (I’ve got an early-’80s Kramer P-Bass copy, with the beak-shaped headstock, before they went all in on glam-metal designs.)
I'd say the Victory was a more direct comparison to the P, . But I always feel like the Grabber had more sustain and more bite than the P and that mostly comes from the pickup,
Thank you for your great videos. In my opinion the Gibson Victory bass from the 1980's is closer to the Fender p bass. This was a very nice bass, but it weighed almost 12lbs!
Great demo!!! Sounds pretty close. Grabber has more upper mids it seems, but the P has more fundamental lows. Probably could get the P closer to the Grabber with some post EQ though.
I actually played the riffs on the P bass first, so they were chipsen got that bass. They both play really well actually. I play the amp bass a lot more often do it has an advantage in that
As a long time Gibson RD Artist player... playing live these differences may not amount to that much, but for recording the P-Bass has a more useful high end focus, the Gibson sounds hyped by comparison. I'd personally roll off a lot of that off or refocus it to more of a high mid. Both good sounding basses, but I'm selling my Triumph for this reason.
I had a 74 and currently have a 75, Have played a handful.. Some more resonant than others. All pretty light weight. Hate the prices now tho I should have loaded up.
I liked low-end of the Grabber but the high-end of the P-bass. To my ear, not enough difference to make me care, it would land on how it felt to me while playing. I'll have to find a Grabber to try.
Hi, Johan! I like the precision bass, and Cort is my friend - guitar.:-) Gibson is more heavy tones and tunes, but I guess, their place of pickups is more useful... Better... You know! )) See you! Cort rools! Z.
In spite of the nice avatar of me with a guitar, I am a bassist through and through. I own several Fenders in every configuration you can imagine including a 1954 P Bass. I love them all but my go-to partner in harmony since 1975 has been a tobacco sunburst G-3. I later procured a second that I put an ebony fretless fingerboard on. I would not call any of these instruments superior as much as they are different and they please me. They give me MY voice. Can the audience tell? I doubt it greatly. I can get a decent sound out of any decent instrument. Do I play them better? Oh yeah...if you have a favorite guitar that just "fits" you somehow then you know what I mean. I just feel more inspired by those two. My choice of the G-3 in 1975 was based largely on my influences at the time. I was listening to Stanley Clarke with Return to Forever, Chris Squire and Entwistle alot. I could not afford an Alembic,(900.00 USD!), There were no 4001's available and I hated the way a Thunderbird hung on a strap. The G-3 was brighter than anything else on the wall including a half dozen or so jazz basses so I bought it. Loved it ever since! I will say one thing about it that is negative. Gibson CLEARLY was trying to capture some Fender vibe with this bass. I am a luthier who has done some design work. I measured the relationship of the lower strap button to the upper horn and also the upper strap button to the 12th fret. These positions determine how an instrument hangs on a strap and how much your wrist bends when playing close to the nut. Bent wrist is bad...eventually leads to injury. The Grabber,(And the Ripper!), would be an easier instrument to play if the upper horn was an inch longer or the bridge moved back...but then of course you would need to deepen both cutaways... The Grabbers have a slightly longer scale length than the Fenders. 34.375", (NOT 34.5" as is widely reported even in Gibson literature!), Even this small amount exacerbates the problem although it may contribute to the fantastic low end. While vastly ergonomically superior to the Thunderbird the fact is that Leo got it very right on the P-Bass and the Jazz Bass. If I am playing standing up for multiple sets or long sets I will usually bring one of the Fenders to give my ancient wrist a break. Great comparison and lots of fun to watch. Thanks!
Gibbo ALL the way! Similar mid hump to the sounds, but the Grabber just had way more clarity! I wonder if the rear placement in the pick up channel was on the equivalent string anti-node as the P-bass, as they are 2 different scale lengths! (30" as opposed to 34") I was kind of hoping you would also MOVE the pick up along its channel to show how it changed the tone! Over all the Gibson had MORE of what the P-bass has. More clarity and tons MORE sustain!
We’re comparing the Grabber mic positions in this video ua-cam.com/video/g1SrriUykPA/v-deo.html The Grabber is almost exclusively used in this position in my option though
I prefer the sound and the look of the Gibson. I wish Gibson made the bass I want. The new 30” scale LP DC Tribute basses are close - if those had binding and a gloss finish, they’d be perfect...but I digress...sorry. Great comparison!
I have Fender Precision and Gibson Grabber. I love both them. But your Precision isn't Fender... ins't the same thing. Thank you, anyway for share the comparision.
It would have been really nice if, for comparing a fender precision against a gibson grabber, you played....well....you know....a FENDER precision maybe? Not a cheap Cort p-bass. very meh video.
Johan thats not a Fender P - Bass ,of Course the Grabber is sounds a lot Better ,Next Time try to use a real Fender P Bass thenwe can hear the Comparison ,that P Bass you use is Sound so Generic Cheap Bass ,Sorry Man,Rock On, just my Two Cents,
The Grabber sounds fantastic! It's nice to see and hear a bass that isn't a P-bass. Great video!
Thanks man! :-)
Very close, the Grabber has slightly more bite. I’d be interested to know its volume pot value, since some supposedly had 300k. Thanks Johan!
Thanks Andy, I’ll open it up soon and list it! Cheers
I am so glad I found a Grabber a couple of years ago! After watching THIS channel and a previous episode about the one !
Glad to hear it! Cheers
Missed the premier, but I can hear the similarities between the 2. I think the Grabber is my pick due to the bite its pickup has. I like the P Bass, but I like the Grabber a bit more just because it's different. God bless and rock on!
Thanks J! Rock on!
Gene $immon$ LOVED them during the 70s!
Grabber is a great sounding bass, I remember Gene Simmons using Grabber and Ripper basses
Yeah classic kiss bass
If I remember right Gene's using one on the cover of Alive!!!
Joe Hahn yep it is. I think Gene’s didn’t have a sliding pickup. He had it modded
@@marksguitars5617 I read he also had a P bass he used in he studio but had a Gibson pick up in it because it had better clarity than the Fender pick up. He sold it to Seven Stills for $300 back in 1973!
DMSProduktions interesting, there are some pics online of Gene playing s PBass live from way back. It’s was a back up for his Lobue Bass that he used
I remember when the Grabber & Ripper came out. A lot of guys I knew laffed at them... until they plugged them in.. The Grabber sounds much thicker in the mids without being muddy. I’d love to hear both of them with some Pyramid Gold flatwounds on them! I’ve never cared for round wound bass strings.. Cheers Johan!
We can try that on at least one of the Basses! Cheers
Sad that you didn't change the Grabber pickup position to give a full comparison, which is quite the purpose of this bass...
I love what you do man. Thanks for this videos.
Thanks, great to hear that!
Love the sound of that 4x15 monster cab!!! Very clean and natural sounding. 🤘👍
Back in the days, having a 1964's Precision Bass, I allways wanted a Grabber because of the sustain and bite it has.
I changed my playing style and strings and had the tone I was looking for.
I still would love to get a Grabber, for nostalgic reasons. I love the tone that gave a lot of Punk Rock bands their distinctive tone.
Had a 75 Grabber. I think of it as a P bass on steroids...killed any Fender I ever played.
The cool thing about the P is that it has a distinctive and very useful sound even when its only an Asian copy. So you can get tonal personality for cheap. The P sounds more open to me, the Grabber a little darker. I would still choose the Grabber just for the incredibly cool look.
I very much prefer the P
@@JohanSegebornHuge fan from Brazil here… I know this video is 3y old, but I was looking for some Grabber reviews and arrived in your channel again :) So, could you elaborate your choice for the P, please? I play a P, never played a Grabber but love its sound.
I still have a ‘75 G-3 I bought back in the 90s. Amazingly light and sounds fantastic.
To my ears they have very similar sounds. I am curious to know how they would blend in with a mix of drums and guitar on a piece of music.
My old drummer had a Ripper he kept around the studio back in the day. I don't really remember how it sounded, but I DO remember how heavy it was!
Hahaha! My Ripper is actually relatively light
I've had a number of Fender basses, but I always wanted a Gibson Ripper or Grabber. They really do perform, with no downsides.
Love my 1975 Grabber, won't ever let it go!
The P-Bass is such a simple and effective design, and so much of an archetype, that you don’t even need the name “Fender” on your headstock and you can get the same reliable experience. (I’ve got an early-’80s Kramer P-Bass copy, with the beak-shaped headstock, before they went all in on glam-metal designs.)
I'd say the Victory was a more direct comparison to the P, . But I always feel like the Grabber had more sustain and more bite than the P and that mostly comes from the pickup,
Amazing how similar they are. The differences are very subtle.
Indeed!
Very good comparison.
I'm just wondering how the Grabber would have sounded on that 1959 bassman of 2 days ago.
Thanks!
just great or even marveously good!
Shout out to Mike Dirnt and Krist Novoselic who play both of these basses
Thank you for your great videos. In my opinion the Gibson Victory bass from the 1980's is closer to the Fender p bass. This was a very nice bass, but it weighed almost 12lbs!
Gibson bass are highly underrated
Nice tone and Bass technique Brother !!!
Wow them big notes ...all good the Grabber got a lot of depth and sustain , creates a great vibe...cool
Thanks Gerry!
Great demo!!! Sounds pretty close. Grabber has more upper mids it seems, but the P has more fundamental lows. Probably could get the P closer to the Grabber with some post EQ though.
i like the low piano keys kinda growl from that Grabber!
Thanks!
I like the tone of the Gibson but not sure with guitar and drums (vocals) which would stand up in the mix. As always, cool video Johan!
Thanks John! It’s hard to beat P bass in a rock mix I think. It’s a magic glue
The Gibson Grabber has a more focused powerful sound over the Fender P-Bass. It just cuts through the mix of a live band with ease!
Grabber all day ! One of the best basses ever made !
If they reissue these, that would be pretty cool.
that grabber is a beauty, would you consider selling it?
Just by your playing Johan, it looked like the fender was a bit easier to play than the Gibson?
Peter Schmidt I noticed that too sadly, looks like the fender was easier to get around on. Maybe the neck is thinner.
I actually played the riffs on the P bass first, so they were chipsen got that bass. They both play really well actually. I play the amp bass a lot more often do it has an advantage in that
As a long time Gibson RD Artist player... playing live these differences may not amount to that much, but for recording the P-Bass has a more useful high end focus, the Gibson sounds hyped by comparison. I'd personally roll off a lot of that off or refocus it to more of a high mid. Both good sounding basses, but I'm selling my Triumph for this reason.
Yeah P-bass is the he ultimate glue for a rock mix!
Grabbers sound so much better with the pickup at the neck position.
I had a 74 and currently have a 75, Have played a handful.. Some more resonant than others. All pretty light weight. Hate the prices now tho I should have loaded up.
2:06 for a moment there I thought you're going to play Black Rose by Thin Lizzy :D Cheers Johan!
Cheers Adrian! :-)
I’ve owned both. The Grabber is more versatile with a nice dark tone.
The Fender bass sound is very earthy but that Grabber sounds like an electric bass on steroids!
If you want a great example of what the Grabber sounds like with other instruments just listen to KISS ALIVE!
I liked low-end of the Grabber but the high-end of the P-bass. To my ear, not enough difference to make me care, it would land on how it felt to me while playing. I'll have to find a Grabber to try.
Thanks Gary, the Grabber has a longer scale so it’s a bit stiffer to play
Could you include a peavey bass in this comparison?
Hi, Johan!
I like the precision bass, and Cort is my friend - guitar.:-) Gibson is more heavy tones and tunes, but I guess, their place of pickups is more useful... Better... You know! )) See you! Cort rools!
Z.
Hi Zigfrid! Yeah they did a killer job on this P-bass. Cheers
i dont think any bass will ever beat the OG P
In spite of the nice avatar of me with a guitar, I am a bassist through and through.
I own several Fenders in every configuration you can imagine including a 1954 P Bass.
I love them all but my go-to partner in harmony since 1975 has been a tobacco sunburst G-3. I later procured a second that I put an ebony fretless fingerboard on.
I would not call any of these instruments superior as much as they are different and they please me. They give me MY voice.
Can the audience tell?
I doubt it greatly. I can get a decent sound out of any decent instrument.
Do I play them better?
Oh yeah...if you have a favorite guitar that just "fits" you somehow then you know what I mean.
I just feel more inspired by those two.
My choice of the G-3 in 1975 was based largely on my influences at the time. I was listening to Stanley Clarke with Return to Forever, Chris Squire and Entwistle alot.
I could not afford an Alembic,(900.00 USD!), There were no 4001's available and I hated the way a Thunderbird hung on a strap.
The G-3 was brighter than anything else on the wall including a half dozen or so jazz basses so I bought it. Loved it ever since!
I will say one thing about it that is negative. Gibson CLEARLY was trying to capture some Fender vibe with this bass. I am a luthier who has done some design work.
I measured the relationship of the lower strap button to the upper horn and also the upper strap button to the 12th fret.
These positions determine how an instrument hangs on a strap and how much your wrist bends when playing close to the nut. Bent wrist is bad...eventually leads to injury.
The Grabber,(And the Ripper!), would be an easier instrument to play if the upper horn was an inch longer or the bridge moved back...but then of course you would need to deepen both cutaways...
The Grabbers have a slightly longer scale length than the Fenders. 34.375", (NOT 34.5" as is widely reported even in Gibson literature!), Even this small amount exacerbates the problem although it may contribute to the fantastic low end.
While vastly ergonomically superior to the Thunderbird the fact is that Leo got it very right on the P-Bass and the Jazz Bass.
If I am playing standing up for multiple sets or long sets I will usually bring one of the Fenders to give my ancient wrist a break.
Great comparison and lots of fun to watch.
Thanks!
Thanks Sean! Great feedback.
Man, that Grabber bass sounds great, ugly bass with the voice of an angel!
Thanks Curtis! :-)
@@JohanSegeborn thank you!
Gibbo ALL the way! Similar mid hump to the sounds, but the Grabber just had way more clarity! I wonder if the rear placement in the pick up channel was on the equivalent string anti-node as the P-bass, as they are 2 different scale lengths! (30" as opposed to 34")
I was kind of hoping you would also MOVE the pick up along its channel to show how it changed the tone!
Over all the Gibson had MORE of what the P-bass has. More clarity and tons MORE sustain!
We’re comparing the Grabber mic positions in this video ua-cam.com/video/g1SrriUykPA/v-deo.html
The Grabber is almost exclusively used in this position in my option though
@@JohanSegeborn Ok, thanks, will take a look. Not sure if I ever saw that 1!
I'm always sad when the pickup stays in one position so we can't hear the full glory of a Grabber.
I prefer the sound and the look of the Gibson. I wish Gibson made the bass I want. The new 30” scale LP DC Tribute basses are close - if those had binding and a gloss finish, they’d be perfect...but I digress...sorry. Great comparison!
Thanks ;-)
I have Fender Precision and Gibson Grabber. I love both them. But your Precision isn't Fender... ins't the same thing. Thank you, anyway for share the comparision.
TONAL DIFFERENCE. MAPLE BODY VS ALDER ...COOL COMPARISON
Thanks, I actually think this Grabber is Mahogany though
The Gibson sounds better to me and does slides miles better. The fender is to hermetic a tone for my liking.
I prefer gibson.Gibson has great sound(3d and deep sound. ,musical.)Gibson should make again this model and ripper bass.
Yeah great rock basses
Grabber won this battle. Now to put it up against a 70's Fender Precision..............
We can put it up against every vintage of P-bass.
@@JohanSegeborn Let the fun begin!
Yumping, yimminey! 🤣
2:51 2:52 2:53 2:54
3:43 3:45 3:46 3:51 3:53
P bass is brighter . Its a preference thing. Gibson is cooler cuz of rarity. But no. Not as good.
The Grabber is just a p bass with more personality
It would have been really nice if, for comparing a fender precision against a gibson grabber, you played....well....you know....a FENDER precision maybe?
Not a cheap Cort p-bass.
very meh video.
You should be slappin' da bass, man.
Hahaha! Only bass players love slap
Johan thats not a Fender P - Bass ,of Course the Grabber is sounds a lot Better ,Next Time try to use a real Fender P Bass thenwe can hear the Comparison ,that P Bass you use is Sound so Generic Cheap Bass ,Sorry Man,Rock On, just my Two Cents,
That’s not obvious to me. Apart from possibly old strings this is a killer P-bass that Ive compared to numerous other P-Basses
To my ears they have very similar sounds. I am curious to know how they would blend in with a mix of drums and guitar on a piece of music.
I think the P bass mixes better but I’m gonna put all the basses in the same mix soon, so we’ll see.