Stumbled across this today. Bought my Grabber in 1975 in a package deal. New music store had a grand opening deal: Buy the Grabber and get a free Sun bass amp or Lab series L2 piggy-back. I was driving a 73 Mach I at the time and the L2 was a perfect fit. Still have the Grabber & L2. Just subscribed to your channel, brother. Love it!
Awesome presentation of this outstanding bass guitar that doesn't get mentioned enough nowadays. The sliding pickup design is cleverly innovative and the tones produced are fantastic. I suggest that more people explore this terrific Gibson bass guitar and discover what they have been missing. Yes folks, there are other FINE bass guitars besides the P - Bass!!!
Cool video! thanks!! This bass is probably de reason why I became a bass player. I was like 12 or 13 back in the late 80's and the father of a very close friend had one just like the one you are playing in the video. It was the first contact I ever had with a bass guitar and I was just blown away by the sound. He had an old Peavey amp to plug it in so all together was a bomb! That bass was sold a few years later and I lost track of it. A real shame. I'm from Argentina a now it's almost impossible to get one of those here. But that special one must still be around somewhere!!
Stumbled across an old Grabber at a Guitar Center near Asbury Park a little over 5 years ago, and I have yet to come across a better sounding/better playing Gibson bass since then. And it is quite simply the coolest looking bass Gibson ever produced.
Awesome bass!! My eyes popped when I saw it. A beautiful bass! 'Love that 'sliding' pickup. I'm surprised more companies haven't experimented with this. It's value is beyond money due to your clear connection to it! Great review! God Bless Rumblin Man!
Yours is a very early unusual version with the straight headstock and skunk stripe. Mine is a September 74 and has no skunk stripe and an angled headstock.
Nice presentation! Just picked one up at a yard sale. Could not believe my eyes when I saw it in the original case. Needs to be cleaned up. All original. Looking for a bridge cover. Thanks again for a great video. Don
Solid content my man. This video was very well put together. The flats sound great on it. Keep up the great work. I am liking that Yamaha PJ on the wall as well lol.
That is still my dream bass believe it or not. I played one at Sam Goody back in the 70’s when they sold guitars as well as records! Love the Grabber. Wish Gibson would make one again ( bolt on not set neck)
Good video! I am the owner of a circa 1975 Grabber (year deduced from the pots) - bought it used in 1993. Neck is a bit different: no skunk stripe and the truss rod cover is flat. The bridge cover is missing and the previous owner refinished the body with a clear coat, so it's a lot lighter in color. The saddle adjustments screws are in a dire state and the volume pot needs replacement though.
Sebastien Allard man, sounds like a cool bass. Since it’s already been through some changes, I’d switch out the bridge and get new pots and pimp that sucker out!
@@RumblinMan That is exactly the plan! I am also thinking of adding pick-ups (just need to get the soldering iron fired-up) - i'll keep all the original parts though.
@@RumblinMan I'm thinking of keeping the "mudbucker" style p-up (and lock it near the neck) plus adding 1 J-bass and 1 P-bass , plus having the possibility of having all 9 possible combinations + a master tone. Once its done (in 2035!!!) I'll publish pictures of it.
Definitely a great video series ! As already said in the comments from the ATK video, a G3 Grabber (with the 3 Bill Lawrence pickups) would be my dream bass (I heard that the G3 reedition wasn't that good since it hasn't the Bill Lawrence pickups). You can tell how much I enjoyed this one about the Grabber ! How did you learn bass ? I really love these tasty lines you play ! Keep up this amazing work :)
Ety Ramone hey Ety, thanks so much for all your kind feedback. It means a lot. My dad thought me basic bass playing when I was a kid, and then over the years I’ve just practiced a lot and studied what other bass players were doing. The G3 was such a cool bass because you could hear all three pickups at once. I’d love to check one out as well!
@@RumblinMan That's a really nice story considering you have a story with this Gibson bass If you search a Gibson G3, be sure to have the old one with B.Lawrence in it then ! You're welcome, I really like these videos and your way of demoing, straight to the point and always a thought for new comers. And these basses indeed deserve more love, especially such as the ATK which is pretty "cheap" second-hand and a proof for beginners that they don't have to save money to get a cool versatile sounding bass. Cheers !!
judging by how you have the curved truss rod cover / headstock similar to a fender, i think that's the earlier version. my bassist has the same version as yours and i just acquired a later version myself. the skunk stripe version has a skinnier neck and one piece fretboard and neck. the later version with the angled headstock has a nice chunky neck but the fretboard and neck are separate pieces.
This is a very underrated bass. As you stated, Louis Johnson of Brother's Johnson fame used the Grabber and Ralphe Armstrong who played with Jean Luc Ponty used it. Of the two, Ralphe used it as his main bass for quite some time. A You Tuber, Dan Hawkins almost exclusively uses the Grabber for his demos.
Hey Rumblin Man, if you see this, i believe yours is one of the very first runs of the Grabber bass. Due to the Fender style neck construction (no headstock angle like on most Gibsons of the time, & of the grabbers after). Gene Simmons' Grabbers were also as such. Definitely 73, Really cool bass !
I got one. Bought it second hand in -84 or so, and the bridge cover was missing and still is. Mine looks exactly like the one in your video except it doesen't have the mahogany strip along the back of the neck. I love it and will never part with it. These are getting expensive now.
Hi Rumblin Man,Anthony from Aussie,great playing,,,,krist Novoselic also from Nirvana played a GIBSON GRABBER as well,,,,I have IBANEZ BLACK EAGLE,1977,,,,,could you please help with any info,Thank you
I have the black epiphone grabber bought it last Tuesday on guitarcenter for $749.99 I know its not an original gibson grabber I would've loved to own an original black and red wine version I could've only afford the reissue grabber gene simmons is the reason why I bought the epiphone grabber
I thought the sliding pickup was a cool and innovative idea, although, to me, it was just a variable mid-range pickup that really never made much of a difference to my ears. It would've been more versatile if they made the sliding distance greater, so you could get more boom by the neck and more treble at the bridge.
@@RumblinMan Another thing, I always thought the sound of Gibson basses, in general, were best for garage/punk/grunge music. They just have this sound like someone stuck a dirty gym sock in the pickup. My brother had a Gibson EB-3 and it just sounded "farty" for lack of a better word. I'm more a Fender Jazz/Rickenbacker 4001 guy. 😌
Goes to show you how the spectrum of quality has shifted. An instrument marketed and advertised as being a cheaper instrument pretty much tops all of the medium, and high end instruments on the market today. In order to get a tone like that, you'll have to drop at least $900. Now you can be one of those dudes and say "The tone is in the fingers." But in saying that, you're being pretty blind to the effect that quality craftsmanship has on TONE. I'm not saying that a quality instrument can improve your technique. I'm saying that it makes it easy to have good tone. Tone ≠ technique.
I had a Grabber in the early 1980s - I seem to remember swapping it for a Precision. Always regretted it - those late 70s Fenders were absolute garbage.
@@RumblinMan Some were ok, but the consistency wasn't there. The closed down the factory for several months to retool and retrain as a result of the Japanese Squires that were coming over. Quality improved significantly after that.
I had a Grabber back in the 80s. Most comfortable, most easy-playing bass I ever owned, both the body & the neck. Loved the Old School tones too. So of course I sold it 🙄
As a drummer who has played in bands for over 50 years, I've got to share the opinion of all the bass players, ( not collectors ), that I've played with. A Gibson Bass sounds like a 20 pound fart, hitting a sidewalk from about the 3rd or 4th floor. If it sounds good, why isn't it on any hit records ? ANSWER; it's not a P Bass. Don't waste money on one of these thinking it might be a "Classic".
Stumbled across this today. Bought my Grabber in 1975 in a package deal. New music store had a grand opening deal: Buy the Grabber and get a free Sun bass amp or Lab series L2 piggy-back. I was driving a 73 Mach I at the time and the L2 was a perfect fit. Still have the Grabber & L2. Just subscribed to your channel, brother. Love it!
Glad you like the content! Awesome story about the Grabber. That’s amazing.
Awesome presentation of this outstanding bass guitar that doesn't get mentioned enough nowadays. The sliding pickup design is cleverly innovative and the tones produced are fantastic. I suggest that more people explore this terrific Gibson bass guitar and discover what they have been missing. Yes folks, there are other FINE bass guitars besides the P - Bass!!!
Cool video! thanks!! This bass is probably de reason why I became a bass player. I was like 12 or 13 back in the late 80's and the father of a very close friend had one just like the one you are playing in the video. It was the first contact I ever had with a bass guitar and I was just blown away by the sound. He had an old Peavey amp to plug it in so all together was a bomb! That bass was sold a few years later and I lost track of it. A real shame. I'm from Argentina a now it's almost impossible to get one of those here. But that special one must still be around somewhere!!
Amazing story. Thanks for sharing. I hope you and that bass find each other!
My first new bass was a 1974 Gibson Grabber. I loved that bass, but sold it when I enlisted in the US Air Force. Great bass guitar.
Thank you for your service! 🇺🇸
Stumbled across an old Grabber at a Guitar Center near Asbury Park a little over 5 years ago, and I have yet to come across a better sounding/better playing Gibson bass since then. And it is quite simply the coolest looking bass Gibson ever produced.
Absolutely! It’s the only Gibson bass I’ve ever liked, so far.
Awesome bass!! My eyes popped when I saw it. A beautiful bass! 'Love that 'sliding' pickup. I'm surprised more companies haven't experimented with this. It's value is beyond money due to your clear connection to it! Great review! God Bless Rumblin Man!
shardnz thank you my friend! Yeah, definitely a cool concept you don’t see much. God bless bro!
Yours is a very early unusual version with the straight headstock and skunk stripe. Mine is a September 74 and has no skunk stripe and an angled headstock.
Cool Bass. I've noticed that thing hanging on your wall in previous videos. Glad you made this video. Very informative and great playing as usual!
pearlandGUITARIST thank you my friend! Means a lot.
I didn't know anything about that bass before I saw your video. Very good video once again Daniel!
Guy frQC thank you bro! Your support means the world.
You're welcome brother, God bless you!
Guy frQC God bless you as well!
Really enjoyed this awesome artifacts video. Looking forward to more like it. Have a good one brotha man!
T.J. Meechan thanks TJ! Great to hear from you.
Nice presentation! Just picked one up at a yard sale. Could not believe my eyes when I saw it in the original case. Needs to be cleaned up. All original. Looking for a bridge cover. Thanks again for a great video.
Don
Thank you and congrats!
Bridge covers are rocking horse poo, mine has been missing since I've had it. I'm just going to make one
Solid content my man. This video was very well put together. The flats sound great on it. Keep up the great work. I am liking that Yamaha PJ on the wall as well lol.
Jason C. Thank you for the good feedback bro!! Really means a lot. Yeah, the Yamaha BB is my go-to!
That is still my dream bass believe it or not. I played one at Sam Goody back in the 70’s when they sold guitars as well as records! Love the Grabber. Wish Gibson would make one again ( bolt on not set neck)
That would be nice man! Super cool basses.
Very cool playing from 2:10
Thank you!!
Good video! I am the owner of a circa 1975 Grabber (year deduced from the pots) - bought it used in 1993. Neck is a bit different: no skunk stripe and the truss rod cover is flat. The bridge cover is missing and the previous owner refinished the body with a clear coat, so it's a lot lighter in color. The saddle adjustments screws are in a dire state and the volume pot needs replacement though.
Sebastien Allard man, sounds like a cool bass. Since it’s already been through some changes, I’d switch out the bridge and get new pots and pimp that sucker out!
@@RumblinMan That is exactly the plan! I am also thinking of adding pick-ups (just need to get the soldering iron fired-up) - i'll keep all the original parts though.
Sebastien Allard that’s an awesome idea! I’ve often wanted to change the pickup on this thing but decided not to in case I ever sell it.
@@RumblinMan I'm thinking of keeping the "mudbucker" style p-up (and lock it near the neck) plus adding 1 J-bass and 1 P-bass , plus having the possibility of having all 9 possible combinations + a master tone. Once its done (in 2035!!!) I'll publish pictures of it.
Sebastien Allard 15 years to go!
Awesome video man. I enjoyed learning the history of this great instrument. God bless 👍🎸
Cameron Stilliens thank you Cameron! I appreciate it whole-heartedly!!
Definitely a great video series ! As already said in the comments from the ATK video, a G3 Grabber (with the 3 Bill Lawrence pickups) would be my dream bass (I heard that the G3 reedition wasn't that good since it hasn't the Bill Lawrence pickups). You can tell how much I enjoyed this one about the Grabber ! How did you learn bass ? I really love these tasty lines you play ! Keep up this amazing work :)
Ety Ramone hey Ety, thanks so much for all your kind feedback. It means a lot. My dad thought me basic bass playing when I was a kid, and then over the years I’ve just practiced a lot and studied what other bass players were doing. The G3 was such a cool bass because you could hear all three pickups at once. I’d love to check one out as well!
@@RumblinMan That's a really nice story considering you have a story with this Gibson bass If you search a Gibson G3, be sure to have the old one with B.Lawrence in it then ! You're welcome, I really like these videos and your way of demoing, straight to the point and always a thought for new comers. And these basses indeed deserve more love, especially such as the ATK which is pretty "cheap" second-hand and a proof for beginners that they don't have to save money to get a cool versatile sounding bass. Cheers !!
judging by how you have the curved truss rod cover / headstock similar to a fender, i think that's the earlier version. my bassist has the same version as yours and i just acquired a later version myself. the skunk stripe version has a skinnier neck and one piece fretboard and neck. the later version with the angled headstock has a nice chunky neck but the fretboard and neck are separate pieces.
This is a very underrated bass. As you stated, Louis Johnson of Brother's Johnson fame used the Grabber and Ralphe Armstrong who played with Jean Luc Ponty used it. Of the two, Ralphe used it as his main bass for quite some time. A You Tuber, Dan Hawkins almost exclusively uses the Grabber for his demos.
Man, that thing is cool. So retro. Just has great mojo.
Chris Davis thanks brother!
Love that headstock
Hey Rumblin Man, if you see this, i believe yours is one of the very first runs of the Grabber bass. Due to the Fender style neck construction (no headstock angle like on most Gibsons of the time, & of the grabbers after). Gene Simmons' Grabbers were also as such. Definitely 73, Really cool bass !
No question....73 legitimately...I have one just like it!
I wish they would release one at least under the Epiphone label. That would be a big seller.
Christian Joseph Allbee's Musical Mentality I totally agree.
I got one. Bought it second hand in -84 or so, and the bridge cover was missing and still is. Mine looks exactly like the one in your video except it doesen't have the mahogany strip along the back of the neck. I love it and will never part with it. These are getting expensive now.
Gene Simmons played that bass on the group's first double
live album,Kiss.
Norlin has a bad reputation, but they sure nailed it with basses in the 1970s. My friend has a Ripper and he loves it. The Grabber sounds great too! 🎸
Brothers Johnson with an S-1 and a Grabber... what could be better?
I have a 75 black with maple neck 8n great shape
Have you ever played a Gibson Ripper? Just wondering how they compared, since I know a bit more about the Ripper than the Grabber.
Hi Rumblin Man,Anthony from Aussie,great playing,,,,krist Novoselic also from Nirvana played a GIBSON GRABBER as well,,,,I have IBANEZ BLACK EAGLE,1977,,,,,could you please help with any info,Thank you
No. It was a Ripper and he also played an RD Artist.
They are excellent bass guitars.
Do a video on the red bass behind you
What part of Florida you in man?
Jon Hankley yo man! Pinellas County.
@@RumblinMan nice man! I'm down in Sarasota county
Jon Hankley great place!
Rick Danko played this bass too...kind regards from Berlin 👋
Camanda von Lehm hello Berlin! God bless.
He played a Ripper.
a dolphin ?
I had one of those.
Nice.
Sir, you are right about that.
she is so great and beautifull. baught mine in hamburg ca. 1978. me, my mother and grandma helped with the bill.
That's a classic.
I have the black epiphone grabber bought it last Tuesday on guitarcenter for $749.99 I know its not an original gibson grabber I would've loved to own an original black and red wine version I could've only afford the reissue grabber gene simmons is the reason why I bought the epiphone grabber
I thought the sliding pickup was a cool and innovative idea, although, to me, it was just a variable mid-range pickup that really never made much of a difference to my ears. It would've been more versatile if they made the sliding distance greater, so you could get more boom by the neck and more treble at the bridge.
Vinnie Corbit you’re dead-on. Same opinion here.
@@RumblinMan Another thing, I always thought the sound of Gibson basses, in general, were best for garage/punk/grunge music. They just have this sound like someone stuck a dirty gym sock in the pickup. My brother had a Gibson EB-3 and it just sounded "farty" for lack of a better word. I'm more a Fender Jazz/Rickenbacker 4001 guy. 😌
Vinnie Corbit very nice bro. I’d have to say I’m a Jazz kind of guy too. Or a good PJ.
'74, correct?
👌👍👍👍
The Grabber has more punch than some Fender Basses.😊
If I owned a Grabber, I would just keep on posing with it like Gene Simmons on the cover of “Kiss Alive!”
The bass didn't get better, you did.
They had bolt on necks.
Goes to show you how the spectrum of quality has shifted. An instrument marketed and advertised as being a cheaper instrument pretty much tops all of the medium, and high end instruments on the market today. In order to get a tone like that, you'll have to drop at least $900. Now you can be one of those dudes and say "The tone is in the fingers." But in saying that, you're being pretty blind to the effect that quality craftsmanship has on TONE. I'm not saying that a quality instrument can improve your technique. I'm saying that it makes it easy to have good tone. Tone ≠ technique.
I had a Grabber in the early 1980s - I seem to remember swapping it for a Precision. Always regretted it - those late 70s Fenders were absolute garbage.
Jon Gibbins for real? I’ve always kind of liked the late 70’s Fenders.
@@RumblinMan Some were ok, but the consistency wasn't there. The closed down the factory for several months to retool and retrain as a result of the Japanese Squires that were coming over. Quality improved significantly after that.
Jon Gibbins it would be interesting to get my hands on some of those for videos.
@@RumblinMan I've still got one somewhere, but the postage from the UK would be a bit expensive.
Jon Gibbins haha I feel ya!
Hey Rumblin Man. I own a Grabber too. Mine has a different truss rod cover. I want to send you a photo of it. I will send it to your instagram.
rocknroller Mitrakis wow! Very cool! Yes please do send.
Something Fender doesn't have. A sliding pickup.
I had a Grabber back in the 80s.
Most comfortable, most easy-playing bass I ever owned, both the body & the neck.
Loved the Old School tones too.
So of course I sold it 🙄
Mike dirnt used a lot in dookie era of green day
Vinicius França that was the G3.
Sounds alot like p-bass, but in a good way... 👍
Gibson had to do something different.
Gibson wasted no time.
As a drummer who has played in bands for over 50 years, I've got to share the opinion of all the bass players, ( not collectors ), that I've played with. A Gibson Bass sounds like a 20 pound fart, hitting a sidewalk from about the 3rd or 4th floor. If it sounds good, why isn't it on any hit records ? ANSWER; it's not a P Bass. Don't waste money on one of these thinking it might be a "Classic".
You have a point. While I own this bass, I don't use it on any recordings.
It’s been used on several hit records. One being very bass heavy, Green Day’s Dookie. They sound good.