The first time I ever saw that bass was watching some early Kiss performances with my dad. I wouldn't mind pick one up one day but they're so exceedingly rare. If Gibson was to make an reissued version of this I'd be on that.
@@deadbeatstudios I don't know if you have heard their new album, but the bass is very prominent on it. I'd be curious to know what he is playing now. Also, it's a fantastic album. And as always thanks for the awesome content!
@@deadbeatstudios I heard in a track by track commentary interview that he plays an upright bass on "My Soul" but other than that it's his Grabber! I have a 78 Gibson G3 which is similar but I would love to get the real thing :P Keep up the good work!
Man, Gibson had the magic back in the 70s. I own a Ripper and it is still my favorite sound and feel of any bass I own. I have a Gibson Victory that I also love, and picked up the 120th SG to finally add a short-scale to my collection; both a great, but the Ripper, Grabber, and G-3 were all just stellar instruments. Hitting jazz and funk on it are super sweet, punk sounds blown out in the best way, and it has a brutal growl for heavier rock and metal. My only wish is that it came in a 5-string model. It's still perfect without the extended range, but that would be the only way to elevate this thing. It was revolutionary when it was made, and it still holds up to this day.
Lou Barlow had one of these in 1986 and 1987. What Jayme said makes sense because Lou was in a similar situation. Dinosaur Jr is known for huge guitar sounds and he needed a bass that sticks out in the mix.
Hey don't forget about the gibson RIPPER! never played it but i saw a few cats with them at shows. we had a female bassist in our crew who played the EB3 gibson at all of the shows.
Gene Simmons used one as well in the super early days of kiss; it’ll take some digging but you can find when they did tv shows and he had one that’s where I encountered the bass and I’ve wanted once since.
Ohhh this one was used by Mike Dirnt in dookie era !!!,,,trying to figure for a long what bass was that .. I think qotsa's bassist played it too,,,great sound and power
Another bassist/band in the same vein as Thrice that used a Grabber was Brendan Brown from The Receiving End of Sirens. Amazing band, great bass lines and tone. They were a 3-guitar band so when that Grabber was thrown into a live setting, they sounded absolutely massive.
I've also always wanted one of these. My first time seeing it was Mike Dirnt at a live show. Thanks for reminding me! Now I've gotta go spend more cash on gear! Haha
I just picked up a 77 G3 Grabber, got a great deal, love it! Really awesome tone, kind of rings acoustically when not plugged in, weird. Looks just like yours, perfect neck, all the hardware, everything great, which trips me out because I bought it from a punk kid lol. Thought it would have been thrashed!
The Gibson Grabber helped a very untalented musician such as myself to achieve semi success.. I traded it in for a Vox Phantom. The Gibson Grabber was dependable and always produced the piercing bass sound that I desired. My Grabber was identical to the one you see on this video, At the time, I wanted a brightly colored bass like gold or red or yellow, preferably metalflake,. Before the Grabber, I had a Gibson EBO.
I’ve wanted a Grabber since I was about 15 (I’m 28 now) and I finally got one earlier this year for an amazing price and I absolutely love it! My hand gets cut up by the bridge saddle screws as well. What bridge did you put on this Grabber? One of my favorite RUclips channels!
@@brianhuynh1989 Nice! honestly I have no clue what bridge it is. It's in the tour locker currently but I'll have a look at it in a few days and let you know!
I've got the exact same one and I absolutely love it. I wanna ask, what bridge did you put on it? I've got the original one and it's painful for palm mute playing. Great review anyways take it easy!
hey Jayme, nice bass! what gauge of strings do you use for drop C? i currently play in drop B and use 5 string set (E string .130), but I see people playing in low tuning with fairly standard 4 string sets.
Was the hip shot a direct replacement without drilling? I just re-acquired the first bass I ever owned that was stolen in 1980. But it’s missing the bridge
I've recently picked up the 2008 (i think) reissue of this bass. The Gibson Grabber II limited edition. Its been set up with a new bridge n sounds awesome. Just wandering what strings people use on these? And which strings they use ? Flatwounds/roundeounds? Thanks 😊
@@deadbeatstudios thanks Jayme... to be sure, I know that G3, G1 and Rippers are stringed through the body but you mean that this Hipshot bridge replacement has this option too and it works fine?
Well, congrats for your new bridge, but your neck and/or your new bridge are misaligned, 'cause the gap you have from 4th string to neck border is clearly bigger than the one from the 1st to the border's neck, even when the camera is set from the headstock. After all that work to bring it to life, it´s a shame. Great bass, any way. I used to play a G3 and man, that thing was so in tune all along the neck. Best F note in a bass ever.
Easy enough to loosen the neck, shim it sideways and reposition, then tighten down. Sometimes you have to fill the screw holes and re-drill. Did it on my Grabber in the 80s, and have done it on occasion on various Fenders, Squiers, and assorted Japanese copies. Anything with a bolt-on neck is vulnerable to this. I'm surprised he can play it without complaining.
After reading some more comments, I'm thinking I'd probably do the fill-and-redrill thing at the bridge instead. The important thing is to determine the source of the problem before starting. But, again, sometimes it's the neck that has drifted.
Spoiler alert, the only effect wood type has on electric instruments is sustain (because of mass) unless the pickups are microphonic as hell, it doesn’t have any effect on TONE, but fret material, what the nut and bridge are made of, basically anything the string touches, and the electronics themselves DO have a more obvious effect on tone, unless you like the look of the wood and are willing to pay a premium, just get the cheaper basswood or alder versions..
![Gibson Krist Novoselic RD [Demo]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4Ti_7d-ZDKk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Gibson Krist Novoselic RD [Demo]](/img/tr.png)
The first time I ever saw that bass was watching some early Kiss performances with my dad. I wouldn't mind pick one up one day but they're so exceedingly rare. If Gibson was to make an reissued version of this I'd be on that.
Epiphone has reissued the Ripper/ Grabber basses.
Thrice... the bass line on 'Stare at the Sun' blew my mind back in the day
Same here - Eddie has always been one of my favorites!
Shout out to thrice!! That line you played sounds perfect on that bass.
Thanks David! Ya the Grabber and Thrice are one in my mind; I can't separate em!
@@deadbeatstudios I don't know if you have heard their new album, but the bass is very prominent on it. I'd be curious to know what he is playing now. Also, it's a fantastic album. And as always thanks for the awesome content!
@@davidleamy7564 Ya it's killer! He still plays a Grabber but it's one that he built himself :)
@@deadbeatstudios this story just keeps getting better!
@@deadbeatstudios I heard in a track by track commentary interview that he plays an upright bass on "My Soul" but other than that it's his Grabber! I have a 78 Gibson G3 which is similar but I would love to get the real thing :P Keep up the good work!
Man, Gibson had the magic back in the 70s. I own a Ripper and it is still my favorite sound and feel of any bass I own. I have a Gibson Victory that I also love, and picked up the 120th SG to finally add a short-scale to my collection; both a great, but the Ripper, Grabber, and G-3 were all just stellar instruments. Hitting jazz and funk on it are super sweet, punk sounds blown out in the best way, and it has a brutal growl for heavier rock and metal. My only wish is that it came in a 5-string model. It's still perfect without the extended range, but that would be the only way to elevate this thing. It was revolutionary when it was made, and it still holds up to this day.
Wow! Never knew the pickups did that. Seems like that would be a cool design on any bass.
It's neat in theory but really noisy when sliding it on stage. Still gives it 20 extra cool points though!
Caleb Scofield formerly of the amazing band ‘cave in’ brought me here. Amazing bass player who also used the grabber. Caleb Scofield forever.
Lou Barlow had one of these in 1986 and 1987. What Jayme said makes sense because Lou was in a similar situation. Dinosaur Jr is known for huge guitar sounds and he needed a bass that sticks out in the mix.
Hey don't forget about the gibson RIPPER! never played it but i saw a few cats with them at shows. we had a
female bassist in our crew who played the EB3 gibson at all of the shows.
I've always wanted one :)
Gene Simmons used one as well in the super early days of kiss; it’ll take some digging but you can find when they did tv shows and he had one that’s where I encountered the bass and I’ve wanted once since.
grabber, g3, ripper are amazing, misery signal, green day, thrice sound my childhood i need one
eBay and Craigslist ;) Keep and eye out and you'll find a steal if you're patient enough!
@@deadbeatstudios i found for one 9 but i didn't have the funds it needed some TLC and so gorgeous
Ohhh this one was used by Mike Dirnt in dookie era !!!,,,trying to figure for a long what bass was that ..
I think qotsa's bassist played it too,,,great sound and power
@@gauchoguacho2000 ps i own it now and put carbon fiber pickguard on it :) instagram.com/p/CGXtZBkAVtD/
@@gauchoguacho2000the current QotSA bassist sometimes plays a Ripper, not a grabber.
Another bassist/band in the same vein as Thrice that used a Grabber was Brendan Brown from The Receiving End of Sirens. Amazing band, great bass lines and tone. They were a 3-guitar band so when that Grabber was thrown into a live setting, they sounded absolutely massive.
All all maple basses I've tried sounded amazing. Not sure why there aren't more.
I've also always wanted one of these. My first time seeing it was Mike Dirnt at a live show. Thanks for reminding me! Now I've gotta go spend more cash on gear! Haha
Keep an eye out on eBay!
I just picked up a 77 G3 Grabber, got a great deal, love it! Really awesome tone, kind of rings acoustically when not plugged in, weird. Looks just like yours, perfect neck, all the hardware, everything great, which trips me out because I bought it from a punk kid lol. Thought it would have been thrashed!
Big fan of Jayme Lewis. Amazing bass player.
I got one. I read somewhere that Gibson alternated between alder and maple for the body of these basses. Neck is maple.
The Gibson Grabber helped a very untalented musician such as myself to achieve semi success.. I traded it in for a Vox Phantom. The Gibson Grabber was dependable and always produced the piercing bass sound that I desired. My Grabber was identical to the one you see on this video, At the time, I wanted a brightly colored bass like gold or red or yellow, preferably metalflake,. Before the Grabber, I had a Gibson EBO.
Like yr thumb/ string muting technique, & how you anchor for fingerstyle.
Sounds really awesome with the fuzz behind it!
Bought my Grabber for $250 in pristine condition. Didn't know what I had! She's a heavy beast! Also useful in a zombie apocalypse!
Where did you pick it up for $250
@@letsgetlucky_ A friend was unloading it! I grabbed the Grabber!
Anybody ever heard of Rick Danko from the Band,he used one in the movie the Last Walz and he was a hell of a musician
He played a ripper
@@sandyboggs8099 my bad Sandy, I thought it was a Grabber. There is also the little known less popular G3.
Killed that Hoods on Peregrine line👊🏼
Seriously dude, that bass line always stuck with me ever since high school, best song of that album in my opinion !
I’ve wanted a Grabber since I was about 15 (I’m 28 now) and I finally got one earlier this year for an amazing price and I absolutely love it! My hand gets cut up by the bridge saddle screws as well. What bridge did you put on this Grabber?
One of my favorite RUclips channels!
Also thanks for the tip about restoring the hard ware. I’m going to try the Coca Cola trick. Mine is all nasty
@@brianhuynh1989 Nice! honestly I have no clue what bridge it is. It's in the tour locker currently but I'll have a look at it in a few days and let you know!
It’s a Hipshot B-Style bridge.
Love the sound from japan!
Thanks for the video! What gauge are you using for Drop C? And did you have to adjust the truss rod too much to get it there?
It’s like a j bass lite with that “bridge” position
I've got the exact same one and I absolutely love it. I wanna ask, what bridge did you put on it? I've got the original one and it's painful for palm mute playing. Great review anyways take it easy!
Hi Jayme, nice tone
Just curious, what strings do you use?
God I love the tone of this thing. Ripe for a clone or reissue.
hey Jayme, nice bass! what gauge of strings do you use for drop C? i currently play in drop B and use 5 string set (E string .130), but I see people playing in low tuning with fairly standard 4 string sets.
I go 110 to 55 I think. I don't play very hard so 110 does it just fine unless I start to lay into it. But with my B standard basses I go down to 130.
@@deadbeatstudios thanks for answer! appreciated.
@@deadbeatstudios whats your pick gauge?
@@cacadordorio I play heavy picks, not sure what the gauge is though :/
Was the hip shot a direct replacement without drilling? I just re-acquired the first bass I ever owned that was stolen in 1980. But it’s missing the bridge
I've recently picked up the 2008 (i think) reissue of this bass. The Gibson Grabber II limited edition. Its been set up with a new bridge n sounds awesome. Just wandering what strings people use on these? And which strings they use ? Flatwounds/roundeounds?
Thanks 😊
Fender has been very successful for making basses
and guitars.
Do you play flats or roundwounds ?? looking at buying new strings for my grabber n love your tone
Is the intro line an original or is it from somewhere I'm failing to recognize?
Cola is also great to remove glue residue!
Haha ya, never drinking that stuff again!
Looks like the bridge replacement is not quite centered. The poor G string is a cliff hanger!
The Grabber was my first real bass. Sadly, it was stolen from a rehearsal space.
Billy Gould on the real thing. They killed the lows on the album but the mid tone was sick sounding. Just didnt have that bump in the subs
Do you have the original bridge?
As dumb, impractical and ineffective as it might be, I think the moveable pickup is the coolest gimmick ever.
Hi, it's 2024 and I can't find one of these for under two grand.
whats the name of that bridge? is it string through body? i put a badass ii on mine.. so much better than stock
its a Hipshot B style bridge
@@JEG69 thanks! does it offer "string through the body" option?
@@pattonPwr These are strung through the body
@@deadbeatstudios thanks Jayme... to be sure, I know that G3, G1 and Rippers are stringed through the body but you mean that this Hipshot bridge replacement has this option too and it works fine?
@@pattonPwr Correct, this bass has the strings fed through the body. The holes line up perfectly.
Shout out to Eddie from Thrice!!
Gene Simmons used to play these in his young years
A true role model, huh
Cola soda is okay to drink occasionally but definitely not everyday!
I gave a thumbs up just for the Coca-Cola comment. Jayme's awesome.
What strings do you use on the grabber, rounds or flats? And what brand?
“Crickets”
Those are clearly flats
They’re clearly rounds…
What band does he play in?
What year is it?
Y is it only a character piece aren’t these things similar to p basses
Gene Simmons was the first Grabber user!!!!
Rick Danko of The Band used one. I'm sure there were others.
@@camilo1455
Danko used a Ripper, not a Grabbrer
@@McDoinky can we call it close enough? They were quite similar, weren't they, except for the sliding pick-up?
@@camilo1455
Pickups and headstock design, I think
A bit funny looking, but it's got a great pick sound!
Whoa only 400 bucks damn
im currently looking at buying a Gibson Grabber 2 for $900 with a babics bridge n new nut. is this a good deal?
Seems like a good deal to me.
@@TheBassChannel just picked it up, awesome raspy bass
If it wasn't for Bill Lawrence,
The Gibson Grabber would not
have been popular.
Well, congrats for your new bridge, but your neck and/or your new bridge are misaligned, 'cause the gap you have from 4th string to neck border is clearly bigger than the one from the 1st to the border's neck, even when the camera is set from the headstock. After all that work to bring it to life, it´s a shame. Great bass, any way. I used to play a G3 and man, that thing was so in tune all along the neck. Best F note in a bass ever.
Easy enough to loosen the neck, shim it sideways and reposition, then tighten down. Sometimes you have to fill the screw holes and re-drill. Did it on my Grabber in the 80s, and have done it on occasion on various Fenders, Squiers, and assorted Japanese copies. Anything with a bolt-on neck is vulnerable to this. I'm surprised he can play it without complaining.
After reading some more comments, I'm thinking I'd probably do the fill-and-redrill thing at the bridge instead. The important thing is to determine the source of the problem before starting. But, again, sometimes it's the neck that has drifted.
I missed hearing some Gene Simmons riffs on that bass
Lol I wonder how many Grabbers Ed influenced people to buy
Jayme your Grabber has a Alder wood body not a maple body
Hoods on P ⚡️⚡️
Here because of badbadnotgood
Maybe Fender can learn a lot more.
5 years later you are looking at $3000 now.
Spoiler alert, the only effect wood type has on electric instruments is sustain (because of mass) unless the pickups are microphonic as hell, it doesn’t have any effect on TONE, but fret material, what the nut and bridge are made of, basically anything the string touches, and the electronics themselves DO have a more obvious effect on tone, unless you like the look of the wood and are willing to pay a premium, just get the cheaper basswood or alder versions..
Really not that much difference in the tones, seems like a gimmick, the bass sounds good (ugly af) but heavy
That's an alder body
That hat looks so wrong on you bud
Hats have never looked good on anyone
Pickup selector? No. Pickup mover.
A J bass?
You mean a Jazz bass.
Well of course; People have been calling Jazzes "J"s and Precisions "P"s for decades.