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I just recieved my new '76 G3. I had to wait for 6 weeks (due to some personal problems of the Ebay seller). It is always a relief when a bass arrives if you have ordered it from Ebay. You really start to worry after a few weeks. But it was worth waiting for. It looks beautiful. Amazing how the bass has been kept so well after more then 30 years. There a few dings and belt scratches on the back but for the rest it looks almost new.
Also the case has been kept really nice and I have the original bill from the first buyer.
Now I have two G3's (what a luxury). But one a them has to go, I don't want to keep two of the same basses. The other one an '78 maple one which is also really nice. Today I tested both of them and the sound is quite similar, the maple one is maybe a little more aggresive. The maple one is much heavier though. It really is a big difference. So I am not sure which I want to sell. What do you think?
I really like the sound of the G3 basses, together with the EB3 it is my favourite Gibson bass. I think the G3 sounds different then other Gibson basses, much more mid and clear sounding.
Here are some pics:
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/barendtromp/S5001178.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/barendtromp/S5001181.jpg)
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I prefer maple sonically, but I prefer black visually.
A difficult choice, I say keep both for 6 months then decide
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Mate them!!! :mrgreen:
You are aware that sonically you can make them quite different from another by modifying one of them to feature just the front and the rear pup (not the middle one) in the toggle switch middle position as opposed to all three? Or you can also sacrifice another toggle position for it, in the case of my second G 3 the front and middle pup configuration has been sacrificed for front and rear pup leaving the middle position of the toggle switch with all three pups active unscathed. The resulting sound is bassy but scooped and echoes a Jazz Bass. Actually quite a popular mod at the time.
And in any case: Two different body woods is two different basses in my book, jawohl!
Uwe
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Wasn't aware of that mod. I like the sound just as it is. In fact I mostly play with the switch in position 1 (bridge and middle PU). That already is quite 'Fender jazz bass Bridge pickup like'.
I think the difference in sound between position 2 and 3 is not that big.
Is the mod a big difference compared to the normal position 2 or 3? Still curious how that mod will sound.
And how do you make that mod?
Still I want to sell one of them. I already have enough other basses. It gets too crowded here!
Is the black one alder wood? As I said it is much lighter then the maple one. I guess maple is much heavier in general (?)
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Is the black one alder wood? As I said it is much lighter then the maple one. I guess maple is much heavier in general (?)
Yeah, alder. Maple is the heavier of the two.
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I already have enough other basses. It gets too crowded here!
define "enough"
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well, I have 9 basses, 5 guitars and 2 sitars
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Even though we've never met, I officially hate you for having two G-3's... :mrgreen:
(seriously, let me know when you're ready to sell one...)
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well, I have 9 basses, 5 guitars and 2 sitars
keep both G3's and get rid of a Sitar.
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keep both G3's and get rid of a Sitar.
That's right! ;)
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Nice!
Install a 6-way (Quiet Uwe & Mark!) and have almost all the combinations!
1. neck
2. neck/middle
3. middle
4. middle/bridge
5. bridge
6. neck/bridge
:toast:
Scott
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keep both G3's and get rid of a Sitar.
haha...no, I have two nice sitars which I won't sell
that 6 way switch is a joke right? would ne nice though.
just like the G4 april fools joke....it fooled me. Now I am little cautious with you guys.
I read the topic last week.
Great joke.
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The G-4 was a joke by
that lying scumbag of a Holländer
, but a brilliant one! :mrgreen:
The six way switch isn't. At least that is the conventional wisdom here. Personally, I think it is a great idea for the G-3 pup configuration and makes sense. I think the "G-6" in question is actually more of a "Gripper-6" as it has a set neck, not a bolt-on one like Grabbers and G-3s do. I herewith demand a pic of it here. It is beautiful.
Sorry, I can't help you with the way my second G-3 was wired, because I got it that way. It was a while before I noticed why it sounded different to my other (stock wiring) G-3. I'm so crap at wiring, I have to go to my luthier for even the simplest repairs. I can't believe that the wiring of the G-3 is a challenge though to anybody knowing just a little about it.
Uwe
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No that's not lying, that is manipulating the truth. You should know that, being a lawyer... :mrgreen:
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I forgot. So you didn't
have sex with that bass?
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define sex Herr Horny Hornung
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It's something I imagine Dutch people to have mostly with their bikes.
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Now I understand why those poor Krauts were so keen on our bikes...
So seat sniffing is a German invention?
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:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
And now for something completely different: Where is the requested pic of the G-6?
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:popcorn: :gay:
Always wanted to use that popcorn thingy..............
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I'm away for a day and the trouble has started again...... :mrgreen:
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you could always keep the 3 way toggle but 1 position for each pickup as singles.
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Like the idea of the 6 way switch but like uwe I am also terrible with wiring. But I can always ask some friends if I need something rewired. I am a little hestitated to do it though...especially on older basses... because it will devaluate the bass.
Still don't know which one to sell.
The black one is cleaner and much lighter (which I prefer). It hasn't been played that much I guess because it looks fairly new.
The maple one sounds a little more vintage and aggresive, I think because it has been played more often. But the black sounds also good.
I have swapped the basses about 30 times since yesterday. But each time I play one I like that one the best.
Sorry to bother you with this luxury problem.
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mine is maple sounds great but soooo very heavy.
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Like someone earlier said: keep both for a couple of months and use 'm with a band, at home and you will know after a while.
At a moment I had two '76 Rickenbacker 3000s. A nice weared white one and the one I bought first: A quite new looking natural (Mapleglo) one. I liked the looks of the white one better, but the Mapleglo just was my bass. I sold the white one and no regrets.
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Sixways?!!? ;D How does that work? I'm sure the Fraulien can explain ;D ;)
Sex with your bass?!
Geez, and John hasn't even contribuited to the thread yet :)
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OK! Stop with the sex banner thingy! We have laws in the USA! Sex with basses (not any of mine thank you)!!!! Here I believe is a picture of the bass that has aroused such passion, and yes it is pretty sexy. And no the six-way switch is not a joke (well the wiring isn't a joke, some people just have naughty minds ;D)
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/bassVI/PelhamBlueOrville63-65clone015.jpg)
I'll be happy to provide details to all interested parties.
Cheers All,
Scott
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oh yeah, that's sweet!
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That bass is so gorgeous, I'd like to take it from behind. (in a lecherous voice) It is string thru, ja?
It's the Ripper Gibson should have made and the world would be a different place.
Going back to the G-3 twins: It really is hard to decide. Both look good, my hunch is that natural G-3s are perhaps a tiny bit rarer than black/ebony ones, but ultimately they were the two most prevalent fins. If weight isn't an issue to you, you could always sell the alder one and state in the auction text that this is "one of the lighter, alder body ones, not the regular maple millstone", because to many people weight of a bass is an issue, especially the elderly folks who frequent this forum. It might - together with its pristiner looks - fetch a higher price because of that.
Or do indeed play them for half a year and find out which one is better in bed in the long run.
Uwe
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Just keep both !
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I'll be happy to provide details to all interested parties.
As it looks like I'm keeping my G3 I might be an interested party. I changed my own G3 to have 2 pickups on the 3way switch and the middle one on a seperate volume knob (I cut out tone).
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You guys might find this story interesting, some may have heard it already. Way back in the summer of '75 I worked at a local dinner place. Fri night I washed dishes, talk about a crappy job. Then Sat. morning I would go in and clean the place. This was the cool part. I let myself in with a popsicle stick then would vacum, clean the bath rooms and listen to the jukebox with no one around to bother me and help myself to Cokes at the bar. I worked the whole summer to buy a new EB3, just like my idol Jimmy Lea( at the time I didn't understand all the changes made between 60's and the 70's EB3). Well at the end of the summer I had amassed the mighty sum of $365.00, just what I needed to but my new EB3. Well when I went to the store they said on no son you don't want that how about a nice G3 that we have coming in? They went on to explain that being a Kiss fan and all this is even better than Gene's bass. Well I fell for it and I disliked the G3 almost the min. I got it. I spent years slagging off G3's. Fast forward to now. I have a alder body G3 that I think is a most fantastic bass. unplugged the acoustic resonance is amazing. The neck is fantastic, very comfortable profile, excellent fret work and the action is the lowest of any bass I own. Gibson really did take a good stab at Fender with these basses. So if I had to pick between the two I would pick the alder bodied bass. Alder has much more resonance, maple more snap.
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I'm actually going to be putting a Gripper together in the next few weeks. I'll have to make a new post on it when I get started.
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are you using G3 pickups & wiring in a Ripper?
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Yup. The back story is too long for this thread so I'll post on it hopefully this weekend.
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Nice story, but I hate the fact shop employees try to sell something else than you want...
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I've always said it: G-3s are the crown of creation in the Ripper/Grabber/G-3 "fat-bottomed girls family". And they could have done a lot more with those three pups had they added a varitone - it would have actually made sense for once.
I agree that the alder bodies are more lively and "furry"-sounding. The maple bodies are more focused and have more thud in the sub-lows. But a G-3 with its sharp attack will get you heard in a band irrespective of the body wood choice.
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Uwe, in large part it was your high regard for the G3 that prompted me to give the bass another try
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Yes, I also love the G3. Also had an ebony '74 Ripper once, but I sold it because it couldn't compete with the G3. There was only one really good sound in the Ripper, the other three sounds are very thin. Never tried a Grabber though.
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"Never tried a Grabber though."
= very angry P Bass sound, with less fundamentals and a bit on the obnoxious side
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Again, if anyone wants to pass one along, I'd be happy to take one off your hands to compliment my '80 Ripper...
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As promised, I'll be posting the 6-way switch mod. Look for it in the projects and mods forum ( thought it would be more appropo there ) I'll put the link to the thread here http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=1392.msg17175#msg17175
when I get it finished.
Teaser pic
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/bassVI/G3RipperWiring036.jpg)
Scott