Gibson Grabber G3

[FrankieTbird]

Does this seem like a decent deal?  I'm not really up on the Grabber / Ripper.

http://austin.craigslist.org/msg/5372021339.html

[Basvarken]

Seems like a reasonable price.
I've seen these go for more. But they were in better condition (less wear on the neck)
And I've seen a few for just about the same price. In comparable condition.

Nice bass.
With a bit of an airy tone. Do not expect a thunderous monster.

[Granny Gremlin]

Great bass (love those pickups).  Not an unfair price; just not a particularly awesome deal (though it is not the typical natural or ebony finish so that makes it a bit nicer I suppose.... though it isn't the rarest finish either, which is burst).  A natural or ebony could be had a tad cheaper, but not much.

[uwe]

That is the last series of these, with an ebony board (predecessors only knew maple) and often enough a more stable three piece neck too. I guess prices on these have gone up too, five years ago or so you could get one in better shape for, say, 600 bucks if you were lucky. But 900 today is ok.

Airey tone? Liberal drug laws in The Netherlands take their toll.  I find the G-3 among the most assertive, attention-clamouring Gibson basses. Though passive, it has some of the aggression of a 70ies Stingray. Very snappy, but with lots of ooomph too. Not really a warm growler, more of a Ric clank to it. If you want your bass to be heard and have prog or funk leanings, this is a bass for you. Slapped or played with a pick, this thing really gets itself heard. Much more aggressive than a Ripper and hi-fi'sher (not sterile though) than the middish-sounding (sliding pup) Grabbers.

Ask the seller whether the bridge height screws are still fit. They tend to be gouged out on older models, but somewhere along the line Gibson invested in better screw material.

[FrankieTbird]

It most likely has a 1-5/8" or so nut width though, right?

[slinkp]

The G3 worked really well for a certain 90s-era "punk" band ....  like 'em or not that was an assertive pick sound for sure!

[Basvarken]

Oh yes you can make yourself heard with a G3. And with a good overdrive pedal you get a gritty sound and pretend you're in a punk band. And if you slap it you can funk. But it does not have a thick / dense sound...

[uwe]

"But it does not have a thick / dense sound ..."

That I can agree with. Some frequencies are scooped in its overall range. It has mids, but they don't overpower treble and sublows.

[FrankieTbird]

Doody on that.  I like mids.  I'll stick with Thunderbirds. 

[uwe]

I can still appreciate a good clank with other people though I never dial it in for myself.