New 2009 Grabber II and, yes, even the Ripper!

[uwe]

Has anyone tried TB pickups on a Maple bodied bass ?

Gibson has. On the EB 650 hollowbody (which in addition to its maple body had a huge maple sustain block and maple neck). That bass sounded sharp to the point of harsh with them, not an inherently bad sound if one likes aggressive sounding basses, but expectation-defying in a baffling way when it comes to hollowbodies which you imagine to be mellow and largely attackless. On a Grabber, which sounded raucous (and was supposed to sound that way as Gibson's P Bass Vergeltungswaffe) to begin with, sound and expectation might just match. The TB Plus should have the middish rawness of the old Grabber pups, but with more treble sparkle and a lot more bass ooomph. I always found Grabbers lacking in that latter department. They're loud and abrasive, but don't have the sublow authority of the otherwise more docile (or less overt, if you like, Grabbers do nag a little in sound) Ripper.

[Dave W]

Just FYI I paid 1799 for my Nikki Sixx Mk.II...........I think any better (non-GC!) dealer is going to get you a way better price than the msrp on this bass, which BTW I really like - hard to belive, it's not a Thunderbird!  

Agreed. The reason I mentioned it is because it looks like a big increase on the SG and a big drop on the regular T-Bird.

[ramone57]

Has anyone tried TB pickups on a Maple bodied bass ?

I seem to recall somebody put a TB pup in a ripper but can't remember who.

[EvilLordJuju]

I don't understand. Why would they re-release their cheapest bass ever (maybe not quite) at such a price. I bet they fall around laughing every time they sell one. Maybe it is just so that when they come down to 1.5k they seem reasonable.

I do like the new headstock, and i'm glad about the upgraded bridge (although as there is no precident for a three point, don't see why they used it).

I really wish the pickup slide length had increased. Think what this would be like if it could slide all the way from neck to bridge. Now, that would be something special!

[lowend1]

I really wish the pickup slide length had increased. Think what this would be like if it could slide all the way from neck to bridge. Now, that would be something special!

Yeah! On a motorized track that could be adjusted on the fly - like the power windows in your car. With stored presets as well. And a coffee maker.

[Basvarken]

The concept of the black plate where the pickup is mounted on doesn't allow that much travel. If you would want the pickup to slide more towards the ncek you'd have to cut off that plate. Which would leave a gaping route once you'd slide it towards the bridge.
And vice versa.

[godofthunder]

Believe me the three point bridge is no upgrade.  

[godofthunder]

I always thought the Grabber would have been a much better bass and a better selling bass had they equipped it with two pickups instead of the sliding nonsense.

[Basvarken]

and two sliding pickups? 




Hmmm good idea for an April 1st joke
Oh dang, now I've spoilt all the fun...

[Dave W]

I don't understand. Why would they re-release their cheapest bass ever (maybe not quite) at such a price. I bet they fall around laughing every time they sell one. Maybe it is just so that when they come down to 1.5k they seem reasonable.

Up next: a $2500 MSRP SB300 and a $2000 MSRP Kalamazoo.  

[uwe]

No snide remarks about the war or SBs here, jawohl!

[lowend1]

and two sliding pickups? 

My vote is for a sliding bridge - instant switch from long scale to short scale!

[EvilLordJuju]

The concept of the black plate where the pickup is mounted on doesn't allow that much travel. If you would want the pickup to slide more towards the ncek you'd have to cut off that plate. Which would leave a gaping route once you'd slide it towards the bridge.
And vice versa.

The pickup could be on rails, and be thin enough not to need a any route. It could sit above the scratchplate and just slide along. Dan Armstrong had something similar prior to the Grabber.

I still think this is a great idea - but just badly executed on the Grabber. And yeah, why not have a wah pedal controller? (ok, maybe that is going too far)

[Blazer]

The pickup could be on rails, and be thin enough not to need a any route. It could sit above the scratchplate and just slide along. Dan Armstrong had something similar prior to the Grabber.

And the Matsumoku built Westone "The Rail" bass also employed that idea.

I still think this is a great idea - but just badly executed on the Grabber. And yeah, why not have a wah pedal controller? (ok, maybe that is going too far)

Well VOX had a guitar built in the sixties which incorporated built in effects including a wah, which was operated with a palm handle.

[eb2]

I always wanted one of these sliders, and they are EB-0ish.

http://flickr.com/photos/sumlin/2571267931/