6/18/2023 0 Comments Gene simmons grabber bassThe Ripper was used by Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, who also used a Gibson RD Artist and a Thunderbird bass.Īndy Baxter stocks a number of Gibson Grabber and Ripper Basses, amongst other vintage Gibson basses. More recently, Jeremy Davies (ex-Paramore) can be seen using a candy red G3. Other notable players included Mike Dirnt from Green Day, back in the 90’s ‘Dookie’ days. The Grabber predominantly achieved its fame after Gene Simmons from Kiss became a player. The Ripper came equipped with two humbucker pickups, known as "Super Humbuckers", a four-way pickup selector control and a passive midrange control, making it an extremely versatile bass with an tremendous amount of clarity, which wasn’t generally something Gibson basses were known for”. Its three-way switch meant that the pickups could be activated as neck & middle, bridge & middle, or all three at once. Later, The Gibson Grabber G3 was introduced, which featured three (non-adjustable) single coil pickups mounted in the neck, bridge and middle positions. The Grabber had a distinctive adjustable pickup, which provided plenty of tonal variation. “Bill Lawrence designed the pickups for both basses. Whilst the The Grabber was available in wine red, ebony, natural, walnut and white finishes – all with maple fingerboards.įocusing on the electrics, Andy Baxter says: The Ripper was firstly available in three colours options, natural (with a maple fingerboard) and black and tobacco sunburst (with ebony fingerboards). The Grabber had a V-shaped headstock like the Gibson Flying V, while the Ripper featured the more traditional Les Paul style headstock. The Grabber featured a bolt-on neck with a metal back plate a four-screws – also comparable to Fender basses, whereas the Ripper featured a set-neck (through-body) construction. The Ripper then switched back to maple in 77. The Grabber switched to alder in 1975 and likewise, the majority of Ripper basses manufactured in 1975 also had lighter alder bodies. Their contoured edge bodies vaguely echoed the SG, whilst their offset horns were clearly reminiscent of other popular makes of that era. Both basses may have been modest options in terms ok looks - available in limited colour options with no decorative inlays and controls and pickups mounted on the scratch-plate, but the Gibson Grabber and Ripper were quick to become a two of Gibson’s most iconic basses.īoth basses introduced an all-new body shape made from maple. He is the God Of Thunder, after all.Original Article Written for Bass Guitar Magazineīack in 1973 Gibson introduced not one, but two new and distinctive basses to the market, The Ripper and The Grabber. Perhaps most importantly of all, it’s a bass that’s tailor-made for conjuring this larger-than-life character’s earth-conquering tones. 'All in all, this first offering from G2 delivers on virtually every front, from the dazzling black diamond aesthetic through to playability and versatility. Gibson Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird: The web says This is a premium instrument for players who are serious about making fun music. MusicRadar verdict: The G2 Thunderbird is a beast of a bass guitar for unleashing your inner rock animal, and there are hidden depths in those tones, too. It’s not cheap, but then it is a US-made Gibson, and it is one solid and seaworthy instrument. Or, just push your bass amp to the point of furry break up, hit the lights, and get on with the business of rocking out. You can have hours of fun jamming Kiss standards.Īlternatively, you can start messing around with those individual pickup controls, using them to dial in a blend of rhythm and lead pickups, and finding some nice off-menu surprises, like Motown thump, jazzy woodiness, or even – if you set the EQ just right on your bass amp and ablate those mids – there’s borderline slap on the menu, which could be just the thing for the faux disco of I Was Made For Lovin’ You. Of course, a bass bearing Gene Simmons’ name would be expected to deal in his trademark tones, and while this is not the Grabber or Charlie LoBue model that those of us weaned on Alive! era Kiss would first associate Simmons with, it has all those classic sounds on tap. Many players will tell you that ebony helps with this snappy attack. The sounds are familiar and although it’s not suited to all musical genres or playing styles, the 4003 remains a classic. This is an understated bass in a cool, classic way, and much of its history and mystique is still in place. And as with the G2, you need not be a fan to get on board with its charms. The Rush frontman and bass legend's signature Jazz is one of the finest of the type you can buy.
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