Gibson Ripper Vs Grabber - Comparison - Shootout

1974 Ripper compared to a 1975 Grabber. The amp is an Universal Audio 2-610 Preamp. The guitar in the background is a 2013 Gibson SG Standard Aged.

[@maurizioferegalli6850]

I played with a bassist who had the Grabber and with the slide pickup he could easily change the timbres of his parts... The Ripper is definitely more versatile and complete and I think it's nonsense that Gibson doesn't propose it in an updated version!!!

[@guysmith8270]

I prefer the Grabber....but I dig both quite a bit

[@MrDudeguitar0]

I think the Ripper sounds and looks better. It's my favourite bass of all time!

[@JohanSegeborn]

I love it too.

[@brockthompson_]

MrDudeguitar0 I personally like the Grabber more, especially the Grabber 3 which came out a bit later.

[@zyxwfish]

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. How does it sound good wow.

[@syzerx6789]

I can't choose. They both sound so awesome.

[@gandsnut]

Last year I retired from active playing my '75 G-3, which is perhaps less known than its sibs you have in this showdown. My G-3 never let me down, and paid for itself many times over. Now I play an OLP Music Man 5-string, strung with high 'C' rather than low 'B'. Happy New Year 2017 to you and thanks for the video!

[@JohanSegeborn]

+Are Jayem Thanks Are! I played G3 in the 1980s, great bass. Happy New Year!

[@fart_cannon]

I just bought a 76 G3, best money I've ever spent on an instrument.

[@Solelova67]

I Love the Grabber. it's my dream Bass. I have Fender P bass's and a G&L LB100 USA model

[@JohanSegeborn]

+Solelova67 Cheers!

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

If I had to choose I'd go with the Grabber. As much as I like the Rippers sound I think the Grabber is a lot more versatile. I think with just a little tweaking you could get a P-bass sound, too whereas with the Ripper you're in P-bass mode all the time. Both great instruments that still sound amazing.

[@xyzvision]

Suzi Quatro Played A ripper just like that one. Very nice indeed!

[@Daddy53751]

Back in the mid ‘80’s as a teenager, I got called up to play a gig last minute with a band who lost their bassist. I was between axes right at that moment, So my awesome mom ran me down to the local pawnshop and picked me up a ‘75 Grabber looked exactly like the one here, for $125! The Grabber was one mighty bass machine, and to this day I still wish i hadn’t gotten rid of it. Fantastic instrument with a super silky neck, and that sliding PU was really unique and sounded great. Looking here, it would be great to have a Grabber with the slide PU, but with the string thru bridge of the Ripper. That’s an idea Gibson should use.😃

[@celestinocamicia]

Funky Johan!!! Excellent demo and I love the sound of both, plus I like how the demo ends, shots change and you start talking but the funky little guitar carries on a few bars :-D Incidentally, however criminally underrated nowadays, these basses used to be studio favorites for many players in my native Italy...especially the fretless versions

[@trance9158]

I prefer them for hard rock applications and the out of phase switch setting on the one is amazing

[@xRyuzakii]

I would do anything for a grabber... it's been my dream bass forever. sighs

[@thillwl]

I've had 2. Great bass!

[@Dante_Eydel]

Johan, you're amazing, whenever Im like: " I wonder how that sounds" I look it up and theres always a video from you, demonstating it at near perfection.

[@gaoldias]

I like them both. I wish Gibson/Epiphone would re-issue these.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Andrew Galloway Thanks Andrew! I agree. They did reissue a P-bass pickups equipped version though.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

Louis Johnson played a Grabber!

[@neepheid]

Great playing. I preferred the sound of the Ripper to the Grabber, just seemed like it had a bit more depth and character to the sound, Grabber seemed a bit more subdued to my ears. My 1975 Ripper is in the process of being restored, and hearing you playing yours didn't help me be any less impatient ;)

[@AscarinVin]

I always get angy how underrated those basses are.. XD a friend tried one.. one of the best bass sounds I have ever heard

[@JohanSegeborn]

AscarinVin Yeah, they're though of as hard rock basses, since Kiss and Nirvana etc used them. Cheers

[@mnmmmmmm]

Johan, I must say you have one the best channels in KZbin and that I' ve learned a lot from your videos. Also a die hard Kiss fun! It doesn't get any better! Rock on

[@JohanSegeborn]

mnmmmmmm Thanks, Very glad to hear that! And always glad to hear from a fellow Kiss fan. Cheers Johan

[@peterbeulke8082]

Very good love these videos

[@athanasiospatsiourassakiba3269]

Really good review and it was great that you played the same riff on both to compare the nuances in tone. I prefer the Grabber. But like the sound of both. I think with some EQing, you can achieve many classic voicings of pick-ups. In certain parts, The Grabber sounded like a stingray. Great content.

[@Cap683]

I had a tobacco burst Ripper in the 1970s. The #3 position ( both pickups wired in parallel with the presence control rolled back) gave a big open sound. The problem with my Ripper was that the basically fell apart over time.

[@Owenwithee]

Both sound pretty great, bolt on neck vs set neck, 1 vs 2 pickups, hotter output has be leaning toward the Ripper, but I sure do like the look of the grabber's headstock!

[@JohanSegeborn]

+eric anderson Thanks Eric :-)

[@Owenwithee]

It's interesting, there's another dude on youtube who swears that the Grabber G3 is a far superior bass because it has a bolt on neck, that the era of bolt on necks are among the best of the Gibson output. This runs counter to me gut instinct, I'd be curious to know if anyone else shares this sentiment.

[@JohanSegeborn]

+eric anderson It's two different sounds, so it's a matter of personal preference I think.

[@JimMartiataka]

I love your vids man!! Cheers from Brazil.

[@JohanSegeborn]

+Thiago Salomão Thanks Thiago! Really glad to hear that. Cheers from Sweden!

[@erikcmw]

to vendendo meu ripper aqui no Brasil! R$5500 1979

[@MaggaraMarine]

I preferred Grabber.

[@DaCostaGuitars]

The ripper bass is by far my favourite out of both. Tone wise and just feels better to play as well (i plan on building my own in the future since i just finished building a grabber inspired bass). Underrated basses of their time, but they've had much success and still continue to exceed in a variety of styles. Great demonstration!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! So what kinda of pickups are you using on the Grabber inspired bass? Cheers

[@DaCostaGuitars]

Johan Segeborn I used an Eb-O type pickup. It sounds okay, but even in the grabber position (i've made it slide as well), it still lacks the attack i'm used to having with my other basses (precision bass, thunderbird) Later on, i might swap the pickup out for something hotter output.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, the Mudbucker :-) super cool and fat, but attack? Not so much ;) cheers

[@DaCostaGuitars]

Johan Segeborn Indeed, luckly with a little bit of distortion, and boosting the mids nad treble to have the gain squeal, it sounds good. Too bad i have to raise my amps volume to 12 o clock with it where as my other basses i can leave the volume at 9 o clock and it'll be as loud.

[@zyxwfish]

Love the ripper! ❤

[@pecavallo]

Do you remember the strings you used for this video? Nice comparison! I really enjoyed it. My only complaint is the Grabber volume seems to be a little lower than the Ripper's. Not a big deal.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Pablo Cavallo Thanks, the Grabber had GHS strings and the Ripper had kind of strings from the 70s, quite numb. Cheers

[@pecavallo]

Thanks Johan.

[@Reinemachefrau]

I totally agree about the Grabber. It sounds like a P Bass but there was a hard edge to the attack with slightly less "woolliness". Are they very rare these days?

[@johnnys2096]

Reinemachefrau Not really. One would think but if shopping online you can find it easily.

[@keef-baker]

They're both great basses, for the funky demo you did there the ripper suited better but for a classic rock vibe the grabber would have it IMO. Both sound great in their own way though,

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Keith!

[@timhorton7399]

I'm another one who is surprised at the sound of these Gibsons! It doesn't get much more funky than that. I don't see many of these older basses around (at least not in my area) or I would pick one up. I prefer the sound of the single pickup just because it has that p-bass sound. (I have an '83 p-bass) Have you had the chance to play or review the Grabber G-3? I think that's what they call it and it has 3 single coils and a Strat-like selector switch. Great review...I'm happy I subscribed! Yea Johan!

[@JohanSegeborn]

mike Walker Hi Mike, I actually played a G3 for a number of years in 1980s. Great bass too, even more like the jazz bass. ELO Out of the Blue is a G3! Cheers

[@realdavidii]

Ripper for me

[@DavidLee-xi2we]

wow! I love them also! Are you in Sweden? Norway? Denmark?

[@JohanSegeborn]

+David Lee Thanks David! I'm in Sweden!

[@tellarjj]

Pretty good sound with Gibson i have The Ripper Model 1974 one of the best bass i get !...

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, a great bass for all styles, Cheers Johan

[@tellarjj]

Johan Segeborn Thanks, yes indeed, i buy my Bass Gibson Ripper in Scandinavia on Tour 1975 !...

[@JohanSegeborn]

tellarjj Cool, did you play in Gothenburg?

[@tellarjj]

Johan Segeborn Sorry not, but just in Stockholm, i have a girlfriend in Uppsala it was a very nice time, and we was often working in Norway and Danmark !...

[@JohanSegeborn]

tellarjj What kind of music do you play?

[@Jjosh1358]

A combination of the 2 would be fun. 2 pickups and exten the sliding area all the way from bridge tp neck

[@sterioapple]

I dont know about the Grabber but I had a '75 Ripper. You can get way more sounds out of em than just that.

[@nicolaiisaakstubbrud4840]

Have you tried the G3? In my opinion the best of the 70's Gibsons.

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Hey can you please give me some information about the gibson grabber

[@JohanSegeborn]

Josh Barnes Hi Josh, what do you wanna know?

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Johan Segeborn I would like to know the weight of it how comfortable does it feel while playing it and what do you think it's worth

[@JohanSegeborn]

Josh Barnes This one weighed between 3.5 and 4 kilos and it played very well. The worth? Between 1-2000 dolllars in Sweden.

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Johan Segeborn do you think it's better than a fender precision bass

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Johan Segeborn is it also lightweight

[@Tim.Pierce]

the Ripper for me! Ripper is slightly more bassy and has more punch and oomph than the grabber.. I loved the Ripper since I watched the late Rick Danko of The Band play one on a couple shows in Toronto in mid 90's and you can see Rick use it on their concert film The Last Waltz

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah! And he used the earlier wider bodied version too. A great band and a great film. Cheers

[@Tim.Pierce]

Johan Segeborn Rick used different basses in many occasions one we all know was the blonde Ripper which I was mistaken he used it in the film but that other bass you see in film was a strange looking black Ampeg bass with red trim around the f- holes. he used a variety of different instruments and basses its hard to keep track of them all as he was a multi-instrumentalist with guitars basses drums keyboards etc.... I seen him live on 3 shows 2 with The Band and 1 was an acoustic duet with Levon at a coffeehouse in Toronto He was a master and jack of all trades and a great musician and awesome funny guy can't believe he's gone man shit one of a kind son of a gun!

[@flyxator]

your vids are always nice to watch, thanx! Me, I liked the Ripper more, sounded funkier! :)

[@JohanSegeborn]

flyxator Thanks :-) Good to hear!

[@Indiecovers1985]

Kevin Mooney played a Gibson ripper bass in adam and the ants

[@MarkMurcielago]

I LIKE THE GRABBER BETTER

[@JohanSegeborn]

MarkMurcielago Murcielago? Is that your name? Coolest name ever then! Cheers Johan

[@damirzlatkic8134]

As much as i love these basses and their design only the grabber g3 stands out as unique to me in terms of tone.

[@dundaravewine2390]

I am mesmerized by the blue picture behind your head - what is that?

[@buibuibuiestudio5561]

I honestly prefer the sound of the ripper but like the look of the grabber. Grabber would be perfect with the ripper sound and a THIC neck

[@paolozak3014]

Yes they do sound good, but to me the most amazing sounding is the Grabber G3

[@H_Oscarsson]

Hej Johan! Jag har en Grabber med sliden, men utan någon som helst elektronik eller pickup. Har du några förslag på vad jag skulle kunna använda för elektronik och pickup för att få en fungerande bas igen?

[@JohanSegeborn]

+Henric Oscarsson Tjena Henrik, jag vet att Ripper och T-bird har replacement pickups hos bla Seymour Duncan, men de är humbuckers till skillnad från single coil micken i grabbern. Annars är det Ebay för en orginal grabber single coil. Jag hade satt i en T-bird mic om dimensionerna stämmer. Johan

[@H_Oscarsson]

Hej Johan! Då ska jag kolla vad Seymour Duncan har att erbjuda. Har kollat ebay utan någon större lycka. Tack för hjälpen!

[@psychorock83]

i think a comparison video between Gibson ripper 75 alder body, vs your 74 maple body, or even better gibson ripper Ebony fingerboard vs your 74 ripper bass maple fingerboard

[@malo1291]

mind blown

[@themanesmusic]

Hello, I am building, making, mi own grabber but, where can i get a pick up for a grabber?? thank you.

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Whats the difference between active and passive pickups

[@xanderrose8114]

Wish I could have the Grabber's slimmed body with the Ripper's electronics and string thru body bridge but as it stands... I'd take the Ripper.

[@JohanSegeborn]

+Xander Rose I they both got the smaller body in 75

[@davo5281]

Grabber rules!!!

[@GreetTheSacredCow]

I think I like the Grabber's sound slightly more, but I'm not a fan of that style of headstock. The Ripper wins overall due to great sound and also aesthetics.

[@JohanSegeborn]

+GreetTheSacredCow Cheers!

[@hughes2397]

I always liked the Ripper. I never liked the pointy headstock on the Grabber, and it's tone isn't as good as the Ripper. But, that's just my opinion.

[@moogibeans9822]

The grabber sounds better. Which is a shame, as the ripper looks so much cooler :(

[@HerySrBeard]

Ripper!

[@MrTartlet]

Great demo! Both basses are bitchin'! I didn't even know Gibson did awesome basses like this. PS: I think it's OK to refer to "two pickups in parallel" as "middle position", as most people who play electric instruments understand what that means.

[@JohanSegeborn]

AnalRectum Thanks! I was surprised cause I've always only considered these basses "hardrock" basses, amd they're a whole lot more versatile than that! Cheers

[@joseantoniomenendezmartin1150]

Johan Segeborn A very sweet and nice sound. Excelent player .

[@psychorock83]

I prefer Ripper and in my opinion ripper with ebony fingerboard and maple body is the best...

[@sonijam]

I like the Ripper better.

[@tejanochris]

My cousin gave me a grabber. Restoring it.

[@ameer_saban]

You remind me so much of Christoph Waltz!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Ameer Saban Thanks Ameer, one of my favourite actors!

[@blop1738]

What a funky song! What's its name? 1:08

[@JohanSegeborn]

+vinnie dolly Thanks Vinnie, that's one of mine! :-)

[@blop1738]

wow, gorgeous! I thought that was kind of Jamiroquai like or something else famous song. Real beautiful riff!

[@JohanSegeborn]

+vinnie dolly Thanks :-)

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Between the grabber and the ripper which do you like better

[@JohanSegeborn]

Josh Barnes Hi Josh, I liked them both very much but the Ripper has a great deal more attack since it has a pickup closer to the bridge and thats important to my style of playing. Cheers Johan

[@joshuabarnes7543]

What is your favorite settings on the ripper

[@JohanSegeborn]

-

[@JohanSegeborn]

Josh Barnes Hi, Position 1: series, in phase and all knobs set on 10. Cheers

[@joshuabarnes7543]

Out of all the gibson basses you have what is the favorite out of them all

[@bosegeborn9280]

I prefer the Ripper for a more santanalike body - more dominant bass,more fun!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Bo Segeborn Yeah, Aqua Marine! A favourite bass track. :-)

[@HollowDesert]

krist novoselic played a ripper, and sometimes a tb

[@gasoil666]

+James Kaznica + Gibson RD and Gibson Victory(rare)!

[@CTjacob13]

+James Kaznica Krist used 3-4 Ibanez Black Eagel, 4 Rippers, 2 RD Artists, 2 Thunderbirds, and a RD Standard in Brazil during the festival circuit they did in 1993. He also used an Ibanez Roadster before Nirvana got big.

[@erikcmw]

all nevermind was recorded with a natural ripper!

[@Binbonbunn]

Think I'm more of a grabber guy

[@kennyblackbird5674]

Your tone and playing is top notch but Gibson bases sound like farts. Fender👍

[@austinsmith2796]

I do not believe that ripper is 74. Its definitely a 76-78. The pickgaurd on the ripper would be all black with no white if it were a 74-75. The BWB pickgaurd came out in 76-78

[@JohanSegeborn]

The pickguard is changed. From 75 and onwards they switched to the narrower body, so this is actually a 74

[@BD-me4nk]

I liked the Gibson better. 😄

[@krzysztofjaworski1378]

Ripper is not jazz bass sound, jazz bass sound is gibson g3 in the upper position, only ...!!!

[@pattonPwr]

ripper > grabber

[@antoniocognato5023]

gene simmons from kiss use this from 174---1975

[@JohanSegeborn]

Antonio Cognato Indeed he did :-) Both of em. But mostly the Grabber. Cheers!

[@rolandedrummer9723]

Gene Simmons