NBD: Epiphone Grabber in Black!

[cetera]

I switched on eBay on Sunday night to check my saved searches...... and I couldn't believe my luck..... A mint condition, 2024 Epiphone Grabber, with it's soft case, had just been listed at £499 Buy It Now with free shipping! An 'excellent feedback' seller too!

 

I really wanted one of these when they were released, but there was no way I was gonna spend £900+ on an Epiphone so, when I saw this, it was a no-brainer!

 

It arrived today, exactly as described..... and I'm thrilled 😎

 

Edited Wednesday at 13:46 by cetera

[cetera]

Just given it a half hour run out through my rig.....

This thing sounds MONSTROUS! Quite a revelation....!

I think it just could be my best sounding passive bass 🤯

[Lozz196]

Certainly looks great

[Grahambythesea]

Does it weigh a ton like the Gibson version?

[bigthumb]

That's a great buy! 😎

[cetera]

16 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

Does it weigh a ton like the Gibson version?

No, not too bad at all.... and has a lovely feel to the neck!

[ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

Wasn't the thing with the Grabber, the moveable pickup? I assume this isn't? 

 

If I saw one at a good price, I'd snap this up though. They still sound great even without the gimmick. 

Edited Wednesday at 18:28 by ProjeKtWEREWOLF

[cetera]

That's where the name came from, yes. Epiphone have replaced it with a very effective humbucker/single coil switch which gives a great range of tones.

Edited Wednesday at 19:45 by cetera

[PinkMohawk]

Not sure if you've seen it, but Kurtis Novak is offering his own reproduction of the sliding plate, and he's said that he'd be willing to route for a different pickup as well, if you wanted to get some Grabber-ness on one of these new ones. 

[neepheid]

5 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Does it weigh a ton like the Gibson version?

 

That's not a universal fact - some had alder bodies which were a whole lot lighter than the maple ones...

[Grahambythesea]

The reappearance of the Grabber from the Epiphone stable has apparently inspired the “Chibson” makers. There are now several Grabber clones on eBay advertised coming from a Chinese workshop.

[Jonesy]

Wow, that's a great buy! Had a go on one in the Gibson garage the other day and was very impressed, it sounded huge and was a lot of fun to play. Happy NBD!

[BassAgent]

I wrote a review on that bass a while back and was very impressed by the quality. Enjoy that great bass!

[JJMotown]

48 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

I wrote a review on that bass a while back and was very impressed by the quality. Enjoy that great bass!

Interesting, every review I've seen, and I've seen a fair few all say how bad this bass is, and to avoid. Is on most reviewers worst basses of 2024 list.

[cetera]

23 minutes ago, JJMotown said:

Interesting, every review I've seen, and I've seen a fair few all say how bad this bass is, and to avoid. Is on most reviewers worst basses of 2024 list.

Interesting, every review I've seen, and I've seen a fair few all say how great this bass i, with the ONLY concerns being the lack of sliding pickup, the shaping of the pickguard (don't notice it on the black tbh) and the price.

 

Your use of the word 'most' is interesting too. Most that you've seen, or most of ALL the reviews out there. I'm guessing you've clicked on a couple of youtube nobodies..... 

Edited Thursday at 15:20 by cetera

[neepheid]

5 minutes ago, JJMotown said:

Interesting, every review I've seen, and I've seen a fair few all say how bad this bass is, and to avoid. Is on most reviewers worst basses of 2024 list.

 

Beware the hype (or anti-hype) machine.  Most of them will be grizzling about the lack of moveable pickup, or the price, I reckon.

 

EDIT: SNAP! (kinda)

Edited Thursday at 14:59 by neepheid

[PinkMohawk]

I am, for better or worse, one of those haters of this new 're-issue' of the Grabber. I'm sure that, as its own thing, taken without considering where the Grabber started, it's a very good bass. For me though, there are too many little issues that get in the way for me to truly want this bass.

 

For one, I think the price is a joke. £900+ for something like this is just asking far too much, not when the hardware specs are what they are. The pickguard/body misalignment is an infuriating little visual detail that just really puts me off as well.

 

The lack of sliding pickup, especially at this pricepoint is a joke. If Kurtis Novak can be selling his own crack at the sliding plate for 50 bucks, I don't see any excuse for Epiphone to not have including their own shot at the sliding mechanism. It's not like we're talking about a hugely complex system of gears and pulleys, it's a sliding bit of plastic with a swimming pool route. Not exactly rocket surgery. 

 

I'd like to give one of these a go, but I don't think Epiphone will ever be seeing my cash for one, not unless they hire someone who's actually looked at an original Grabber first. 

[neepheid]

Nice score!  I think this is a good bass for £499.  They're frankly taking the piddle at north of £900 new though.

 

It's easy to point at the fixed pickup.  If it sounds good to me, I could have overlooked it because if I remember correctly, it was more of a gimmick than anything else on the original Grabber (ie. didn't do a lot to the tone whether it was forward or back).  Maybe as a former Gibson G-3 and Ripper owner I'm a bit pickier than some, but for me the main concern for me is the shape of the pickguard.  It's less obvious on the black one, but the way it doesn't follow the edge of the body is criminal to me, particularly galling as they've managed to do it better in the past with previous Grabber/G-3/Ripper shaped confections...

 

 

So they do a bang up job of the body shape and the headstock, then fluff their lines with the pickguard (specifically the area where the controls are)?  I just can't see past it, it would irritate the devil out of me at any price point (especially £900+) but like I said, as a former owner of cousins of these basses, I'm perhaps more picky than some.

Sounds like you're enjoying your newest acquisition though, so I'm chuffed for you and I don't want to yuck your yum too much.  Keep on enjoying it and to hell with what anyone else (especially this grizzled grump) has to say about it!

[ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

Insane price for a new Epiphone, but at least than £500, I'd have one. 

[BassAgent]

1 hour ago, JJMotown said:

Interesting, every review I've seen, and I've seen a fair few all say how bad this bass is, and to avoid. Is on most reviewers worst basses of 2024 list.

That's because it's not a "true" Grabber. I've tried to ignore that standpoint and just look at the bass as is.

[JJMotown]

3 hours ago, cetera said:

 

Your use of the word 'most' is interesting too. Most that you've seen, or most of ALL the reviews out there. 

Seemed I've touched a nerve!

 

Obviously most I've seen, course I've not seen all the reviews out there. Some apparently think it's OK. I'd stay way clear.

[cetera]

14 hours ago, JJMotown said:

Seemed I've touched a nerve!

 

Obviously most I've seen, course I've not seen all the reviews out there. Some apparently think it's OK. I'd stay way clear.

Not really.

I just prefer to go with my 40+ years bass playing experience.... and actually trying a bass out, rather than the opinion of an opportunistic youtuber, but hey-ho.....

[Rich]

Please stick to the topic subject. If you want to write about a completely different instrument, start a thread of your own. 

[cetera]

7 minutes ago, Rich said:

Please stick to the topic subject. If you want to write about a completely different instrument, start a thread of your own. 

Context?
I'm presuming this refers to the now deleted post that some bloke put up about his Tobias?

[Rich]

Correct.