Headstock repairs Not seen many with one. These maple/alder basses sold well in the mid to late seventies. Despite looking broadly similar, the construction and components of these three Gibson basses are quite different, and each has its own distinctive tones. The Grabber has the sliding soapbar style pup, which can offer a P-bass type sound close to the neck, or it's own kidna thinda thing at the bridge. Three Gibson bass guitars from the Norlin period: 1978 Gibson Ripper, 1978 Gibson G-3, 1977 Gibson Grabber. The are incredibly innovative with the sliding pick up that can be moved into your exact desired position whether close to the neck for a bassier sound or closer to the bridge for more treble and attack. If you have a versaitile amp, you have a versaitile Grabber. The Gibson Grabber is a legendary bass from the 1970’s with an incredible sound, looks and playability. Having said this, there are a lot worse guitars out there, and as well as being historically important, the 1820 bass can certainly provide the goods when required. With a good amp, you can get an awesome tone from this bad boy. Over the course of the 70s, the Japanese output improved dramatically, and in many ways these early 70s models are a low point for the brand. Introduced in 1975 as a companion to the Gibson Grabber, the G-3 (which stands for Grabber 3) introduced a new pickup scheme to the already established body style. These new Epiphones were based on existing Matsumoku guitars, sharing body shapes, and hardware, but the Epiphone line was somewhat upgraded, with inlaid logos and a 2x2 peghead configuration. The Gibson G-3 was a bass guitar by Gibson building on the design of the Gibson Grabber. The Matsumoku factory had been producing guitars for export for some time, but the 1820 bass (alongside a number of guitar models and the 5120 electric acoustic bass) were the first Epiphone models to be made there. By the end of the 1960s, a decision had been made to move Epiphone guitar production from the USA (at the Kalamazoo plant where Gibson guitars were made), to Matsumoto in Japan, creating a line of guitars and basses significantly less expensive than the USA-built models (actually less than half the price).