Ser# 72269036
GB-3 Version with 3 pickups 

This Bass was made at the
Kalamazoo Plant, MI, USA
on August 14th, 1979
Production Number: 36

The Gibson Grabber bass, sometimes known as the G1, was a real departure for Gibson in the early 1970s. Along with its sister instruments the G-3 and the Ripper, it brought some new ideas to the Gibson stable, and in the second half of the 1970s these models became Gibson's best selling basses. The bass itself was designed by Bruce Bolen and Edward Klein. Between the years 1973 and 1979, some 6800 Gibson Grabber bass guitars shipped from the Kalamazoo plant, in Michigan, USA . The final price list inclusion for this model was in January 1980. Shipping figures beyond this point are not available, but small numbers of Grabber basses were completed in 1982 and 1984. It is highly unlikely the total number shipped exceeded 7000 instruments. .

All of the different Gibson Grabber specifications

The early to mid 1970s were tough times for Gibson. Norlin had rescued Gibson in December 1969, and the struggling company really had to make some big changes in order to survive. America was in recession in 1970, and again in 1973-75; Japanese guitar imports had vastly improved in quality, and were directly copying Gibson's own products, often down to the smallest detail. And on top of this, the public seemed to prefer Fender basses. All of this had to be taken into account with the design of the next Gibson bass. Grabber basses had to be easy to produce, highly functional and with a price point in line the Fender Precision.

Gibson Grabber bass construction

As well as a new body shape and Flying V headstock shape, the Grabber was the first bolt-on neck Gibson bass. The model got it's name from the innovative 'sliding pickup' which allowed manual positioning (see images below); you literally 'grab' the pickup, and slide it where you want it. Towards the bridge for maximum treble response, and towards the neck for maximum bass. This was not a completely new idea; basses by Alembic and Dan Armstrong had previously fitted pickups on rails to produce a similar effect. The bolt on maple neck was more in Fender's tradition of building guitars, and this construction has a big impact tonally; the Grabber has a much brighter, more Fender-like tone than most Gibson basses.