Ibanez GSR200BWNF GIO Review

★★★★★★★★★★

“Ibanez is one of the best companies out there this is a really great Bass guitar, usually when I buy instruments online I have to bring them to my luthier so he could adjust them, fix them ,and file the frets down and put new strings on, you don't need to do that with this one everything is perfect right out of the box just like they said in the description this is a really great Bass I'm having a lot of fun playing it.The action on it is really good it plays great it's easy to play I'm having a lot of fun with this bass”

★★★★★★★★★★

“This came with a tag indicating that it had been inspected and setup at the factory. But, shipping and handling must have had an effect on it (and/or they weren't careful at the factory) since it had multiple setup issues:- Neck curvature was incorrect (not concave enough)- E string bridge position was too low (and other strings were slightly uneven)The manual shows you how to fix the neck curvature and the tool is included in the box. The manual didn't say how to adjust the bridge, but it was pretty easy once I found some documentation online: insert a small allen wrench into the holes on both sides of where the string enters the bridge area. Once I fixed those two issues and did basic tuning (strings were about a minor third too loose for EADG tuning), it played great! I like that it's a bit lighter than my other bass (Squier vintage PJ) and has a flatter, slightly slimmer neck. I also like that the neck back is a smooth satin finish (vs. a sticky high-gloss finish on my Squier).Conclusion: I strongly recommend that you have an allen wrench set (w/ options around 2mm for the bridge) and a feeler gauge in order to perform setup when you get your instrument. The manual tells you proper string heights.Electronics and knobs seem fine. There is one knob that mostly stops, but you can push it a bit further. But, generally, the knobs respond as described according to the diagram at ibanez.com and changes are continuous as you'd expect.While getting the bass set up, I noticed some buzz coming out of my amp (Rumble 40). I was worried about electronics quality, but tracked the problem down to overhead lighting in the room that was on a dimmer circuit. Once I turned off those lights, the buzz went away and I got a very clean sound.I had played this model before and noticed that it was easier to play than my Squier. That's still the case. Only two things left to decide are (1) whether to put on flatwounds, and (2) what to do with my Squier :)”

★★★★★★★★★★

“great bass. well it has it's limitations. I'm a guitar player so for what it's worth. well made. intonation is good. the action, distance the strings are from the frets, is good. good sound. I would recommend for the beginner and intermediate. I ended up putting flat wound strings on mine and Seymour duncan pick ups in it just for an upgrade. I play in a band and wanted a beefier sound. but overall it's great. I would highly recommend it. good value for the money.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“Quite a nice looking instrument. When mine arrived it was untuneable much less playable. There was a back bow to the neck that offered no relief at the frets to most of the way up the neck.Once I adjusted the truss rod, I was able to tune up to a starting point at which time I readjusted until it tuned and played fine. I don't know if it was the weather it went through on it's way to me or it was just horribly setup at the factory.This is my first bass guitar. I've been playing guitar for a long, long time and just couldn't resist getting this bass at the price it was listed at. As I expected there is going to be quite an adjustment to my playing as the lower frets are so far apart and so are the strings but I'm having fun discovering what it's like to play bass. I think for the beginner bass player who doesn't have guitar experience this is a great bass to start with. I find myself looking for the missing strings, especially that third jump between G and B, LOL. Playing guitar for so long has crippled me so far but as I said, I'm having fun. The active equalization really boosts the bass which is welcome considering I crank the treble and midrange up all the way on my amp and mostly keep the tone on the bass all the way up as well. My ear has trouble discerning the really low notes and cranking the tone and treble/midrange on the amp helps quite a bit. I was toying with the idea of trying flatwounds or just new quality strings to see what differences that might make but, overall I can't really fault the instrument as I'm probably the biggest problem the bass itself has.As a side note - my bass didn't come with any adjustment tools. I had a set of metric allen keys so no big deal, but you might want to get a set of your own just in case this is normal for Ibanez.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“If you told me 20+ years ago you could get an instrument this good for $250 I would have laughed at you. It's probably not the best bass on the market but as a guitar player of over 20 years, it plays fine and sounds good enough. All it needed out of the box was intonation, pickup height and adjust the action. Frets feel great and was comfortable enough to play that the only reason I stopped was my fingers started to blister. I do not like the factory strings, I have a set of super slinkies that are supposed to arrive tomorrow and it should be good to go. The quality control on this sub $300 bass is better than the $1,400 LTD I bought and returned a couple of years ago. Highly recommend for anyone that is looking for a decent bass without breaking the bank. If it's your first bass, it's going to be great. If you just need "a bass" this is a great option.”