All user reviews for the Ibanez Gio GSR205

paid 199 pounds from merchant city music

this thing grows on you,build quality is excellent the metalware is great,and you will hear the neck is great >> its more its blissfull to play,the phat system and the range of dull thud to tin metal tones is covering all timbres the finish is top class i say this having tried,tested inspected may basses in this price range >> get one !!you will not part with it

just a couple niggles
1) the battery cover should be quick releas not have to use a screwdriver
2)i had a faulty volume pot,when i inspected the soldering joints they were badly done, Indonesians need to be trained better,it was amature
3)with a low B string the set up has to be exact i made several changes
probably needs a pickguard but>>>
its a hell of a bass for the money

very well made electrics could be better installed,the fretts and neck are top class,the saddle is also nice,the sustain is awsome

can hold its own with much more expensive models,i love this bass,just try one, i will get a 4 string soon but this is # 1 for me

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Local music shop, Socodi Music, Canterbury, England, i payed £230

It has served me well, i really wanted to learn how to play a five string bass, and so i got one, and believe it or not i prefered it to a four string by a mile. It been excellent for learning on. I dont know what all this fuss is about the strings being to close to play slap on, i think its just great! much easier than on a broader neck.

Now that i'be been playing for a while the bass has become a limitation, but then again it wasnt the most expencive thing so i did expect that, after having found the same thing with cheep guitars. Its passive pickups and circuits mean that i can create all the sounds i want, and the strings go out of tune all the time!

Not exactly brilliant, but then again i want to by a warwick, stuff like the amount of wood chippings that fell out when i opened it, and the fact that the stlap buttons kept falling off.

A good learner bass, but expect to buy a better one if you want to get better

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i purchased this bad boy from a local friend for $200!!! it was a steal! this is by far the best bass i have ever played, very easy to play fast neck for a 5 string nice and evenly proportioned not heavy, perfect for the intermediate bassist who is interested in playing 5 string. action set almost perfect for my likings.

easy to play, great over all instrument, cool finish, good hardware excellent construction, great tones over all GREAT bass

pickups have some buzz in them when not adjusted right

this thing is great, very well built i compare this to some of the higher end G&L's that i have played with quality and playability

great bass, highly recomended for ANY one looking to get a quality 5 string

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

5-string bass Ibanez home.

Indonesian manufacturing, so cheap anyway

The bridge, I do not know the exact name ... It is a model of B15 in Ibanez what? All I can say is that it is fixed and it can be adjusted easily visible
22 boxes, all relatively accessible enough.

I do not know the type of microphone is on them, but first see what are simple and are in number 2! Easel (DXS-2 PU), a handle (DXS-1 PU).

At the violin itself:
Body: Agathis (a cheap wood that is visibly on the entry level stuff)
neck: maple (the handle is screwed. GSR5 Ibanez is a handle)
fingerboard: rosewood

The knobs: one volume for each pickup, 1 tone and a "Phat II EQ". There is no selector.
The volume is quite easy to understand, the tone too.
For phat II is like the name suggests, half a mini equalizer: it tends to reinforce the bass and spitefully a bit the treble: it allows a very powerful slap or a gloss of his rather interesting .
There is a chart on the Ibanez site:
http://resources.ibanez.com/resourceservicehost/images/Ibanez/web/frequency/zoom/PHATII.jpg

Mechanics, I do not know their characteristics, however they are quite nice, the strings do not go out of tune quickly and do not alter the mechanics over time. It's been five good years that I have this bass, I had absolutely no problems (corrosion, mechanical jams ...).

Basically, good features, but it's still a good 5 string entry level, so in the woods we feel that it is not the highest quality! Especially for the body in fact: one feels that he is very light. But in this price range, that's fine. The finishes are also very good, no complaints. It's a pretty low overall.
7 / 10 for quality wood relatively average, but is consistent with this range.

Note: apparently this model is not really the Ibanez catalog, and is found in a catalog of 2005 (see technical data in the "Info"), but the model GSR205 Ibanez on the site is obviously a again (with the big difference visible microphones).


UTILIZATION

Although it is a 5 string, the handle is quite accessible. It is quite late, and not very wide (in a good way). Result: it is fast enough
Be careful though: compared to a 4-string, the strings are closer together, which can be quite disturbing for the regulars. In my case I have not had this problem since it's my first bass ...

Important note about the race: absolutely no frisouille on any of the boxes!

The overall shape is quite pleasing to the eye, nothing extravagant or special, however.

The bass is well balanced: either standing or sitting, it does not lean one way or another, it's really nice.

The weight is very reasonable, probably also because the woods are entry level. Anyway this point it's still an advantage. I have not weighed, I would do on occasion.

Access to acute is really easy, you go to the 22nd box without problems, including the strings.

The range of sounds available is quite easy to get, just play around with the knobs

SOUNDS

I have so far no real style of music "to me", even though I am much access Rock (and a chouillas Metal). This bass is perfect.

Like I said, the palette of sounds that can be obtained is very wide, and the famous phat II helps a lot.
You can have a sound very muffled, with a fairly short sustain, or its very heavy, though flashy, with a very long sustain.
It is quite easy to get a powerful slap, which deposit really: D
For my part I was not expecting better. The quality / price ratio at this level is beyond reproach.

I put 10 / 10 because even though it is an entry level (and eventually it sounds as such), the price / quality ratio is unbeatable in this range.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 5 years.
I have not tried many models before, just the bass of friends. I just fell "in love" with this bass on vacation in Florence, passing by a music store. I made the mistake of going to try it, and I'm left with!
The characteristic I like most: very neat finish for this type of model and its wide range.
The characteristic I like least: since it is necessary to quote one, I would say the average quality wood. But at 250th, what else can we claim for? A good violin is expensive ... Go 9 / 10 for that

With experience, I would do without hesitation that choice in this price range anyway. I also recommend to anyone wanting to start the 5-string bass!