Ibanez GSR-200

[gaslight]

Subject: Ibanez GSR-200
Price: $595 Australian.
Features:

Agathis body, rosewood neck.

23 playable frets, medium frets, 19 mm string spacing.

P & J pickup configuration, passive.

Controls; neck pick-up volume, bridge pick-up volume, tone.

Flexibility: Personally I'd call this a very flexible bass. I have owned one for 3 and a half years now and have not felt a need to buy a new bass other than in terms of wanting better a bass with an active system and more powerful EQ. I have played everything on this, from jazz to metal to slap and funk and punk, and it can do all of that without problems. Coupled with a good amp, this a very flexible bass.

I give this bass;

||||

(4.5/5)

And make additional comments as follows; The neck of the bass is very comfortable and playable, with a light body that is well shaped for comfort in playing standing up or sitting down. The bass is also very solid and can take a bit of damage; I've dropped mine twice on a concrete floor and while the body was chipped badly the bass suffers no loss in sound.

My main problem with the bass has been the straplocks, I have experienced problems with the strap slipping off them pretty regularly, which is what led on both occassions to the bass dropping on the floor. This can of course be remedied by replacing them with your own straplocks or being a good catch.

I also experienced minor problems with the wiring, the guy at the music workship I go to called it "the worst wiring job he'd ever seen" but he was able to fix it back up in no time and I have had no problems of the kind since. I would expect that to be an isolated incident.

All things considered, this isn't a top of the line bass, but you get 150% value for money in your purchase. This is the ideal bass for starters or intermediate players, or anyone who wants a reliable bass in their collection. I can tell you that personally I will not be getting rid of this bass, even when I buy a new one in a year or so. The worst thing that could happen to it is that I would raise the action and use it as a practice bass.

That's about all I can say for it, good sound, great feel, good lookin'. Oh, also an easy bass to keep in good condition. Responds well to rose oil for the fretboard and brass polish on the frets.

ALSO ATTACHED: picture of GSR200.

EDIT: Apparently not. Oh well ...

[The JoZ]

I'm glad to see this bass getting reviewed....for what it is, it's a superb bass...

I hope to own a whole line of Ibanez basses someday...I want another four, a five and a six from them after I get a ton of money...but I will still keep my GSR around because there's nothing bad about it...

After playing around with a Cort Curbow's EQ, I do wish the GSR had more to offer in that department...but I really shape my tone more with my amp and my BP200 anyway

I love the body design on this bass, because it's perfect for sitting down to jam (the Curbow is not thanks to the deep cutaway) and it's easy to play with a pick, at least the way I do it (another strike for the Curbow...)

I think the 4.5 rating is good...this is not a PERFECT bass by any means, but you get a ton of bang for what little buck you put into it

[ImJustThePianist]

thanx guys.

i asked for reviews of this bass, and i got more positive comments about it, which is pretty much all i've heard - good remarks.

Im a complete beginner - do you think this would be better than the Peavey Milestone 3 ???

[The JoZ]

I know nothing about the Peavey, but I don't think it matters...the GSR is a great bass for anyone, really

I mean, if you've got thousands of dollars to spend on a bass I wouldn't really tell you to buy this...but I'm going to assume you don't, so

If you get this bass, you will not regret it

[<3<3<3]

This was my first bass. I think that it is pretty good. The only thing that happend to me was that the bottom strap holder fell off, and I heard somewhere that that happend to other people too, but that's about the only thing, and it may have just been my bass.

[TakeThePowerBack]

That was my first bass, but it buzzed and rattled a lot on some of the frets, and just wasn't right for me. I sold it to go toward my Peavey Grind BXP and I like it a lot more. The GSR 200 is a very nice bass, but like i said, wasn't for me. I liked it except for the buzz. I even had it adjusted and it still did. I think it was probably just mine though. One thing i liked about it, is that it had a nice, thin neck.

[ImJustThePianist]

yup - i dont have much money to spend, and im torn between the Ibanez and Peavey.
I've gotten pretty much just good reviews of both, so Im still not sure which one to get

I also had some problems with the wiring of my GSR200 as well, it essentially had to do with the wires twisting inside the body and breaking from repeated use, the guy at The Guitar Center just soldered it back together for me for free. The only hard part about that whole job was actually getting the panel off of the back, they were somehow able to fit a panel that was too big for the hole on the back of my bass.

Other than that I've had no problem, maybe I'll get a new amp to see what my bass is really capable of. If I do buy a new bass I'll probably buy another Ibanez, the GSR200 has definetly left a good impression on me.

[The JoZ]

In the 1.5 years I've had mine...I've had none of those problems...I admit I do get a little fretbuzz at times, but I could probably adjust the action and get rid of it...I'm lazy and such, so I don't...it's not enough to warrant a problem for me...you guys may have gotten basses that weren't perfect when you left the store, so

I still give 200% behind the Ibanez...

[Low_End_Communications]

The five string version (GSR205) is also a good value. The string spacing is tight, really tight. It's not good for slap, if you don't wanna be hitting all the other strings, and it's hard to fit your finger between the D and G. The tone is as expected with a passive bass. The low B is sloppy as hell. Even with a .135 B, it was bad, but what can you do? The finish is almsot too easy to scratch, it looks like mine was attacked by a horde of Brillo pads and steel wool. I'm going to repaint it with some graphics and add a large inlay to the neck (I defretted mine). The frets are not glued in, only pressed. My neck PU is broken, so I need replacement PUs. I'd say, good for starters, not tonally versatile, and not something I'd even buy as a transitional 5 string (going form 4 to 5). I started on mine, so I can't complain.

3.5 / 5

[The JoZ]

...How can you call it a good value, yet complain about it?

[JForsman]

This (GSR 200) is my second bass and I must say that its very easy to play, the neck is small so you can play easely fast on it. I had also some problem with the wiring.. I have played on this bass for about 2 years now and the reason I will buy a new bass soon is because I want a 5 stringer, and I will still stick to Ibanez cause they seems to know what they are doin'

If you are a beginner or dont have so much money and wondering what kind of bass you are goin' to put your money on I really recommend this one!

[outsidethelinesofreason]

yeah, this is my first bass, and i'm pretty pleased with it.
I'm told its just about the best for this sort of money. The body does tend to have grease and muck stick to it more than most basses i've seen, but it plays, and it stays playing even when it falls over and stuff.
I have a few problems with the strap nuts loosening, but its nothing that a screwdriver doesn't fix. I play it through a laney HCM30 [i think that's what it's called], and it sounds pretty good.
the a string buzzes a little occasionally, but it's bearable. i'm thinking of getting a five string fender mexican jazzmaster [again, i think that's what its called] but i'm keeping my Ibanez definately.

GSR200.....my first bass...and my only bass right now....ill vouch for that neck...i have small hands but its enabled me to keep up..and hell yes it is the crappiest wiring ever, the pick up adjustment doesnt work...i checked it out and it needs to be resoldered, and the tone adjustment knobs fall off. The bass had a sticker on the back, "inspected by irwin"..yeah irwin did a really crappy job...but anyways u can always resolder what came messed up in indonesia and just buy replacement tone knobs, the bass is actually great once u get to know it, u just need to cleanup after the mess indonesian people made...i dont plan on getting a new bass for a long time but i might get replacement pick ups....active EMGS..
the bass rocks over all

[ImJustThePianist]

thanks guys.

only problem is finding it in ireland.
should be around soemwhere tho

[gaslight]

^ It shouldn't be that hard to find man, Ibanez are a pretty major company.

[PaulSimonon]

I've got a GSR200 soundgear and have had it for about 6 months(as long as ie been playing). Its great, and I havent had any major problems with it. I haven't experienced any problems with the wiring, but the strap doesn't stay on all of the time(mostly comes off on the horn), and has minor string buzz. it sounds great with my Trace Eliott Boxer 15 watt amp, especially when I overdrive it(thats why i like my small amp).

[Radiobass81]

Ive heard my bass is a lot like the GSR200, and if what they say is true, I would get it.

The only major difference in my bass and the GSR is that mine has a P-bass style neck, which, for a begginer, could help technique-wise, if you later on get a bass with a slimmer neck. Everything will play easier.

[poo_poo_platter]

Good on ya, Ibanez basses are awesome.
i have a GSR100

[KoRnered]

i had a gsr200 for a couple of years and its the bass i learned to play on, it sounded great for the $ and the neck is superfast, a great begginer's bass