GSR190 Review

4-string Ibanez bass that comes with the Jump Start package. 24 frets, 3 pickups.

Features:	8
Sound:	8
Action:	8.3
Reliability:	7.5
Impression:	8.3
Overall rating:	8
Users rating:	7.6
Comments:	13

overall: 7.8

Featured review by: Chestaufissen, on september 25, 2005

Purchased from: H&H Music

Features: The first time I played the bass it had nice tone, very solid sound, it was simply exquisit (don't know how to spell it). It has 21 Frets. It has volume, middle, and treble controls what I didn't like was it didn't have labels. The whole sale price of the bass was $300 because of the accesories, picks, gig bag, amp, straps, and cables. // 8

Sound: You can play from heavy metal to '80s pop with this bass. I play mostly heavy alternative, "funky punk," and other old stuff. I use The Ibanez IBZ10B amp because thats what came with the Bass, I hear its a very unreliable amp so far though it hasn't f--ked up. Very nice muting sound depending on the way you play, and on how hard you press on the string when you mute. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: It seems like they didn't try but thats pretty good job then if they didn't try. I didn't know that the pickups mattered, but then after reading an article on UG, I figured out that you could fix the pickups so that was good. The volume control had a little problem, partially my fault for turning it too hard though. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play it Live but if I had no other choice then yeah I'd play it live. The hardware doesn't seem like it could last, but you never know. I would never use it live without a backup no real good reason but yeah I wouldn't. // 7

Impression: The bass fits my style very well. I have been playing for 2 months and its only barely started to have some problems, to me thats a good thing. I'd get something else, something like a Fender Precision, if that were stolen I'd get a motherf--kin black with white pickguard Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray3 Bass, with maple fretboard and matching headstock. // 7

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: satyavati, on december 06, 2007

Purchased from: Used Ebay

Features: This bass comes as part of the Ibanez Jumpstart pack that retails for something over $200 and comes with a small amp and all sorts of assorted toys. Mine just came by itself, used hard. It says it was made in Indonesia, but it looks good for the beating it's taken so far. This one has a very pretty transparent red finish. The clearcoat looks to be about a foot thick and very tough; mine has a dent and a crack, but I think it must have taken quite a hit for that to happen. I don't think normal usage would do damage to this finish, it looks to be made to take a lickin. The body and neck are maple with a rosewood fingerboard and medium frets, nicely finished. This is a bottom-buck bass designed for beginners, and although it hasn't got anything fancy in terms of hardware or electronics it's still well put together and nicely made for the money. The absolute best feature of this bass is the neck. The Ibanez Soundgear neck is narrow (41mm at the nut), comfortable, and fast. This is definitely a huge plus for someone Who's learning or for someone with smaller hands. For me, finding a bass that I could get my hand around was half the issue with me even learning to play. It's probably the most critical issue when I'm deciding whether or not to buy a particular instrument. It doesn't matter how good it is or how unbelievable the electronics are if I can't get my hands across the fretboard. It's got an Ibanez P/J setup with two volumes and one tone control. These are not the hottest pickups on the market, but they don't sound bad, and for someone starting out or needing a spare instrument, or for someone willing to work with it a little, it's great. // 8

Sound: For a beginning bass, it sounds really good. For the most part I play metal (mostly Iron Maiden) but lately I've been getting into blues and The Beatles, Yes, etc., and I bought this bass specifically for this. I put Rotosound TruBass strings on it and even with the lower output pickups it has a really sweet acoustic-type standup sound. Using the Elixir strings it came with, it had quite a bit of brightness and good sustain. I don't like roundwound strings on any bass, so they were coming off regardless. I play through a Peavey MAX 115; I have a Behringer Bass V Amp that I use just for a little chorus and compression. The bass really does sound good. The strings make a huge difference, and I plan to change out the pickups (eventually when I get to it) but really, if I don't change them, it would be all right too. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: This bass came to me used and pretty beat up. That being said, the neck is straight as an arrow and even the action was great. The pickups and all were adjusted just fine and the hardware, although it isn't high-end, is generally adequate. I do think the tuners are a little on the flimsy side and feel a bit loose to me, but I haven't had any trouble keeping it in tune. The control knobs feel a little floppy and not as defined as I would like them to be, but they're not in danger of falling off or anything like that. The finish on this bass, like I said, does look like it will be extremely durable. The clearcoat is deep; I don't think it will suffer with normal usage and the occasional clumsiness. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Even though Ibanez markets this as a beginner's bass and even though it's made with more low-end materials, it's still built like a rock. I don't think the actual quality of construction is any less than any more expensive Ibanez on the market. I think it could take a real beating and sail through. The tuners do seem like they might not last forever, and I am not a fan in general of Ibanez strap buttons, so I would definitely put on strap locks and watch the tuners to see if they get excessively loose or if the bass is falling out of tune a lot. Apart from that, I think this bass could last a very long time, and still look good; the finish really does seem to be exceptional. // 9

Impression: Overall, I have to look at this in the context of it being a starter instrument. At that, it does fantastic: it's solid, feels good, has one of the best necks available for any price, and looks great. For the money, as part of the pack, I don't think you could do any better.

I've been playing a year and a half. My main bass is an Ibanez EDB700. I wanted a second bass but wanted to be very cheap about it, and it had to be an Ibanez. This bass is worth more than the $95 I paid for it.

I've got this bass set up with a very specific sound that wouldn't work with all kinds of music, but it seems to be versatile enough that with some tweaking you could pretty much do whatever you want with it. With the stock strings it's great for metal or rock. The pickup configuration is good, although again, they aren't the highest output pickups in the world. If it were stolen or lost, I don't know if I would buy this exact bass again; I would definitely buy another Ibanez Soundgear. The very best feature of this bass, and this really goes for every Ibanez I've ever picked up, is the neck. It's so comfortable and so friendly that you can just play forever. If there's anything I hate, it'd have to be speed knobs; but that's not specific to this instrument, more of just a general dislike. What I was looking for was a good, solid, extremely cheap Ibanez. This bass is worth twice what I paid for it, and I think that it's a smart choice for anyone Who is either just learning or would like a second instrument, and for a lot of people I think it could become a main instrument even past the 'I'm just learning' stage; you could always upgrade the electronics and so on. The bass itself, body, neck, finish, is so good that you might find yourself happier doing the upgrades rather than moving to a more expensive instrument. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: IndianRockStar, on may 28, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Heaven

Features: // 8

Sound: I'll be frank, it doesn't blow my mind with the sound. Granted, I'm using it through a 10 watt Drive amp. I think through a better amp, the sound quality would be better. I play mostly everything except death metal, country, and rap, and this bass does a good job. The sound can actually vary based on where you play. I tend to favor between the two pickups. Saying that, playing over the neck gives a nice warm tone and the bridge an edgier one. It doesn't sound GREAT at anything, but it gets the job done. Fingerstyle, pick, and slap, it works. Only thing you can't really do is slide on it. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I got it used, but the set-up from the shop was good. Everything is well put together. Haven't had any problems with the nut, tuning, truss rod, bridge, anything of the sort. Everything fits. The neck is uber thin, you'll either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. The finish on mine is black, and it's fairly stable. The neck happens to ding fairly easily, but that's not Ibanez's problem, it's my clumsyness. Looks pretty good, albeit a bit bland. But for $200, it's great. Also has contour for your elbow. Keeps in tune also. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play this Live unless I had to simply because it doesn't sound quite up to par. Everything else is good enough for gigging. I would surely use it as a backup. it's good enough for that.Hardware I'm pretty sure is going to last for a while. Problem is that strap keeps falling off, but that might be the strap itself. Still, beware. Finish, even through dings, Still Remains black. Which also is a problem. It dings pretty easily. But if it doesn't get hit a lot, it's fine. A very good point that helps this is that it is very light, so if you are a small person you'll enjoy it. // 7

Impression: Like I said before, I play most things, and this does everything fairly well. Been playing for almost a year, and this is my only bass at this point. Looking to get a Jazz Bass 24 or a Warwick. Before I bought this bad boy, I just wish I had more knowledge, because I could've saved a lot of money by buying the package. So if you're interested, get the package deal. If someone stole it, I would be sad, but I wouldn't probably replace it. I do love the thin neck. I dislike the lack of power the knobs have. My favorite part, as said before, is the neck. Better than a Squier I think. Take a look if you're looking for a cheap bass. // 8

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: raptorz44, on december 15, 2007

Purchased from: It was a gift

Features: 22 Frets that are great for a beginner, like me. I have the black finish, which looks great and shiny. The pickups are P-Bass style, and sound great. The tuners stay put and are great. It was in a starters pack and came with a 15-watt amp, 4 or 5 picks, a cable, a tuner, a strap, and a learn to play DVD. The amp sounds great and the picks work like picks are supposed to. The cable was absolutely horrible. It stopped working after only 2 weeks. The tuner is good. The strap is okay, but if you have it on and tilt it upwards, the strap falls off. I recommend straplocks. The DVD was great and it had guitar and bass so if you get it and want to play guitar, it is good. The bass section is taught by Gerald Veasley and teaches everything you need to know to get started. The guitar section is taught by Paul Gilbert, and I have not watched it, but it seems to me that it would be good. // 8

Sound: My main style is Blink 182-ish pop-punk and some other bands. It sounds great. Because Mark Hoppus is my idol, I turned off the bridge pickup and turned the tone knob to zero and it sounds great. There is some fuzz here and there, but only when the settings on the actual bass, not the amp, are high. It is a great bass for beginners. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The fret-board is great and feels amazing. The pickups are adjusted P-Bass style and are great. The only flaw I could see is that right next to the bridge there is a small paint chip that I saw the first day I had it. I am not sure whether or not I got it like that or I did that somehow. // 8

Reliability & Durability: With strap locks, this bass would definitely be great for Live playing. It will probably last very long. It seems reliable and I would definitely depend on it for a while. The finish will probably last, but only time will tell. I am not sure whether it is the strap or strap buttons that are bad, but strap locks fix it. // 7

Impression: As stated earlier, I play pop-punk and it does seem like a good match. I have been playing for almost a month, and I do not own any other basses. Since I learned to play, I have played on 2 other basses. One was a 1973(I think) Gibson EB-3 that sounded great, but I did not like where the pickups were. The other is a lefty Paul McCartney Hofner Violin Bass. I played it upside down, so the strings were upside down. The one thing I love about it is that it gets the job done. There is really nothing I wish it had, and it is a great bass. I would definitely recommend this for beginners. // 9

Comments

[thunderinblack]

how the hell have you had problems with it iv had mine for 6 months and all thats rong with it is the tone controll i havent had any probles with the pick ups

[hemi-san]

i play mine live once a week and it does great, never needed back up. its awsome but i want a jazz bass

[hemi-san]

amazing what 2 months does. it holds sentimental value to me for being my first bass but other than that its a peice of crap now.

[absinthe5765]

Im working on this bass right now, Its definatly a nice bass for a startup pack.

[hendrix48855]

It has 24 frets not 21

[IndianRockStar]

lol mine has 22!

[hemi-san]

mine has 22 as well. the sound was easily treated by boiling my strings, now it sounds new.

[aksak]

Nice pack for its value. The bass is extremely easy to play. Ideal for a beginner like me. Amp is weak but good enough to start.
Great look and nice finish! Strap and cable are certainly to be replaced this year but it is a minor further investment to get new ones, and that gear should probably last long enough, at least until I will be playing good enough to buy then a mid-range bass.

[Jepaan]

Love this thing. Had some problems with the strings though, hitting the frets, breaking etc., but after they were replaced, it sounds great. Highly recommendable.

[paulypj]

The bass is great! Any problems seem to be the set up, not the actual bass. You can adjust the action, or the tonation problems easily as with most basses. Dont blame the bass! With the 2 pickups with individual volume controls gives a great range of sounds too! Come on guys, be fair, its great, its Ibanez, ideal for most (specially beginners/intermediate, but depends on what you want to hear i guess!) and its got 22 frets!! ;

[BassRookie]

I bought this bass to start learning to play bass. It does everything it's expected to do for a beginner like myself. I love it!!!

[kevintjah]

Mine is doing great. I use it with a Ashdown MAG 300 over a Behringer 410. It sounds good enough for a beginner and good enough for the kind of music I play (rock - Metal)

[TheEternalHate]

No, it has 22 frets. I just even checked to make sure. Oh and btw, DO NOT BOIL YOUR STRINGS!
Anyway, this is a good beginner's bass. A week from now, I will have had this bass for 3 years and one month (I'm pretty sure that's right). But yeah it's good, the only problems I had with it was once I had to resolder a wire to the jack on it, and for A WHILE I had problems with the amp, but it turns out it was only the cables.