GSR 200 Review

22 frets; two volume controls; tone knob; maple neck; large frets.

Features:	8
Sound:	8.3
Action:	8.7
Reliability:	8.9
Impression:	8.9
Overall rating:	8.6
Users rating:	7.9
Comments:	21

overall: 9

Featured review by: Shmef, on december 09, 2006

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The Ibanez Soundgear GSR200 bass I bought in Jewel Blue. It is amazing for an entry level bass. It has two pickups, a P-Bass split style neck pickup, and a J-Bass bridge Pickup, for great tone shaping. There are 22 medium jumbo frets, so there is plenty of playing room. The guitar is a solid top, with a bolt on neck and a rosewood fretboard. The body is a pretty unique shape, similar to the Yamaha bass's, with plenty of room for access to the higher frets. It has a Jewel blue glossy finish that looks great under stage lights, and the black headstock ain't half bad. The Tuners are a disappointment, as they are non-locking stock ones. It can get knocked out pretty easy. The bridge is just a stock Ibanez bridge, nothing special. // 8

Sound: It delivers fat thumping lines, or can set to sound bright and trebley. Overall, a pretty variable sounds can come out, and the built in pre-amp helps deliver more power. I run it through a Crate BT100 amp, and it sounds great against drums and guitar. No noise comes out, thanks the the noise gate on the amp, but some of the wierder shreddy-stuff doesn't work real well. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was perfect, not so low as to have buzz, but high enough to stay in tune and be easy to push down. Everything is built really tight, and for a guitar made in Indonesia. Nothing has broke yet, and I have had it for about a year and a half. The finish is a jewel blue, and looks amazing under the right light. A beautiful guitar full of life, the knobs look great too. They are pretty similar to the Tele's knobs. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems like a rock. Though not really light, it is still easy on the shoulder and is durable as hell. I have hit it, bumped it, worn buckles, locks, straps and coke cans on it, and it still has not one single dent. The finish is super thick, and it looks like it was melted on (this crap won't come off). // 10

Impression: It is a great overall bass for anything from rock to funk, and delivers well for it's price. The Phat Boost knob adds a lot of depth to the sound, making for a lot of customization. If it were stolen, I would replace it at the moment because I have no other bass. It is a great all-around bass, just some flaws with the tuners and bridge. Other than that, a steal for the money. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: Rywad, on september 26, 2008

Price paid: £ 160

Purchased from: Simply Music (small store)

Features: I believe my bass was made in 2006 between March and May(not entirely sure, need to check the dating website again). It's a 22 fret bass with what feel like fairly small frets they certainly don't feel like the jumbo frets on my guitar. it's got a nice solid top and the body is agathis, overall agathis is a fairly average wood for budget bass guitars, personally I prefer it to basswood. The neck I don't have much idea on the material but I could show a guess at it being maple but... I don't know. The bridge is a pretty bog-standard Ibanez one according to Ibanez it's the 'B10' bridge. The body has a nice modern feel to it, and personally find it really comfortable. The electronics are active and in the year and a half I've owned it had no problems with the battery going but I keep meaning to change it. The controls have the standard volume for each pickup (jazz and Precision pickups)a tone and a EQ control that personally I don't use and would prefer to use the EQ on my amp, but that's just me. The pickups are a Precision in the central position and a jazz pickup at the bridge position these pickups are alright, nothing compared to anything up market but for the bass there decent. The tuners are good, they hold it in tune for ages I went on holiday for a month over the summer and it was still in tune when I got back, my other bass falls out of tune in days let alone weeks! When I bought it all I got was a Rockbag case and no documentation, I was a little bit annoyed about it but there was nothing I could do really. I'm giving this a 7 because it's good for what I paid for but it's nothing to write home about. // 7

Sound: Well at the moment I'm playing all kinds of music and it can be used for near enough all of them, I just fiddle around with the volume on the pickups and then see what I can find. At the moment I'm using it with an Ashdown MAG300 combo which I find makes it sound rather lovely, with a little bit of compression it turns into a monster. The main problem with the sound is that the jazz pickup is slightly noisy with an annoying quiet hum, it's not noticeable in a band but when practicing I tend to mute the jazz pickup and use solely the Precision one.

I've found I can make all the sounds I want with the bass but it isn't versatile enough to get the nice punchy sound of a Fender P-Bass or the slightly muddy tone of a bass with a humbucker. However it's done me fine since I've got it. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: When I first bought the bass I was unhappy about a large amount of fret buzz and took it back to the store where they set it up properly and put a nice set of Rotosound strings on for free so I didn't complain. Since then there's been no problems since! Apart from a couple of buzzes here and there which I've managed to fix anyway! There were no cosmetic or playability faults other than the bad set up and humming of the jazz pickup which is always good! // 8

Reliability & Durability: I've used this for gigging a couple of times and although I thought the battery was going at one point it continued to soldier on (which reminds me - must change that battery soon! ) without any problems. So far it's lasted fine for a year and a half which is always good, but the strap buttons could be a bit better (could be my strap) as I sometimes get the dreaded strap falling off situation at band practices which involve lots of awkward attempts fixing it. I have used this twice without backup but I have a bass to use as a backup if need be. So far the finish has had no faults apart from some general wear and tear it's all good so I expect this bass to last a long time unless I end up having some kind of freak accident! // 9

Impression: This bass works well with the styles I play and I have to say it's up for replacing very soon, a year in service isn't bad for a £160 bass! At the moment I've been playing around a year and a half (March '07)but I do wish I asked for it to be set up when I was in the store (too shy to ask) and it would have saved me the return trip 30 minutes later! If this bass got stolen I would probably be upset due to the memories on it but I would probably get myself the bass I'm currently after and then buy another one as a backup! I don't know what it is but no matter how much I try to doubt this bass it always comes back and wins my heart by doing something amazing like giving me the sudden urge to play something I've never attempted before or composing something I never thought I could. When I was buying this I was comparing it to the Squier standard P & J basses but even though I liked them there was something about this that I loved. But if I was starting now with bass I'd probably get myself a Squier Vintage Modern Jazz as there pretty amazing but nothing compared to my lovely bass. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: lukeekul, on may 29, 2008

Purchased from: Second hand (including small peavey practice amp)

Features: This model was made in 2005 although I bought it last year from an advert on the internet. It was made in China and has 22 jumbo frets which are all in perfect condition. There are 2 tone control knobs and also there are 2 volume control knobs. There are also no selector switches. The pickups are active which I feel are always important in a bass guitar. A bass guitar should not have passive pickups. These pickups that it came with do not belong to brand and they are not any model. I guess that they are just cheap Ibanez stock pickups. The bass came with a gig-bag which has no use what'soever as all it does is stop the bass from collecting dust. It has no padding at all! I am very disappointed in this. // 9

Sound: I play all sorts of different music on my bass and this guitar seems to handle all of them pretty good. Although I do find it very annoying that the strings are very close to the pickups so that they occasionally make a very loud disruptive popping sound whenever they touch each other! As well as this, the pickups seem to constantly pick up interference with other things in my bedroom; such as laptop, T.V etc... But this is just normal and nothing can be done about it. The amp I use this bass with is called a Peavey 'Micro Bass'. They seem to get on well with each other and generate a very warm sound. The only trouble I have is that I have very little control over the volume of the amp - it is constantly blowing out 20 watts! But the bass is not at fault here. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: As I have said earlier, the strings were set very low. So low that they seemed to make contact with pickups quite often. An flaw which is very large indeed, is that one of the control knobs for volume has fallen off the body. Unfortunately I cannot find the knob and I also cannot find another knob on the internet which matches the other 3! This ruins look of the bass and makes me look as if I don't maintain my bass - which I do! On top of this, the finish of the guitar picks up dust and finger marks very easily. I end up having to give it a good wipe almost every day. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Well, lets just say this guitar is like a rock when it comes to reliability. Yes the volume control knob has fallen off, but apart from that every seems to work fine. This hardware will definitely last. It is now 3 years old and there are no signs of any rusting or anything of the sort. It seems to be built like a tank. Even when you tune it, it will stay like that for weeks, and this thing sits next to the radiator so it is constantly being heated and cooled. The strap buttons are rock solid, they are not loose at all and I have never had any problems with them. The one bad thing, is that the finish seems to scratch quite easily which is a terrible shame. But hey, if you look after it correctly, it shouldn't get that bad. I would use a back-up for this bass but I would use a back-up for whatever bass/guitar I was playing as I would never take the risk. // 9

Impression: I have been playing bass for just over a year now and have been playing guitar for about 3. This bass seems to fit me very well for my range of styles which include punk, reggae and Indie. If this was to stolen/lost, I would definitely buy another one because I just love it to bits. There is nothing better which fits into the same price range as this bass. The best thing about this bass is that it seems to never go out of tune. On the other hand, I just hate the way it scratches easily and I hate the fact that I now have a missing control knob and cannot replace it in any way except for stealing one of a display model in a shop. All in all, a very good bass which suits many styles of playing which is also very affordable. // 9

overall: 8.6

Reviewed by: DamoPlaysBass, on july 16, 2008

Purchased from: Dream Music

Features: The headstock bears the good old "Made in China" tag, although I was told these were Indonesian made. I'm not too sure about the year, but this is an entry-level bass, that doesn't matter. There are 22 medium frets on the rosewood fingerboard, which features pearl dot inlays. The neck is an Ibanez stock GSR4 bolt-on. The body is made of agathis, and has a black finish, and is in the shape of a classic Jazz Bass. The pick ups are Ibanez's stock split single-coil P-Bass in the mid and single-coil J-bass at the bridge. It's got 3 knobs, 2 for the pick-ups and 1 for tone. // 7

Sound: I'm using it with the supplied Ibanez BSA10 19-watt bass amp, and it gives a surprisingly decent sound, though I'd recommend getting a new amp after two years. I've got a Zoom B2 Multi-Effects Pedal, and it gives surprising versatility to the sound of the bass. The tone control also has a pretty good tone range, from very muddy passive (which I personally dislike) to a nice active tone which I tend to stick to most of the time (I love my tool). It's very versatile for it's class and will suit any style of any beginner. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Action is good, the neck is really good for a stock neck, but hey, Ibanez necks are among the best, and I haven't had a problem with the neck, haven't had to re-adjust it yet. The pickups and bridge were set up by the pro's in my local shop perfectly (I'm sure this was their only black one left, and so they were using it as the display), although lately the low E saddle has started to buzz, especially when tuned down to D, C, and hell, B. But I'm sure I just have to re-adjust it. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I probably wouldn't gig with this, unless I really had to, simply as you don't walk on stage with an entry-level bass, if you want to be taken seriously, although it wouldn't fare too badly as a backup. On several cases rehearsing in my room, the straps get getting loose, but I got decent straps from my local shop to counter that problem. I've knocked this thing around countless times, and seems to have taken no damage whatsoever. I haven't changed the strings either, nor properly cleaned the frets in a while, but it still sounds pretty good, so it's very reliable in that respect. // 9

Impression: For an entry level bass, this really is the top of the line, Ibanez have a really great reputation for affordability and quality. I've been playing for two years now (I'm a fast learner) and until I get that thing called money I'll be content with this thing. If it were stolen/lost, I'd invest money in a 'proper' bass now, though. Compared to similar basses from Ashton, Yamaha and even Fender Squires, this thing is really the best for your buck. I just wish it was loaded with $3000 for a Fender or ESP. // 10

overall: 7.2

Reviewed by: nea1io, on april 02, 2008

Purchased from: ?

Features: Indonesian made, made in 200?, 22 frets, agathis body, maple w/ rosewood fretboard neck, nice black finish, standard bridge (non/string through body), passive pickups with active eq, 2 volume 1 tone and 1 bass boost knob, P and J pickups, and non locking off brand tuners. Overall this has a lot more features than most beginner basses, and the quality is better than most too. // 8

Sound: I play a lot of grunge and old school rock, punk, ect. This bass doesn't really handle distortion well so keep that in mind for metal/ punk players. I've used it with my Peavey Microbass amp and my friend's Ashdown. It sounds pretty noisy due to the single coils with the tone or volumes all the way up so I usually leave them down and let the amp do the work. Using the bass boost at all really makes it buzz a lot too. The pickups sound pretty generic and don't have very much difference between the two. Overall it doesn't handle low tunings that well and is just in the middle of everything sound wise. Just because it has more pickups doesn't mean it sounds better than something with just one. Quality over quantity I guess. // 6

Action, Fit & Finish: I got it used so I don't know how the factory tuning was. The set up is good but it still buzzes on low tunings. The finish is good and doesn't have any flaws. The bridge is better than standard fenders IMO. The knobs all work well and are pretty sturdy. The tuners are pretty bad but will work well enough for a beginner. The frets were pretty well done, as was the (plastic) nut. This is definitely the highest point of the bass. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The bass itself seems very well made and dependable. The finish has some scratches on back but seems really good otherwise. The strap knobs are alright but if I was gigging, I would have strap locks anyway. The only bad thing is the tuners, I probably would have to replace them to gig with this bass. I probably would gig w/o a backup if this had better tuners, but that's not really smart cause things happen at gigs you know. // 6

Impression: As stated above, I play grunge and old school rock and punk. This works ok for playing clean but is not good for distortion really. It works fine for me and is fairly low maintenance as I haven't had to adjust the bridge or anything since I got it which I like. The neck is really thin and makes it fun to play (much better than Fender Precision). Overall this is one of the best choices for a beginner in my opinion and would make a good backup for anyone else. // 7

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: Martin259, on march 31, 2008

Purchased from: Rimmers Music Blackpool

Features: I have the black version of this bass. This bass has 22 Frets, it's very easy to get to Higher Frets and very easy to play. There are Two Volume Controls, One tone, And another Active Tone control. It has a Fender P style neck pickup, and a Jazz Bass style bridge pickup. I don't trust the Tuners Much, They are always coming out of tune for me. // 9

Sound: This bass can make your Bass sound Dull, Or Bright and Treble. I play a lot of Slapping stuff, And the sound is great! I'm playing out of a Zoom B2.1U effects pedal and Fender Rumble 15 amp (which I got the same day as this bass). The sound is Amazing on treble, If I put all the settings on a clean sound, you just get that funky treble sound out of the active and tone controls. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This bass was made well, The pickups were adjusted well and everything else was good. Except the frets were not put in well, and my bass makes awful noises on some frets. And that's only what lets this bass down to me. All the high frets are good, but the low ones like the 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 1st are bad. // 7

Reliability & Durability: When I was getting this bass out of the bar, I accidently hit it against the car, quite hard. I took my bass upstairs, and there's no mark, Not even a scratch. The body feels like a stone and weighs loads less. I would use this bass at a gig, except because it hardly stays in tune, I'd need to tune it up a lot. // 8

Impression: As I said befor, I play slap Riffs a lot and the tone control which gives the treble sound is great for that. I also own a Fender Rumble 15 amp and a Zoom B2.1U effects pedal and the sound is stunning. I've played since Semptember 2006. I love the tone on it, and the active is my favorite feature, stunning bass boost sound. // 10

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: skateswitch, on may 07, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Bougth it new this year, 06 or 07, I believe it's made in Indonesia, not compltely sure though. The base has 22 jumbo frets on a rose wood neck. Maple body, mine is sunburst, finish is very nice seems to be fairly thick. The body style is fairly simple and classic. Stock Ibanez bridge with non locking tuners, but it's does keep tune fairly well. Actice Ibanez pick ups, split perscision style and a jazz pick up. 4 knobs, volume tone and pick up, knobs stay well dialed. // 8

Sound: I play metal and the abss goes fairly well with it, hits the notes good and can be dialed in to get the more booming metal sounds. The bass plays well, and is fairly quiet, sounds good on the first few frets. It can also be dialed in for more of a jazzy funk sound. Wde variety, I've played metal like All That Remains, Hardcore like Evergreen, and Led Zeppelin on it, and it all sounded good. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar come fairly well set up from the factory. The action is perfect in my opinion, low but not to low for drop tuning. The pickups are aadjusted well, although in my opinion and style of playing the perscision pickups sit alitle to high, my pick often hits them. There is little room between the end of the neck and bridge, maybe an inch and a half before first pickup, inch and a half after jazy pickup, mybe a little crowded for some people. Knobs and hardware tight and finish is good. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This bass is small and light, great for manuevering during Live shows. The finish is thick, I've had mine for about a month, no small scratches or anything, holding up well. Strap buttons hold good, nice and snug. This is the bass I depend on, so far it hasent failed me, I've had absolutly no problems, it's seems to hold up good, finish and knobs. // 9

Impression: It matches great with the rock and metal music I play, the sunburst finish looks great, durable and holds up. The bass is small and light, very playable, I have no problems or complants about it. This bass is unbeatable for the price, great bass for begining and moderate players. The weight and size are my favortie picture, along with the look of it this is the bass I want to be playing at our shows. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: iatethemoose, on august 11, 2007

Features: I bought this GSR 200 second hand from a friend for about 100 dollars. The body is Agathis with a rosewood fingerboard and medium sized frets. It has three control nobs, two for tone and one for volume. 3 pickups. It is a comfortable bass with original strings witch are very irritating against the skin. // 8

Sound: My music style varies from shock rock, funk, punk, emo, everything. The bass doesn't suite a hard or very fast song. It is an amazing bass for funk and slap. The bass is very clear and clean so you can hear everything. Because if this it is not a good idea to use a pick. The best sounds are given in finger and even better in slap. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The action of the bass is awesome. The pickups are in the perfect place and the fret board is straight. It has very good strings and can be easily restringed. The strap nobs are in a good position so the guitar is not pulled up or down. The bass also came with a real leather strap that never comes off no matter what you do. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The bass is second hand and has sustained quite a few drops coming out damaged in only one with the smallest dent. The strings were the original until a few months ago when the g sting snapped while playing slap. The bass is just older than 5 years, so the strings lasted a very long time. The paint has not chipped on the body but only on the corners of the head. The only problem is that the body around the nobs get scratched. // 10

Impression: I have been playing for about 2 years and the bass fits only the funk songs that music I play, and when I pick this bass up it is all I want to pl. I also own a Yamaha ERB070 and a Epiphone Thunderbird IV Goth, compared to the Yamaha the Ibanez is way better but does not compare to the Epiphone. The Epiphone produces good sounds for all styles of music (especially metal and harder rock) and has a good funk sound. I love the GSR 200, it is the the greatest funk bass of the three I have, it could be the best if it had better options for a muted tone. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 14, 2008

Purchased from: eBay seller

Features: This guitar was my first ever buy from eBay, also my first ever bass. I bought it as a beginner bass, second hand, a year ago. it wwas a year old when I bought it, and it's still in great nick! It's got 22 frets, and alder body, rosewood fingerboard, and a maple neck (I think). It's got a great transperant red colour (I love it). It's got one tone, and two volume knobs, P and J style pickups. I bought it with a Samick 10 Watt amp, plus gig bag, strap, and a stand, all for $400. The above price of $300 is just an estimate of it's worth as part of the package. // 8

Sound: I play a lot of Metallica, and the bass is perfect for thrash metal of that genre. It has a surprisingly wide range of tone for its price, and works well for anything from jazz to metal. As I said, I used a Samick amp. the amp was fine starting off, but I really wanted to replace it with something better, and I got a Ashton BA50 50 watt, and it works great with the Bass. I run it through a Zoom B21U effects pedal, just for fun mostly, but it wroks well with all of the effects, particularly the distortion settings. The bass will play any sort of tone you want, from warm to very sharp. My only disappointment is that it's not so great for slap bass. It's possible to play slap, but best not if you're just learning. Everything else sounds great with the bass. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: When I got it, there was nothing wrong with any part of the bass what'soever. The finish is perfect, it's never let me down. compared to some other guitars I've seen, where the finish have been totally dull, boring, and show the scratches way too easily. I don't think this thing shows any scratches that are on it. The action was perfect. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing has been banged around, rubbed, scratched, played for hours at a time, and it's in perfect nick. everything is still orignal factory parts, and it's my primary gigging and recording bass. I'm sure it will last me another couple of years at least. I would certainly use it without a backup, I could never imagine would need a backup with this thing in my arms. // 10

Impression: I love this bass. I also have a Greg Bennett 5-string, and it doesn't even compare to this machine. If it were stolen, I would spend the rest of my life getting it back. I just love this bass to death, and I would reccommend this guitar for any beginning Bassist, on the basis of the price: quality ratio. It's the best bass on the market, in terms of quality versus price. // 10

Comments

[kyle1528]

i have this bass and its sweet

[Spanky Dude]

i got this bass for £110, my bridge is a bit messed up but apart from that, i love it to bits...

[Triviumfan54]

the bridge sucks. On mine the action is so low and screwed it buzzes every damn time i play a note. Good for a few weeks, then it sucks ass.

[mr. ...]

good bass for the price. haha i got it for $35

[bassist88]

i have this bass and it kicks ass. It has great sound and easy to use.

[svend]

i got one of these i payed 120 bucks for it but it got all dented and the tone knob broke.

[sid-x]

i have it ! best bass ever for the price and im not embareses to gig with it 4.5 stars

[ponis]

sid-x wrote:

i have it ! best bass ever for the price and im not embareses to gig with it 4.5 stars

You cant gig w/ this piece of crap.

[ponis]

Buy a fender. They have better necks and pickups.

[TortillaChip520]

this bass doesn't seem like a piece of crap until you play a real bass. Popping on the bottom string is impossible, it sounds very muffled. the tone knobs fall off, and i needed to buy an equalizer pedal just to make it sound half decent.

[sid-x]

You cant gig w/ this piece of crap
yes you can its an awesome bass

[ravenouscabbage]

Gr8 bass. i prefer ibanez to fender.

[RedKroovy]

I got my GSR200 8 years ago, and it still is my main bass. My other bass is GSR205 The reason why I ain't got a more expensive bass (which so many thinks means a better one) is just because I don't feel a need to. Yes, I've tried lots of basses, but I'll still stick to this.

[r3trace]

I bought this bass for $100, and it's rocked everyday for the past 2 years. I have replaced the strings 3 times, never due to a broken one, just old strings. Stays in tune forever, and sounds great with distortion.

[FleshMetal]

yeah man this bass is good shit. definately a top choice for an entry level model.

[LovelyInfection]

I've recently bought this bass and it ****ing kicks ass! This bass is just amazing! For it's price I'd reccomend it to anyone!

[RawrrJammeh]

all in all to be perfectly honest, i would have a ibanez over a fender anyday. but a gibson thunderbird would wipe the floor with both, ibanez and fender.

[follower4582]

this was my first bass and i honestly do like it, especially for the price.. but i also saw some people say it is impossible to slap the bottom string.. that i agree with.. if youre a beginner looking for a good guitar this is it.. i give this an 8/10.. ibanez rocks

[Tanveer93]

I used to own this one. I thought it was bad-ass when i bought it, but i was a beginner at that time (it was my first bass). I didn't know much about basses so i got conned into buying this thing. It was absolutely horrible and i spent a lot of money on repairs. The fretboard was warped beyond repair and the screws on the bridge were cut, not to mention all the technical difficulties i had with it on stage. It may have just been a shitty copy but the one i owned sucked ass. 2/10

I got a GSR 205... this one rules!

[Alex Vik]

Amazing bass for a first. Gets nice tones out of it depending on how you adjust the knobs. I once played it at church and no one noticed the difference between my bass and the regular bassist's bass (which is a Rickenbacker).

[Vetonez]

i have a question for this kick ass bass guitar, i have problem with volume control the stemps of control is jiggling. Anyone know how to repair ?