Ibanez Gio GSR100EX Bass Guitar - Mahogany Oil Reviews

This bass is awesome I am a beginner bassist and this bass is so easy to play I love it

It is difficult, as someone with mild G.A.S., to not buy yet more of these basses--if even to donate to low-income school programs, give to a friend's kid, etc. I have this one and the 5-string, and just cannot believe it for the price. $??? And the PUP can be easily upgraded, which I did on the 4-string but in hindsight, not at all necessary--you could play this bass as is professionally. Wow, highly recommended.

This is a wonderfully crafted bass guitar. Its finish is beutiful . Its tone and sound are even more beutiful . It is a must have bass for anyone starting to learn the instrument . It is lightweight and easy to maneuver when playing too .I absolutely love it . Thank you to my sales engineer , Ryan Vlohovich and sweetwater staff . They're the best !

Looks great, plays great, and sounds great. Truly loving this beauty

Seriously...how is this bass so affordable? Let's start with what I have owned in 30 years of playing bass, and also what I have played by borrowing from my dad. Most of these basses were upgraded to EMG pickups with on-board active pre-amp.
Late 60's Fender P-Bass
Early 90's USA Fender P-Bass Plus (P-bass with an added jazz pickup at the bridge)
USA Fender Jazz Bass
Washburn 6-string
High-end Ibanez Soundgear 5-string
Warwick fretless (I think it was a Corvette)
Warwick Thumb Bass 5
I've also played plenty of "junk" over the years, and I'm very hesitant about an affordable instrument due to this experience. I took a chance on this bass because, well, my life is very different (financially speaking) than it was when I had all of that high-end equipment (my amp in those days was an SWR head with a David Eden 4X10 cabinet, and additonal Eden 2X10 cabinet. But anyway...). I needed 3 things: 1. A backup for my Ibanez 5-string due to the aging electronics (25 years) becoming unreliable 2. Something for my kids to learn to play on and 3. A crazy good bargain! Also, after all of these years of 9-volt batteries and complex tone controls, I really liked the idea of 1 pickup, 1 volume, 1 tone, and no batteries. Well, right after I got this bass, it was time to go to church camp and play in the worship band all week. Sure enough, the old 5-string just completely quit one me...even with a fresh battery. So, the little Gio went right to work. I played this bass every day for a week through my Fender Rumble 500 combo with a 2X10 extension cabinet, and was absolutely amazed. The sound, the feel, the action, the intonation, the tone and volume consistency from open strings to 12th fret, and...it's very light (which is nice for a 44 year old man with cervical spine issues). I spent the whole week thinking that there's got to be a catch. My playing style these days is very simple, but I have spent time on this bass by myself playing the more technical stuff that I used to back in my glory days of college. I believe that it's up to any task, and is the greatest musical instrument value/bargain that I've ever encountered.

Wow!! Amazing sound and quality
Run her thru a nice tube amp or direct into studio board, sustain for days
I own ricks, fender jazz 62 reissue, danelectro,etc. This bass is certainly not on those levels,but she sounds, plays, and records beautiful! Can create many versatile sounds by adjusting volume & tone pots
Fit finish And workmanship surprisingly excellent..just had to slightly tweak bridge; that's all
Great bass

I would highly recommend getting this bass if you want an inexpensive, big sounding, and beefy toned beast! Possibly my favourite bass in my arsenal. I converted mine into a fretless and it still sounds amazing! I would recommend replacing the stock electronics, but it's honestly pretty good for what it is.

Make no mistake; this is a beginner's bass...BUT... I bought this bass with the intent of hot rodding it a little; new flat wound strings and a new EMG or Bart pick-up. But I wanted to play it a bit before doing anything to it. I did restria few days after I got it with Ernie Ball .105-.45 flat wound strings (I usually use LaBella strings, but they were out). After restringing it, I had to raise the strings slightly, 1/2-half turn at a time until there was no string buzzing. Easy task.

I have to say I really like this bass! It keeps company with two Gibson SG basses (my primary gigging basses) and a Gibson Thunderbird (sweet sounding bass, very heavy for a 3-hour gig). The one thing I noticed immediately was this bass has sustain for days! Better than my Gibsons!

I've been playing this bass a lot lately, and since we have a gig next week, I plan on using it for at least our first set. We will see how it goes from there.

For $ this is a great buy! I don't think you will regret your purchase!

My first time ordering something this big on line. I was impressed by how fast I got the guitar and how well it was packaged. A call from the salesman was really unexpected and appreciated. The guitar looked fantastic felt very good. I bought this for my nephew. He wants to learn to play bass. This is a excellent beginning bass. With it being understood that... is not going to sound like a 2000 bass. the sound was very good. The setup was good. I been playing bass for over 20 years. I recommend this bass and Sweetwater highly.

My Ibanez GSR100ex arrived nearly ready to play. Just tuned her up and off I went to bass heaven. Hardly any setup needed to be done. The body gives me old barn wood vibes... which I really dig. It's absolutely beautiful. The neck is as smooth as butter. Has a soft satin feel that my thumb just effortlessly glides over. The single humbucker is warm, robust and can growl. A lot of tone shaping can be had with that one pickup, one volume pot and one tone pot.
Sure, the tuning pegs and whatnot are not top of the line, but they are more than functional and perform well.
I love this bass!

Huge-sounding fat bottom, nice mids, treble not that popular nasal congestion tone. Want to expand the tones? Buy a Tech 21 Bass DI SansAmp. Then this bass is really all you need, besides an amp. I've been playing and doing studio work with 3 distinct types of bands for nearly 30 years, and this bass keeps up with some pretty spendy basses I've owned. Kinda hurts now that there's a bass that could have saved me a couple thousand dollars and sounded just as good.

I'm still somewhat new to guitar which I took up after retiring in 2013. Don't know that I'll ever get good but I totally enjoy learning from and listening to seasoned players.

Recently I was watching some bass players and I just got the itch to get a bass and experiment. This Ibanez totally fit the bill for what a wanted-quality at an affordable price. Sweetwater was excellent (as always) delivering the bass quickly. I tuned it up and after watching some beginner bass lessons on YouTube, have had a great time using the bass with some drum beats apps. Great bass for a novice!

It sounds great to record with, awesome fat tone right out of the box. I've been recording music for 16 years.

First of all, I was blown away to receive a personal phone call from the sales rep. He was totally kind and I felt like these guys truly cared.

I've played banjo and guitar for 25 years, but this was my first foray into the electronic world. I read every review I could find and settled on this one. Knowing functionally nothing about the bass, the first thing I did upon opening it, was marveling at its aesthetics. For being so affordable, I figured the frets might not be that great. I was very wrong. They are smooth and clean and it was immediately playable (completely silly comment, but it was almost completely in tune!). Its not left my hands for awhile.

I won't lie; I felt bad not buying locally (they didn't have what I wanted), so I bought my amp for half again more than Sweetwater had the same amp. But it assuaged my guilt and win/win all around. If you don't have a good music store near, buy the amp there too.

I've dealt with a lot of music stores in my life. The personal attachment to a sale is something I've never seen before. Apparently, when I get this one figured out, I suppose I need more knobs and pickups (why? I don't know what any of them do), so when I upgrade if I need to, I'll be back.....

I do think it might be a bit hit-or-miss (MAYBE) buying sight-unseen as, at this price, it’s likely B-grade wood stock used, but if this is even true, I at least feel so lucked out. Solid-piece body, and SO resonant and good-sounding unplugged. The pickup is great, BUT, you can replace it with an EMG 35hz, Bart M3or Duncan ssb-4 (my choice...) and you have one incredible bass...! The established Ibanez neckquality and playability is still there. I use it as a low-B four string, and with the Duncan it sounds as good or better (humble opinion) as a StingRay 5 or other high-enders. Again, I don’t know if I lucked out or this is to be expected, but VERY satisfied with this! Five stars for the price.

It's right up there with my high-end expensive basses. It's light weight, simple, and plays and sounds great !

This really is an amazing bass!! Fit and finish perfect. Set up etc great. Just a personal preference on bridge height adjustment and set to go. Puts out great sound - for those who do not want a 5/6 string. I purchased a Gibson EB-4 last year - had to get 1st one replaced - this inexpensive Ibanez fit and finish is way above the Gibson especially the neck frets. Smooth on Ibanez very sharp edges on Gibson also tuning pegs on Gibson very loose etc Gibson rating would be about a 5 of 10. Ibanez has more bottom end. Yes I am impressed at this inexpensive, basic bass. I have a 1967 Gibson EB-3 , Fenders . I have been playing since 1967 so some experience . Highly recommend this Ibanez bass

Oh there where plenty of other basses in the price range to choose from, but i liked the simplicity of the bass along with the looks. Sounds great and plays great.

The GSR100EXMOL sounds great, looks great, and plays like a dream. Much nicer than other basses I've tried costing 2-3x as much. Well balanced, simple, and has a nice "snappy" feel to it. I use the bass mainly for recording in my home studio. I am very happy with my purchase.

This is my first bass and it is awesome. I just love it. Great sound. Beautiful guitar. It just plays so easily. Would definitely recommend for a beginner bassist.

After reading the reviews about this bass guitar. Most of the owner of it are guitar player who play bass one use it in the studio to play his own bass lines and said it sounds great. #1. Thing I was looking for. #2. Fat bottom and great action. So I'm going to order this axe plus good price too.

Bought this inexpensive basic bass for my wife and she loves it! action is perfect for her smaller hands and it is sooo light weight! We play in church and did receive a few complaints to turn it down a notch as the bass was vibrating their pace makers ...jk

It doesn't matter what your playing level is; this is one fine bass...except for the cheap—expected for a bass in this price range—vol and tone controls. It has a serious kickbutt pickup: fat and gnarly tones, and can handle some pretty aggressive playing. The tuners do the job, nothing special, and the bridge is really very nice for the price. LOVE the natural mahogany oil vibe!

Since I'm not a bass player, I have been using Trilian for most of my bass tracks when recording. However, I wanted something with a little bit more of a Live, human feel than I've been able to get with Trilian. This bass definitely fit the bill for what I need to do as far as laying down bass tracks. The sound is great and plays very well.

Excellent beginner base. BEAUTIFUL finish. Very well made, except they used cheapo knobs. You can switch them out. Excellent sound. Very happy.

Amazing tone from such an inexpensive bass. The chambered mahogany body is lightweight, without leaving the bass neck-heavy. The appointments may not be top shelf, but everything works flawlessly. Don't get me wrong, the bass is made very well. The action is a little high for my tastes, but nothing an adjustment can't fix. It even has great tone unplugged. A truly fine instrument!

A wonderful instrument....as a former bassist/current guitarist/mandolinist, I need some way to get a back to playing my own bass parts in the studio, and this fills the bill. A beautiful instrument in it's simplicity; plays well, sounds very good recorded, and looks wonderful...I highly recommend!

This bass really surprised me. I got it because it was another type of "P" bass for me to have, because I'm really a Jazz player. Plus, it was light weight. The price was right, so why not? The setup was good out of the box, but I like my action really low. That was a problem, because a bass for $ is not too "neck friendly." However, I set it and waited. Even though the action wasn't as true to what I liked, I found it was pretty easy to play, and the notes I was searching for were easy to find on the fret board. It has a P-bass neck profile, but a little wider in the back, but that made no difference. I think it actually enhanced the playing ability. It surprised me how mid-rangy this bass is, and the pickup is hot. It really cuts. Most the time when someone gets a bass of this price, they think it is for a beginner. However, that is not entirely true. Beginner yes, but any bass player can gig with this, and it will cut through the mix, and even has a growl to it. Again, I like the jazz bass with a thinner neck profile. This has a "P" profile and it is still easy to maneuver around and play. Also, the bass is so light you can play it all night long and your back and shoulder doesn't even notice it is there! The ONLY reason I gave it a four out of five is because I couldn't get the low action I wanted (even though it is low for most people) and the poplar body. Other than that it blew my mind and it is now in my rotation!

I bought one in 2016 and have used it on all of my recordings available on most digital platforms. Fast neck, stays in tune perfectly and has a thick, commanding tone. I highly recommend if you're on a budget and need a quality bass.

This bass has a nice fat and smooth sound. The finish is awesome. The feel is great.

Got this bass to keep in my office at work so I can practice on my lunch hour. I'm very pleased with the purchase. This is a great bass for practice and would be a very good bass if you're learning. It won't replace my Fender P on stage for our gigs but paired with the Vox amPlug 2 Bass, it meets my needs perfectly.

I know, at this price how does it fare? Well, I'm mainly a 6 stringer but I needed a bass. I write and record my own tunes and I was looking for something for just that. This guitar is perfect for my needs. I have small hands (short fingers) and this instrument fits me perfectly. Great for beginners or anyone else wanting a smaller reach. Besides all that, this is a beautiful instrument, sounds great, feels good and records well. I'm very happy with my purchase, and of course, Sweetwater service is awesome! Thanks to David and all the folks at Sweetwater! We'll be doing business again!

I purchased this bass as a way to start on bass. For $179.99, you're getting some insane value. It sounds great and just feels amazing to play. I gave it four stars only because there is some very noticeable fret buzz. Sweetwater's customer service is also out of this world. If you buy any gear, make sure it's from them.

I wanted a bass to record with in my home studio and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Something simple, yet nice looking. After researching for about 4 weeks I made my decision. The Ibanez GSR100EX was just what I was looking for. It has plenty of bottom end for my needs and playability is very nice. That was a concern for me since I had not heard it and normally play guitar, but not bass. I am not disappointed. And of course, as usual, service from Sweetwater was outstanding. A big thanks to Carson McClain, who always takes very good care of me.

As a guitar player, I needed to pick up something affordable to use in my recordings, and this bass jumped out at me. I love when there's just a thin layer of oil on an instrument, really lets the wood breathe, and the beauty of the grain in the wood show. This is a very simple bass, one humbucker, volume and tone, and it sounds killer. Great buy for the price, no going wrong here.

I bought the bass for the primitive and basic look and low cost. It arrived quickly and in great shape. It played and sounded good. About one month after purchase, the neck was wonky and bent backwards. The strings buzzed from 0 to 5th fret. It was completely unplayable. A couple months later, I took it to a shop for neck adjustment and setup. It plays good now. I'm just wondering if the neck will warp again sometime soon? I hope the adjustment and setup hold for a while.

Picked out this bass as an affordable instrument to learn on, practice and record with. I am a guitar player who wanted to broaden my musicianship, and to create my own demo recordings.
Very satisfied with this bass. Good range of tones and easy to play. Only negative point is a minor rough area on the back of the neck. Would have expected an inspection to pick up on this. I will simply sand it down. Overall pleased with the product.