Ibanez Gio GSR200SMNGT Bass Guitar - Natural Gray Burst Reviews

I have to say that the reason I deal with Sweetwater is because of number one customer service. Brenton Evans is always there to help! I honestly can't say enough good things and I am very happy with my purchases! It is nice to know that there is a business like this with these values.

I am very impressed with this build. I am returning to playing after a 30-year hiatus and wanted to start with bass and not break the bank. I do not know how Ibanez does it at this price point but I am impressed. Playability and the tones you can get with the EQ boost (at this price point?...wow!)are amazing. You can't go wrong here. I will have this one for a long time.

Had mine for almost 5 years now. Played approx 200 gigs give or take by now. Aside from string changes about every 3 months it's exactly the way it was when I bought and it plays and looks just like it did the day I unboxed it. For the extremely economical price of what incredible quality you get it's an amazing bass for the $$. A few bass playing buddies of mine that have spent 6 or 8x's the price I spent for this bass have had all kinds is problems compared to my nary a one. You can't go wrong in my opinion/experience with this bass even if you're a steady working band member like me.

bought this a couple weeks ago. haven't put it down since i got it. plays great, sounds great, overall great instrument.

When I first started playing the guitar almost fifty years ago, I wanted to develop a style that incorporated more than just the sound of one instrument at a time. Playing the bass line along with the rhythm and lead at the same time. It sounded almost impossible, perseverance pays off and eventually I developed a style similar to what classical guitarists use. And it worked out fine, one problem, l was stepping on the toes of the bass player.
Developing a bass style unintentionally. He actually told me to STOP IT, who knew? Ok, I never owned a bass guitar before, so the smart thing would be to call SWEETWATER, bass guitars of every imaginable style, size and price. I like IBANEZ guitars so why not a bass? Not having my own printing press, and the idea of spending quality time in prison For counterfeiting with a tattooed guy named tiny just wasn't my idea of the way I wanted to spend my GOLDEN YEARS. So, scrolling down the infinite list of bass guitars on the Sweetwater site I spied a gorgeous spalted maple G10 long scale that had my name written all over it. Placed the order and seems like no sooner had I hung up the phone, it was on the front porch. Wonders never cease. So, ever so carefully I RIPPED OPEN the package and TADA, their in my outstretched quivering Hands was my treasure. A beautiful spalted maple bass guitar, active electronics. Long scale, sweet. So, what does a real bass player think of this bass? My brother, bass man for over four decades would give it his expert appraisal. He held it, he tuned it, he played it. He wouldn't give it back the rest of the day. This from a guy that has really high end basses.
I'm now playing the bass more than I play my guitars( 19 ) .
The one suggestion I have if I might put one forward, even though I'm new to the bass. FLAT WOUNDS. but ask your sales engineer what they think.
My opinion is, it's a beautiful bass guitar and a seasoned bassist liked it, and for about one twentieth or more of what most of his basses cost, it's a no brainer. 249.99 YOW. don't let the small price deter you. If you're pondering a bass for a beginner, or a seasoned musician I don't think you can go wrong.

This is the first Bass guitar I've owned. I've played Fenders, Rickenbackers, and sure they are great as are other brands. This Ibanez is amazing, the tones, the fretboard. I happen to have a very bad right wrist tear and can I required a suitable instrument. it's been a pleasure playing it. The bass boost is awesone. Intonation is spot on. Sweetwater did a set up according to my specifications with valuable input from the tech department. My salesperson, Ryan Klapper really showed genuine interest assisting me and recommend him to do right by you. There's no question that this is a great axe, I'm just thrilled !

It looks and sounds amazing. The tuning is on point. It delivers a great sound and is overall great quality. I got mine from a store, so I got to actually try it out. It was great. A great beginner or advanced bass (I am a beginner). Ibanez is a great brand to buy from if you are looking for a high quality, affordable bass.

First Bass guitar I've ever owned and I don't plan on ever getting another. Got lucky and nailed it on first guitar. I can't recommend this guitar enough. Great quality, Light weight. Amazing sound. Very adjustable to any style or genre in my opinion. I'm not a pro bass player by any means, so my review might not hold much weight. I personally am very happy with this guitar.

I'd think of the active boost as a special effect or emergency signal boost if your band suddenly drowns you out. Otherwise, the passive tones are very good. Good enough that I sold my '77 fender P and my '79 Gibson Grabber, because I can get that range of tones with this. It plays fine, looks fine and the range of decent tones is very wide. I will try to find a setting on my bass sans amp that works with the active EQ, but my advice is to only add a slight touch of it, if any at all, and don't expect anything like a nice active bass tone. The active unit is a cheap imitation of pushing in both the ultra low boost and ultra high boost buttons on an AMPEG amp. So the downside is that you have a great passive bass that requires a 9-volt to work. Lots of people are just taking the active EQ out. I've had the bass for years. I don't play it much and the original battery is still going strong. Don't ever leave the cable in when you are done, because that drains the battery. Grey is not my first choice, but it looks nice. Pretty easy to play. I do wonder if the passive pick-ups are getting some kind of boost without the bass boost on, because it's such a good signal for such a cheap bass and the un-scooped-out mids are very nice.

First, the finish, the detail quality is amazing. The thump, the action, the overall sound is incredible for this price. It's worthy of twice the price. In fact I have a 7-8 yr old SG 500 Ibanez that I actually DID pay almost $500 for, this bass matches it in every aspect...for 1/2 the price.

Bought this as a cheap back-up bass for smaller venues where you're a bit closer to the audience, and it exceeds all my expectations.
First of all, right out of the box, the finish is everything you hope for - smooth and shiny. The wood tone is absolutely gorgeous and the fretboard looks WAY better than the online photos show.

The pickups sound much better than I was anticipating. The tone and volume controls work perfectly. Smooth, even turn and even response. The active EQ boost adds real nice depth to the tone.

Quite honestly, I can't see how Ibanez can get away with such a low price on this bass that screams quality in every way. I'll have to see how it handles long term. But, right out of the box (just got it today, Feb 2018), I can't find any reason this bass shouldn't be at least twice as much as they're charging.

If you want a back-up ax that won't be a huge step down, do yourself a big favor and get this one.
And thanks to the guys at Sweetwater for a sweet setup - it was ready to rock, right out of the box. Action and tuning were spot on.

I'v not played bass before but thought I might like to give it a try so was looking for a nice bass at a good price and Sweetwaters delivered. It looks great and sounds good to a novice like me.

It's a nice looking guitar but this is a Christmas gift so I haven't used it. The only thing I'm not happy about is it definatly doesn't look like stock picture. The color isn't close. It's more grey than the picture shown so my leather strap I bought him doesn't look as nice with it. Still waiting on my gig bag too

This is my first bass, I'm learning on it. It looks gorgeous, but obviously it is not real wood. The knobs are confusing, there appears to be a master volume, each pickup has it's own volume, and then a tone knob. The fret board is imprecise, and causes a lot of chatter and buzzing. I have had multiple bass instructors take a look at and confirm that it was not due to my playing or inexperience. The strings are garbage, and the 9V went dead in about 2 weeks. Not a big deal, but thought I would mention. The guitar overall has a bit of a bright sound, no real warmth or rolling timbre. I feel like I got a fair value for my money but if I stick with bass much longer I will definitely be upgrading because I do not like the sound I'm producing with this bass.

My review has a slight bias as the bass I received had one loose pot and a couple of dings on the back of the neck. This was a surprise because I have been buying instruments from Sweetwater for years and never had this problem. The last straw was the pickup/body design. The neck pickups sit almost 1/2" about the body. This is not a problem if you use a pick exclusively. However, if you use your fingers, I found that my palm rested right on the corner of the neck pickup. It is not rounded and you really don't have an option of adjusting the pickup to be lower without losing its effectiveness. An arched body on this model would be an improvement.