Ibanez miKro GSRM20 Bass Guitar - Walnut Flat Reviews

Needed a small bass for junior players and lighter framed folks. This bass is every bit a real instrument, in a compact size and price. Quality finish, solid tuners and great pickups with tonal options. So far it has been played through a boss micro bass practice amp, a boogie 400+ stack and an Ampeg SVT stack and the tone is clear, rich and punchy. For the price this almost seems unfair to the manufacturer. I highly recommend this to young or new players and solo producers who need an instrument for recording.

Bought this for my son to learn on. I am very impressed with the value for the money. I'm a guitar player so I'd have to compare it to a guitar. The neck is a thin-U - thinner than a Les Paul 60's-style neck. If your kid can fret notes on the low E string of any Les Paul, they will have no trouble crawling all over the fretboard of this bass. Finish is perfect and looks like a much more expensive guitar. There is one imperfection on the very top of the headstock which I would not have seen without a close examination. His particular one has some flaming in the maple even which looks cool. It also did not need any additional setup. The action and intonation were pretty spot-on out of the box.

Huge thanks to Riley for working so hard to get this to me in time for Christmas!

Started as a ukulele player. I've recently been inspired by hearing The Interrupters bass lines but I struggled with fretting the rubber strings on a U-bass. I went with this short scale just because I presume it will be easier to fret for me compared to a standard long scale.

Having a lot of fun learning and, while I can't compare to a long scale bass, I'm very happy with this short scale. I would guess that the controls on this Mikro are similar to just about any other bass. In my shopping around I determined that this was a lot of bang for the buck and for a brand new bass player like me, you can't go wrong with this Ibanez Mikro bass. Aside from the short-scale mentioned, the reason I chose this Ibanez is that I love the natural wood look and it is easily affordable. Sweetwater made it an easier decision when I could take advantage of 0% financing with a Sweetwater account.

Bundled with the padded bag because why not. It's a perfect fit since it is designed for the Mikro. I'm a beginner and I don't travel with this, but I want to be able to pack it securely if I take it in a car somewhere. Easy decision to get the bag in the bundle at a reduced price.

Sweetwater shipped it quickly and zero damage . Opened the securely intact box and was instantly impressed at the quality of this instrument. I got out my tuner which I used for a minute and started thumb playing feeling around for fret buzz and burrs on the ends.... no buzz no sharp edges and was reminded how much quality you get for this great bass. I plugged it in and fiddled with the tone and volume and again, what a fantastic bass.
String height is fine and so was the intonation. Spot on ! All I know is, thanks Sweetwater for having these instruments available for those of us who really desire to make quality music without having to save up for years to afford them. High quality for a low low price.

This little inexpensive bass is a hidden gem. It's well built, nice electronics, and one of the best playing necks I've ever played. The tuners and bridge are adequate and do the job. I've gigged my micro many a night and it's always cut through. I've recently added new pickups, pots, bridge and tuners to one of my micros and although it cost way less, I'd put this bass up against any high dollar professional bass out there. If you're of short stature, this is the bass for you, does it all..

This base is super awesome. It sounds like a professional base for the price. I just can't believe how awesome it sounds.

Amazing sound, and very comfortable to play.

I find the fit and finish of this Bass punching above it's price point, the shorter scale feels oddly good offering quick fretting. I got the Mikro in Flat Walnut with black hardware, with the tonewoods feeling airy and light. Neck is strait, it was setup good with spot on string height. The only thing I had to do was tune it and intonate the saddles a bit. The pickups are as fat and bright as you can find in this price range, there are more expensive rigs who didn't come stock with pickups as good as these IMO. The Ibanez Mikro Bass makes playing fun, what's more? Also I'd like to say that Sweetwater's Sales Engineers are awesome, it's so refreshing to see a company really embrace the service side of business.

Bought this for my home recording studio and I'm amazed at the tones coming from this bass..
Great value, great tones, great purchase!!

I'm a 33 guitarist & this is MY FIRST DECENT BASS AT A BEGINNER BASS PRICE. i replaced the nut for a few bucks and put a tiny bow in the neck ( it's too straight), bought some Ibanez Mikro bass strings. Checked Bass Buzz beginner videos on YT and now I'm an official bass playing non-bassist and my group rocks!

I bought this having owned all the greats...Jazz,Precision , Esp etc...I am old but for recording it is perfect for me home studio. Sound is fantastic, action out of the boxwas perfect . And it looks nice with natural walnut finish. I will replace the knobs to a custom brass set and maybe a brass bridge and bone nut but for the money well worth it for home studio .

First bass I've ever bought and I'm very happy with it. It sounds and looks great. Definitely recommend it.

Its been 2 years since I got this Bass overnight from TYLE MOORE. I was digionosed with bone cance the year bebore 2020. I could not play my larger basses. This bass has been a Godsend.Im going to be 69 in july, Im still playing 2-3 shows a week,and it would not have happened without this bass and Tyle getting it my hands! OLDER GUYS DONT GIVE UP!!!! THE kids still rule! but we are here to help them!

I'm a guitarist having fun recording and wanted a cost effective bass. This is perfect. Love the shorter scale length. Had Sweetwater do a setup before shipping; no buzz, everything works perfect. Happy I chose this one and would recommend it to beginners or other guitarists that want a bass.

I got my bass and broke my word. I said I was going to open this on Christmas day but didn't quite make it. This bass is small in size but puts out some sound. I'm very satisfied with it, I would definitely recommend this for other beginners (since that's what I am)

I'm a guitar player and not a bass player. I bought this to record basic bass tracks on some original stuff. For the price I don't think you can beat this bass. Right out of the box, after I tuned it, it plays great. Intonation is perfect. It's great for guys like me with smaller hands. And of course Sweetwater always gives me the best customer service. Very happy with my purchase.

Sweet bass. Arrived playing well. Sounds great, first short scale bass I've played, lots of low end. Took 8 days to get to Seattle area, been playing it for 3 weeks. Really great value for what you get. Fun and easy to play. Nice neck and frets / fret board. I ordered the 5 string one today.

Don't know for sure but I'd guess that this is the best inexpensive micro bass out there though I only have personal experience with the Squier Bronco bass.

Was able to get the setup nice and low with no fret buzz by simple lowering each string via the bridge saddle adjustments. The neck was nice and straight, no truss tweaking necessary.
I further improved the playability by putting on a ridiculously expensive set of smooth D'Addario ETB92S Tapewound Bass Guitar Strings.

I believe that this is one of the shortest short scale bass guitars out there.

The "finish" on this is non glossy, which is to my liking. It is very light weight.

The tone for me is fine. Running it through an Orange 20 watt practice amp, not a bass amp.

I can't imagine an easier or better bass to learn on (and not get overwhelmed by the size) or noodle around on.

I would put this miKro Bass up to any short scale Bass on the market. In fact,
I will never play a standard bass again! Great sound and lite weight! Love, love love this little Bass!

I've been playing guitar, mostly acoustic, for 40 years. I've had a full sized Ibanez bass for quite a few years, but have always found the scale length cumbersome. Enter the Mikro bass. It is the size of an electric guitar and fits snugly inside a Gator electric guitar gig bag. The bass arrived quickly and in great condition. The walnut stain is flat, but evenly applied. I'm very happy with the particulars - action, bridge, tuners, frets, electronics, and playability. I've used it through my old 30w Ibanez bass amp and am pleased with the variety and quality of tones available. I am very much a novice with the bass, so I'm sure those with more experience could identify deficiencies, but for me at home, it's great. The only real negative for me is the flabby (low tension) of the stock strings which is something other reviewers have noted. I have a couple sets of different short scale bass strings, but haven't tried them yet. For a guitar player, younger player, person with smaller hands, or for situations where space is limited - this is a viable option. I'm happy with my purchase.

Thirty years ago I sold my fretless P-Bass because I just could not manage to play in tune, thinking someday I'd take another stab but with a shorter scale neck, so as you've probably guessed I bought this bass as a conversion project. After taking it out of its well-packaged box and tuning it up I'm wondering if I should just keep it as-is! As you can tell from my pics the walnut finish is not as dark as official photos might suggest, is rather beautiful with the tight wood grain, the frets are perfectly dressed and and I'm surprised at the overall quality of this diminutive and inexpensive bass. My second pic shows how much smaller is this model than my standard scale RB800. If Ibanez made a fretless version I'd order it in a sec and keep this one around just for fun.

This is my 2nd Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro bass. I bought one late in 2019, as an alternative to my other basses that were becoming too heavy to play as an older player. Just like the first Mikro bass, it came setup perfectly out of the box. I love the way these basses feel, and play. Short scaled, super light, and with fast playing fretwork and neck, these are truly sleeper basses. For $...They are tough to beat at this price point. I've been playing bass for over thirty years, and I have four other basses besides the two Mikro basses. Aside from one bass in the collection, I'm going to be selling the rest. Yes, they're that good.

I purposefully picked this Bass for its size. My old joints deal with arthritis and make the reach on full-sized instrument difficult. Having this Bass for a few months, I've discovered it easy on me and easy to play. It holds tuning well and is dependable for any kind of music with the controls as they are. The only alteration I've had to make is to check tuning, normally needing no adjustment beyond changes in the weather effecting it. I would recommend this Ibanez miKro Bass for anyone of any age for general use.

I'm a guitarist but I've wanted a bass for a long time. Whenever I play a friend's bass it's fun but feels too big. I decided to try one of these short scale "mikro" basses from Ibanez, and I'm very happy with it. It's the length of a standard guitar and nothing about it feels "too big", more like just right.

The neck is a comfortable width, there aren't huge stretches due to scale length, and it will fit in a guitar gig bag. For the price I can't get over the quality - the fretwork is clean, the action and intonation are great, the walnut stain looks good, and the pickups sound good.

I'm just looking to become a decent bass player for home recording, so this is good for me - I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I'm very happy with the Mikro.

For starters, I'm not a bass player, but I know what good and bad bass sounds like, and this little thing sounds awesome. Obviously if you were to drop $600 on a bass, the sound would probably be a little cleaner and tighter overall, but if you like a little crunch (I'm sure you could clean it up if you wanted to) this is one of the best sounding bass guitars I've ever heard for the price. Extremely happy with it and I can't put it down!

I'm a guitar player, but needed a quality (inexpensive) bass to record tracks at home with. Very happy with the quality and play-ability! The small scale is perfect, as it's very guitar-like. I'd easily recommend it!

I AM 66 YEARS OLD AND NEEDED A LIGHT WEIGHT BASS TO USE WHILE GOING THROUGH BONE CANCER TREATMENT. TYLE MOORE HAD THIS BASS IN MY HANDS NOON THE NEXT DAY! THIS BASS HAS HELD UP VERY WELL AND PLAYS GREAT! I PUT FLATWOUNDS ON IT AND MADE PLAYING VERY EASY. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP PLAYING MOST OF OUR GIGS BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE AND LIGHT WEIGHT. THANKS SO MUCH TYLER!!!

New bass player. I bought and returned or sold 4 different basses and built another before picking up my Mikro.I either couldn't get used to the 34" scale or in the case of the Squier SS it was heavy as an anvil. Absolutely love my Mikro. Can't put it down.

I needed a miKro bass a long time ago ;)

As a guitarist, even with larger hands, I prefer this bass to any full-sized options. Easy to transport. Along with a compact amp, it doesn't get any easier.

I'll be practicing more often because this instrument is easy on the hands - the easiest-to-play bass I've ever owned.

our band had 3 guitar players and could not find a bass player so i volunteered to switch and the mikro feels like a regular guitar sounds like a bass and plugged in to my TC Electronic amp it will blow the windows out of most bars we play in.. i love it..and the chicks in the audience think im playing guitar. it is perfect for the guitar player who wants to play bass or needs to due to a lock of a real bass player

I'm a beginner bassist, still learning to play; and this beautiful bass is EXACTLY what I needed. It's light, comfortable, less challenging than its bigger brothers, and a gorgeous piece of kit. It's not a small thing that this is the first bass I've played which allows my short, stubby fingers hit most of the frets without pain. I'm still learning, and don't know any of the technical terms and such yet; but I couldn't be happier with the bass. Even my instructor is jealous, and I know he has a bass worth hundreds more than this one.

The service from Sweetwater was also outstanding. Sam has been just awesome in finding the items I need, and I won't buy from anyone but Sweetwater again.

I have both, 4 and 5-String mikros. I have 6 or 7 other Ibanez bases. Enough said.

I like this bass a lot! The color of the body in the product description has a green hue to it and the fret board is a natural color. I received a bass is a little different..body color is a very nice walnut with a satin sheen(no green hue at all) and the fret board is black which I love!! I waited a few days before putting a setup on it so it could acclimate to its new environment, which was very easy. At first I had a hard time getting it to tune up..then I went through and stretched the strings and it tuned right up. The tuning machines on it are very smooth and hold tune excellent. The neck was straight right out of the box, which I personally like, so no adjustment there. Now, the intonation was not good at all, every string was high between 5-10 cents but after I went through and lowered the strings with about a full turn the intonation was almost on it, so that adjustment ended up being very easy to make. This bass plays very smooth.I'm a guitar player so its closer to home for me to play and easier to play then my Epiphone bass.The pick-ups sound good.The only reason I'm giving it 4.5 out of 5 is the pots on it...the volume pots go from full volume to very low volume with barely any change in between, the tone is about the same..which is not a deal breaker for me, I can get my desired tone and volume through the amp but it would be nice if they had better range then basically on/off. Overall I would say this is an excellent bass for anyone,especially guitar players, people with wrist damage and can't really play a 34" scale anymore, children who are starting to learn bass..anyone really!! The price point is unbelievable,!!..."you get what you pay for" does NOT apply here..this thing could easily be priced closer to $400-$500 and still be a good price!! If you wanted to remove and replace to tuning heads, pickups,pots,and bridge ...the neck and body are well worth the price alone!! I've included a picture of this Ibanez and my Epiphone for comparison in size, its almost exactly the size of a regular guitar..The cat even likes it!!

I have been a guitar player for a couple of decades. During the pandemic, I started playing more with a group of guys online and ended up playing bass. I would just use effects processors to "turn my guitar" into a bass. I am not the most dynamic player as I have short, stubby fingers. But the bottom end helped out our cause and I realized how fun it was to play bass. I thought, maybe it is time to get an actual bass. Then I was introduced to the world of Short Scale bass. The Mikro Bass is perfect for a person with the fingers I have AND who has played guitar all his life. Since I cut by bass teeth playing on a regular guitar (with effects to make it sound like a bass), this option was perfect for me. For people that have played long scale bass all their lives, this may not be their jam. It is super smooth to play, has a surprisingly good sound (with very minor tweaking of knobs and amps). It is very light weight, so easy to have on your back at a gig and to pack up and travel around. Can it compare with a top of the line bass...of course not. Show me what $... instrument can. But it does play above its weight. The "walnut finish" doesn't always look the best, but I wanted something different in my collection. And after all, once broken in, I can always refinish myself. Out of the box it plays really nice. Smooth fret edges, fast neck, decent finish, pickups and controls are all fine. After I break it in for a couple of months, I imagine a nice set up and a new set of high end strings will really bring this thing to life. If you are a guitar player who wants to play around with bass (either recording or live), grab this thing!

The fit & finish of this lightweight bass is far better than expected, given its price point -- but that's also been my positive experience with other instruments made in Indonesia. Plus it is very playable for smaller hands like mine, especially with its short scale and narrow neck. There was no fret buzz and the the fret wires seemed well fitted to the neck. Setup and quality seemed fine right out of the box.
This little gem is good enough for more than beginners or home recording. I've played it in our live streaming church services and for an out-of-town conference recently, with no problems.
You can buy a nicer bass, but none at this price.
NOTE: Its 39-inch length and 11-inch width is somewhat unusual for a bass, but about the same as a typical solid-body electric guitar. So I found that an electric guitar gig bag would carry it just right.

These things are a blast! When you have a touch of arthritis, or just have a hard time making the fret stretch, this might be the bass for you. Still has big sound and tone, but is easy to transport and play. I often play at a smaller bar and space in general is at a premium. The Mikro and a Hartke HD 15 makes for the perfect combination for smaller venues and I can play without whacking my band mates in the head with my headstock!

It"s a very good and super good looking guitar. Also it"s very good guitar to pick if you decided to switch to bass guitar after playing guitar for X amount years. And also don"t forget the candy!

First, I'm a guitarist. I love these small basses. Just wanted to say the intonation issue is easily remedied with m3-.05 machine screws of the appropriate length. under $0.30 each from a hardware store. my two 4 string flat walnut MiKro basses were fine, but the 5 string needed two shorter screws on the B and E saddles. So if you can turn a screwdriver you can fix this for next to nothing. I found that the bridge had two different length screws, and the shortest 2 weren't even on the B & E. Anyway, these are great fun for guitar players or younger players, not an entry level instrument in any way. Thanks!

UPS delivered this today. Unboxed it and was immediately impressed with the light weight of the bass! I tried a full size bass last month but could not get used to the size and weight. This Ibanez Mikro is super easy to play, comfortable to hold and appears to be built very well! I really like the flat walnut finish with the black hardware. If you are a guitar player who wants to transition to bass, this is the easiest way to do it. Very happy with the purchase price and it was packed well, shipped fast by Sweetwater!

My wife bought this bass for me from Sweetwater for Christmas. I had hinted for about a month. I am a guitar player and have small hands . All my guitars are short scale ( Gibson Les Paul, Martin 000-18, Martin Dreadnaught Junior, etc ). I needed a bass for my home studio. This worked out to be just the bass I needed. I am so amazed at the quality for the price. Looks good. Sounds good. What else could you ask for ?

So far, this bass plays like a dream. I was worried about buying another Ibanez bass for my wife as her first one which was full size from Guitar Center has always had problems with the cable jack (I recently had to replace it after only a year) and problematic tuning pegs (from day 1). This bass, though, rocks on nicely, pegs and cable jack are way superior to her other Ibanez, the tones are smoother without any horrible buzz through. Totally happy with it and the crew at Sweetwater!

plays like a dream right out of the box. Quality workmanship, especially for the price. My only wish is that they would have identified the volume and pick-up knobs better (and given some identification for which way is louder - although it is standard and therefore pretty intuitive).

$179 for an instrument with great playability and very good tone. Need I say more?

First, I must admit that I am a guitar player and not a bassist. I was looking for something that I could just tinker with in my home studio, perhaps to bounce ideas around with a bassist friend or two on occasion. Uhh...wow. The short scale provides excellent playability, so much so that its ease of playing has really allowed me to create some fantastic lines. It's amazing because it almost feels like a guitar. The neck radius feels like my Strat. The bass is so light, however, that I think I could hammer throw this thing the length of a football field.

Second, the sound is quite nice. Running direct, I get a very nice, almost compressed sound from this little guy-great for me because it's the sound I like. I literally have put nothing on the DI-haven't even adjusted EQ-and love the tone.

In closing, the only let downs are the plastic knobs and tuning keys. They will need to be replaced at some point. If they were of higher quality, this would have been a 5 Star review. I almost feel like I'm nitpicking. Many thanks to my awesome representative David Snyder for pointing out great products.

I got this because I wanted a lighter, shorter bass due to back problems. I have an Ibanez GSR205SM 5-string bass, and its really nice, especially at its price point, but it's heavy & a bit unwieldy. This MiKro bass has a really nice neck carve, the body is a bit smaller than my 5-string, and it's mahogany, and very light. The pickups are more than adequate, and the controls are simple & straightforward- neck & bridge volume, & tone. I think I've found the best solution for transporting; the Gator Lightweight Double-cutaway Electric Guitar Case, Item ID: GLElec holds this bass very well, & beats the hell out of any regular gig bag I've ever seen. I would have given 5 stars if this wasn't an entry-level bass...

It's a great little bass. Not perfect but for the price……. The walnut finish is awesome. Fits fine in a tele case.

The good:
Arrived quickly and in good condition.
After adjusting the truss rod, saddle height, intonation and pickup height... my Mikro sounds wonderful and plays wonderfully. There is no hissing or noise whatsoever. Lots of bottom end that growls when needed with just enough high end to let the slap and pops ring like a funky bell.
The finish on the neck is satin smooth. Neck width is just right for a 28.6" short scale.
The weight feels very balanced. Light enough to not put too much strain on the shoulder and no neck dive.
Tuners, bridge and pickups, although not high end, are very serviceable. Stays in tune and sounds good.

The bad:
Was a bit disappointed that I had to do so much work setting her up. She buzzed like a hive of angry murder hornets when I first unboxed her. It was a good learning experience, but someone with absolutely no guitar knowledge would have either been severely disappointed with the experience of receiving an unplayable bass or would have had to take it to a luthier and spend more money just to make it playable.
The flat walnut finish is really disappointing, as well. I have a "flat walnut finish" Ibanez guitar that I really like. I had assumed this would be, at least, similar to the finish on my guitar. Not even close. There are some sloppy runs in the finish also.

I may be nitpicking at the finish and it's imperfections, but I've had other Ibanez instruments selling in the same price range and none of them had these issues.
Overall though... she plays wonderfully and sounds awesome!

Just got the ibanez mikro bass today. first impressions. very light. the neck and body are finished, but there are rough spots. will give a light sand with 400 and 800 grit...and then put a cpl coats of linseed oil/beeswax on the whole thing. the finish cant be described as smooth as is. needs a setup for sure, but not unplayable out of the box. i havent plugged it in yet, but assume the electronics will be swapped out at some point. i think the bridge will prob suffice, but the tuners will prob have to go. doesnt dial in the tune like i would like. it's an inexpensive bass guitar. i think it is worth what i paid, but dont expect it to be stage ready out of the box.

I have had this product for about 3 months before writing this review. I suspect this product was developed and marketed as an introductory product for young players or those with small hands and short arms. I also suspect the profit margin is low to draw in young players to the Ibanez brand; it may even be a 'loss leader.'. However, what attracted me was its light weight, 5.7 pounds. It's easier to dance around with. My regular bass is 11.5 lbs, my other short scale is 8.5, and my back was killing me by the end of the gig. This product's weight is similar to a 'Beatle bass' but with a solid body sound and MUCH better balance; there is no having to hold the neck up thus making hand movement on the neck so much faster. Its not made for 'slappin' and poppin'.' I attribute that to the shorter neck. It comes with 'medium' strings. Probably should have 'lights.' The walnut wood flat finish is superficial and is starting to peel where my fingers hit above the strings, giving it that 'worn look,' but I don't mind (just get some furniture touch-up). It decently keeps tune. The controls function well. Considering there are plenty of us elderly rockers who appreciate the light weight, Ibanez should seriously consider making the product with upgraded hardware, etc., and the increased price would still be a value. Disparaging point: Sweetwater does not prep this product, probably because of its low price and minimal profit margin. I suggest Sweetwater consider an added set-up charge if the buyer desires.

Good looking little bass. It's not playable out of the box. Intonation issues and fret buzz were very bad. It took major adjustments to the truss rod and saddles are as far as they can go. I still have some buzz. I don't expect a top of the line piece of equipment for $ but I should be able to remove fret buzz and fix intonation issues. I got it to work reasonably well and have used it a lot. It's fun to play. The short scale length makes it easy. If I had it to do over again, I'd spend a bit more and try to get a better bass. I'd also have the thing setup before it's shipped but at these prices the setup is almost the same as what the equipment costs.

I needed a bass to spice up some tracks that required an actual bass as opposed to a synth bass. This bass fit that bill. Have had a little trouble getting the setup to where I like it, but this is more of a minor issue. Would I buy the same again, maybe would look at a fender offering first but I have no regrets.

Good looking bass, nice workmanship. Electronics are ok pots require care and feeding like any other to avoid noise. The pickup settings are tied to the volume knobs, not a pickup switch. Not sure I like that but it is not a show stopper.

I wanted to like this bass a lot. And to be fair for the price it looks great and has decent tone. My main issue is with the setup. Tremendous amount of frett buzz. Required adjusting tress rod, string action, etc. After all of that it still required fret work. Not looking to put that much time and energy into a low cost bass.

I am new into the short scale scene. However, this bass is a bit too short scale for my like. The scale and weight felt more toy-like to me. That may be a bonus for some. Just not my preference.

That is good for young beginner.
cheap and small.
When I go twang, it make something bumped noise.

After playing this bass for awhile, I've run into intonation problems; the saddles are not threaded all the way through, limiting the distance they can travel to lengthen the scale. Ibanez has been unresponsive to numerous emails, so I'll wind up spending more than half of what the bass cost to get a decent replacement bridge that doesn't require major modification.

If you have any sense of pitch, you might consider another alternative to this bass, which is primarily an entry-level instrument.