An affordable, lightweight 5-string, perfect for a new player or a working musician with quality electronics, gorgeous spalted maple top and exclusive finish.
For more than 25 years, Ibanez Soundgear series have given bass players a modern alternative. With its continued popularity, Ibanez is constantly endeavoring to answer the wider needs of a variety of players, at a variety of budgets. But no matter what the specs, the heart is the same. SR continues to excite with its smooth, fast neck, lightweight body, and perfectly matched electronics. Its Phat II active bass boost adds additional low-end power more than any other basses in this price range, and its beautiful Flamed Maple top on GSR205SM will stand out on the stage, studio,or anywhere.
The Ibanez DXH-5 pickups are broad in terms of response and have great dynamic range. Add to that the dual volume controls and the tone control, and you get a wide selection of available tones. Kick in the Phat II active bass boost and you add a low-end presence that rocks, funks and swings like you want it to.
The Ibanez inspection and setup process is among the best in the industry, and your GSR205SM bass will arrive ready to play right out of the box.
Order today and enjoy affordable Ibanez quality.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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This bass is put together well and looks great with the spalted maple top. Hardware is perfectly usable and not bad at all, but obviously not high-end. As I expected, the pickups and electronics were decent, but nothing spectacular. They were acceptable to gig with, once everything was set up properly. The B-string was a bit muddy, though. Not bad... but not the greatest either. What do you expect for 3 bills? So, I ended up swapping the pickups and the electronics with an EMG active system (2-band BTS EQ and DC pickups). Wow! This bass now sounds about $1500 more expensive than it is. Warm, clear sound. The B-string is tight and clear. I couldn't have asked for more. It's not "sterile" at all (as some people claim EMG pickups are). Actually quite organic and warm... but very clear, no mud, and a nice even response over the entire frequency spectrum with this bass. Sounds good for pretty much every technique and genre of music. Slap sound is great. Fingerstyle sound is great--big sound out of the neck pickup; tight "Jaco sound" out of the bridge pickup.I actually like the body shape of the GSR more than the regular SR basses. Well, okay, the shape is the same, but the corners are beveled more like a typical bass on the GSR, rather than thinned down like the SR basses. And the gloss finish is really very nice. It's SUPER light. Great for my aging back and for sound resonance.
I've gotten several comments on how nice that spalted wood looks and how nice the bass sounds.
This is a very nice bass as built (stock). It's a killer bass with pickup/preamp mods. Overall, you can't go wrong buying it. I'm going to get the 6-string version just because I like this one so much.
Ibanez GSR205SM 5-String Electric Bass Guitar Natural Gray Burst
.Picked this up because of the picture. Thought it was just a beautiful 5 string and have had great luck with Ibanez basses in the past. It has a great feel and decent tone and is extremely light. The actual product however isn't near as nice looking as the pictures I've seen online. I usually buy in store if it's not special order but figured how far off could it be? The answer...pretty far. The wood tone isn't near as bright and it doesn't have as much black around the outside as seen in the pics. If you want something a little darker and more subtle then you wouldn't be disappointed. However, if you like that bright wood and black contrast then you need to see one in person. I'm very happy with where I'm able to position my hand for fingering and slap bass so I'm giving it 4 stars but I can't say it looked like what I expected.
Ibanez GSR205SM 5-String Electric Bass Guitar Natural Gray Burst
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