Ibanez Gio GSR205SM-NGT Natural Gray Burst

Features: It has a nice weathered finish and 22 frets, Aghatis body and a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The bass is very solid for it's price and even though I treat it roughly, there's not a spot on the finish. The bridge is good for the price, though the G string gets out of tune quite often. The bass features 2 pickups, one J-style and one P-style, both active, and along with the 2 volume pots it has an additional treble and bass boost pots, which gives it a great variety of tones. Overall it's pretty decent as a budget bass. // 8

Sound: I play lots of different genres, from funk to thrash, but I tend to lean towards the heavier stuff. The neck pickup is great for the heavier lines, especially when using a pick. The bridge pickup has a wonderful, sharp tone. The ability to mix both pickups, along with the active boost, gives the user plenty of options sound-wise. I use both fingers and pick, rarely slap it though, and although the sound is decent, it really bugs me that it has a certain "volume jump" while playing, especially with fingers, and it can cut through a mix easily, which can be pretty annoying. I use a Laney RB3 Richter Bass amp with it, and it really has a nice punch while distorted, easily capable of playing Motorhead-style lines. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The bass came with a nice setup, had no complaints there except for the action which was way too low. The guitar didn't have any major flaws besides the low action. The only thing that really annoyed me is the fact that the screws are virtually nailed in butter, and after a few days with a strap one of them just popped out. Worst part is that it happened to me while performing, and we had to stop so I could fix it. Still has some duct tape on the long horn of the guitar. But that aside, it's pretty well constructed. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I've played it live a couple of times, jammed out in the HOT desert sun, and it withstood it like a rock. I jumped and went crazy with it and it just took it all without any scratch, so yeah, I think it's definitely capable of doing live performances. The hardware doesn't seem like it's going somewhere, overall it's solid and in decent shape even after years of abuse. The strap buttons, as I mentioned earlier, are the weakest link, and I advise you all to use them safely, perhaps even have them replace. I wouldn't use it in a gig without a backup just because of the strap button issue, but that aside, sure. The finish is really solid, I have my share of instruments and even some of the more pricey ones can't match this finish quality, it's really something else. // 8

Overall Impression: I play mainly heavy metal, but sometimes play alt rock and some other similar genres and this baby can pretty much cover it all. I don't know if I could recommend it to any professional since I'm only an intermediate player but It's a wonderful instrument for beginners and intermediate players. I've been playing for 1.5 years, didn't even take one day off. I own one ESP LTD AX-104 and A Squier Modified Vintage Bass, but I'd never sell this one, probably because I'm way too sentimental about my instruments. I don't have any regrets buying it, it served (and is still serving) me well. If it was lost - no, I wouldn't buy a new one, probably because It's more of a beginner's bass whereas I'm already past that stage, but I'd look everywhere to find this one again. I love the fact that it has a lot of sound options, this makes it very versatile, which is what I need. //8

Great entry level bass, active component adds to sound, great value for money

I am a guitarist and bought this instrument to widen the reach of my fingers and also to practice slap style playing. Actually, I started from playing a bass guitar and this is the first bass guitar that I bought myself (I ussually borrow from friends). Before buying this instrument, I spent weeeeks listening to demos and reviews of different bass guitars in this price range and finally found this one! I tried 4-string basses before and I wanted to experience something different so I purchased this 5 string. Upon receiving it, I was overwhelmed with the quality of the finish. The walnut finish looks really great! The body-neck balance feels great. Though its lightweight, the sound is huge! The tuners always stays in tune so no need to frequently tune. The fretworks is nicely done and no sharp edges compared to other instrument in this price range. The bridge looks tight and durable. The passive pick-ups really sounds well and give extra punch when Phat II EQ is used. I highly recommend this bass guitar! It's 10/10 in price/quality ratio! I will definitely buy this guitar again in case of lost/damage.

I produce a lot of music and although I’m a guitar player I wanted to add live bass to some of my work. This bass was my first but I’ve found it so slick and easy to play all levels of riffs
It records very well and sounds great live. I have to say that I love it, and for the money it will be very hard to beat.

Bought two basses in one purchase one for church and this one for home use and I've got to say it's the perfect bass for practising.