Ibanez Review: GSR 200

History:

Purchase: The guitar was bought from G.M. Music, Cardiff in September '03. I went into the shop with my 18 year old son, intending to point out the naffest guitars, doing the old Newman and Baddiel "Thats your favourite guitar in all the world, that is" sort of routine.Puerile, but it passes for fun on a cold day. I came out of the shop with a new bass, not really what I had intended. I payed 180 quid for it. I owned an Ibanez Studio bass (an excellent guitar) in the early 1980's, and couldn't resist getting another one at this price.

What I Like About This Ibanez GSR 200: It's an Ibanez, not a bad place to start. They have made very good guitars for a long time. The neck is very slim, and so easy to reach the notes. The action is low, and the range of tone from the two pickups is quite suprising. Apart from the slim neck, which makes it ideal for younger players, or the ladies (O.K., anyone with smaller hands), I think one of it's greatest assests is how comfortable it is to play. This is mainly down to the chamfered top edge of the body, which is also cut away on the back to give an easy playing position for your right hand. This means you can happily play for hours on end. Great for you, bit of a bugger for the family/neighbours.

What I Do NOT Like About The Ibanez GSR 200: Very hard to find anything worthy of criticising, bearing in mind it's price range. There is a small amount of fret buzz, almost eradicated by raising the A and D strings very slghtly. Also, if you are a bit heavy handed with your left (fretting) hand, you can bend the neck enough to bring back the buzz. I don't regard this as a real problem, as it actually helps you to recognise if you are developing a bad habit, that you can then put right.

Ibanez GSR 200 Quality Rating: For the price, outstanding. It is not the best guitar in the world. That accolade belongs to my other bass (Rickenbacker 4003). It is, however, very well constructed. Mine has shown no faults, with many many hours of playing behind it. Everything does as it is intended, day in, day out, asking only to be treated to the occassional set of new strings.

Review Summary: A remarkable instrument. At an 'entry level' price, it really is far too good to regard only as a beginners guitar. It can produce a soft, laid back walking bassline, or hammer out crisp, defined solo pasages, and all with adjustment to spare on the tone control. In summarry, I quite like it.

Rating of this Ibanez product: 5

This Ibanez GSR 200 Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: Martin C

Review Date: 2004-05-17