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Ibanez GIO 5-string advise, $400 or less

vivaknoxvegas

vivaknoxvegas

El Duderino
Supporting Member
May 6, 2002
4,184
8,495
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Knoxville, TN
soundcloud.com
#1
I want to upgrade pickups and pre for this guy. The stock electronics are giving me a muddy output that I’d like to improve. I’d like to do passive pickups and a standard 9V active pre. With a budget of $400, what would you all put in this? I don’t want to do any routing of wood, looking for drop in gear.

802868F7-973D-4D8F-B8D5-0A5233C18F31.jpeg
 
#2
vivaknoxvegas said:
I want to upgrade pickups and pre for this guy. The stock electronics are giving me a muddy output that I’d like to improve. I’d like to do passive pickups and a standard 9V active pre. With a budget of $400, what would you all put in this? I don’t want to do any routing of wood, looking for drop in gear.

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I have just very recently picked up an Ibanez Gio 5 string too. I like the guitar but it has no comparison to my Yamaha BB424 4 string on flatwounds. SOOOOO I fitted flatwounds to the Ibanez and has made improvement but still as you say a bit muddy. Also the Yamaha is CONSIDERABLY louder even as she is a passive guitar. My next step (Friday) will be to remove the current pots drill another pot hole, copper foil shield the cavity (even tho no shielding issues at present). Then fit a very cheap 3 band preamp, a Belcat £ 10 Sterling delivered from China which arrived on Monday this week. I have had a look inside the Ibanez cavity I certainly think there is enough room for the Belcat preamp and a fifth pot and from hunting threads on TB it appears there are quite a few Ibanez have been already done. Whether this improves the muddyness is questionable. Let you know after Friday.

Laurence
 
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#5
IT LIVES !!!!! Spent this afternoon out at the workshop stripping out the pots and that Phat 2 to see if it removes the muddyness I referred to. I stripped out the giblets measured up and drilled another hole for the three band Belcat preamp and yes there is plenty of room. I copper foiled the cavity even tho no shielding issues Fitting up was pretty straight forward but yes soldering those puny skinny pickup wires is a right royal pain, not helped by the fact I forgot to bring my glasses. I had to change the Belcats output jack socket as it is a panel mount the Ibanez one is through body. It took a bit of figuring out the wiring for this but I must have got it right because it works. After reassembly I had a look at the removed electronics I found a broken leg on the tone capacitor, this MIGHT explain the muddyness. Just home literally just in the door I plugged her in she now sounds great, bassier than a bassy thing good mids and treble too. And still perfectly quiet, as I said there was not a problem with this anyway. This evening I will have a proper arse around with her. But definitely well worth doing even with such a cheap Chinese preamp.

Laurence
 
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#8
Right UPDATE. Have had a bit of an arse about with the now reformed Ibanez Turn the bass up a bit off the center detent on the pot she sounds thunderous, rattles the room. Turn the mid and treble up off the center detents leaving bass at center detent she sounds much more mellow ( more like my Yamaha ). Much more definition now between neck and bridge pickups, much better than before. Well pleased over what she was, I think she is a keeper. Criticisms of the Belcat conversion. Uses cheap mini pots, pretty much the same quality as the Ibanez ones that came out. But nice smooth detents no crackles or scratchiness when turned, so they do the job pretty well indeed. The Belcat came all wired bar the pickup posts and two tails to the battery Unfortunately did not come with any ID of which post was bridge or which was neck pickup needless to say I wired my pickups wrong a 50/50 chance. Turn knob up for bridge down for neck. I know about this so it is not a problem really. I would correct this but the Ibanez pickup wires are so fine it is like trying to solder hair, really difficult so I will leave this issue as is. Also the bass mid and treble pots are not identified so fitting position is pot luck LITERALY ! The Belcat output jack socket. This is a really cheap nasty affair tho I dare say it would do the job. whereas the Ibanez one is really good quality so happy enough now changed over. Overall the quality of the Belcat is good. Does as it should PLEASED.

Laurence
 
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#9
Typical I open my big mouth about the Ibanez jack socket and the Belcat.

Guitar failed tonight (Sunday)

Thought either battery or one of my solder joints (only done Friday). Nope F,in Ibanez jack socket failed ! Bit of pokeing about with it got it working again. Will get a new one BUMMER !

Laurence
 
#11
You are determined to spend this 400 on this bass aren't you. ? Remember this will add very
little value to your GIO. Why not get a Belcat leave the pups as is, as mine (tho I have flatwounds) see if you like it, ittle lost if not but you will slightly increase the value of the GIO. TBH I wish my Yamaha BB424 sounded like my GIO does now and I love my Yamaha. The quality of the Yam is far above this cheap Ibanez. But the GIO is most certainty up to the job till I can afford a 5 string active Yamaha. Me want !

Laurence
 
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#13
vivaknoxvegas said:
I'm not upgrading it to increase the value. I just want it to sound great and have quality components.
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Did you ever hear the expression Tryng to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear ? I own a Squier P bass on which the ONLY unmodified original parts are 18 of the screws. The GIO is not a quality bass but it can be made to sound like one REAL CHEAP

Laurence
 
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#16
The SR375E is better all around, better pickups, better electronics, & it will be worth more if you ever decided to sell it & move on to something else.

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OTOH, if you really want that GIO to sound much better, at a hefty expense:

Big Blade 4

Nordstrand_Pickups_BigBlade4_soapbar_Bass_800x.jpg

2 Band Preamps

Nordstrand_Pickups_2B_Preamp_Bass_800x.jpg

or,, there's a thread on TB about variable mids preamps
That would be the way to go, but you'd need to use concentric pots to make that work.
 
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#18
Reviving this older thread, do any of you know of suppliers that have solid shaft pots besides All-Parts that also don't have a crazy minimum 1,000 ct. order requirement?

I have changed my mind, and I want to just upgrade pickups and keep it passive. I was thinking vol, vol, tone, and then a 3-way selector switch for neck - neck+bridge - bridge functionality.
 

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