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Ibanez GSR205 Questions

Matthew_84

Matthew_84

Nov 7, 2010
6,497
5,101
Greater Toronto Area, Canada
#1
I'm looking at buying an Ibanez GSR205 for a project build, which requires a 5 string bass with 22 frets or less. The electronics doesn't matter to me. I'm more interested in the build quality, stability, and feel.

Anyone care to share their experience with this bass' B string? I'd be stringing it up with DR SS Lo Riders, and would maintain very low relief and action.

How stable is this neck? Does it require many truss rod adjustments? I don't mind two or so adjustments a year, but I can't tolerate much more than that.

Also, what's the weight like on these?

I'm aware that I'll likely need some fret leveling and shielding done, but did anyone have any quality issues with one of these basses that they don't mind sharing?

I'll still need to play one in person to see if the neck is comfortable for me (I'm aware it's a bit thicker than Ibanez SR necks), but I'd really appreciate some feedback to my questions above.

Thanks!
 
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#2
I got one at a steal and have learned to play 5s with it. Neck is solid, frets are ok and the bass puts out pretty solid sound. It's comfortable, not that heavy. I haven't had a problem with the B string at all, but I'm running basic DR rounds. It's worth it. Solid bass
 
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#4
Old Blastard said:
I got one at a steal and have learned to play 5s with it. Neck is solid, frets are ok and the bass puts out pretty solid sound. It's comfortable, not that heavy. I haven't had a problem with the B string at all, but I'm running basic DR rounds. It's worth it. Solid bass
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Thanks for your feedback!

Have you had any issues with it staying in tune?

I've read a few people mentioning the bass doesn't seem to stay in tune (which would likely be corrected by upgraded tuning keys, hopefully its not caused by an unstable neck). There are some people complaining about buzzing frets, but most of those complaints could just be a setup issue.
 
#6
Old Blastard said:
Note: the neck is not as wide as many 5s, which is why I can play it. Unlike Trump, my hands are not yuooooge. That makes the string spacing narrow for large fingers folks
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LOL!

I actually like necks with relatively narrow spacing (16 - 17mm), but I hate having a thick neck from the fingerboard to the back. Based on the Ibanez site specs, it seems to be 3mm thicker at the 1st fret than my current bass and 1mm thicker at the 12th fret. The 3mm at the 1st fret seemed pretty substantial when I measured my current bass, but I would need to play it to know how I really feel about it.
 
#9
Old Blastard said:
I don't notice it, but I bought it because most 5s feel like 2x4s in my small hands. And I got a stupid deal on it.
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I'm just very particular with neck thickness. I've put a lot of basses back on the wall because the neck was too thick for my tastes.

I do like Ibanez basses though, if I didn't need something with 22 frets or less than I'd likely get a slightly more expensive Ibanez SR...

I was saving up for a Dingwall NG-2, but reality hit hard and there's no way I can swing it in the foreseeable future. The upgrades I'm planning for this will bring the cost up for sure, but at least I can do it bit-by-bit.
 
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#11
IngerAlb said:
The necks are generally solid. I've yet to need adjusting the truss rod on any of my Ibbys... but yeah, you might need to change the stock tuning machines (on mine they were a bit weak and wouldn't stay in tune for extended periods of time). Make sure you do try it in person before buying.
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Will do. Did you ever upgrade the tuning machines and notice a difference?

I know you said the neck is solid, as did Old Blastard, I just want to make sure its the tuning keys that cause it to go out of tune and not the neck... But re-thinking this, if you've never had to adjust the truss rod, then I'm going to guess its the tuning keys, which is likely on lower budget bass.

I have a Fender MIM Strat that I only pick up every month or so, but when I do it's substantially out of tune, and the truss rod needs to be re-adjusted every time as well (I check after bringing it back to pitch). I'd probably play it more if it was more stable. I'm just trying to make sure this won't have similar issues.
 
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#15
Matthew_84 said:
Will do. Did you ever upgrade the tuning machines and notice a difference?

I know you said the neck is solid, as did Old Blastard, I just want to make sure its the tuning keys that cause it to go out of tune and not the neck... But re-thinking this, if you've never had to adjust the truss rod, then I'm going to guess its the tuning keys, which is likely on lower budget bass.

I have a Fender MIM Strat that I only pick up every month or so, but when I do it's substantially out of tune, and the truss rod needs to be re-adjusted every time as well (I check after bringing it back to pitch). I'd probably play it more if it was more stable. I'm just trying to make sure this won't have similar issues.
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If you have tuning stability issues, it's not the tuners. That's a common misconception.
The nut is most likely binding and this happens a lot on cheaper guitars. Just remember that If you have an issue with tuning.
 
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#16
Mechayoshi said:
If you have tuning stability issues, it's not the tuners. That's a common misconception.
The nut is most likely binding and this happens a lot on cheaper guitars. Just remember that If you have an issue with tuning.
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Can you please elaborate on what you mean by "the nut is most likely binding"? I'm guessing it has something to do with the angle of the nut slots and how the string sits in them? If so, can you please explain the issue a bit and how the slot should be cut to fix this?
 
#17
Gatorbait ( my son) has a GSR 305. Same basic bass but with a 24 fret neck. Bought it new about 5 years ago. The stock strings (D'Addario i think) sound very good with a very even sound across all 5 strings. He tried my P Bass with flats and loved the feel so we tossed a set on his 5er. Also sounded very good and very even also. Recently , he needed a bit livelier sound and put the original strings back on it. Still sounded good. A couple of weeks ago he picked a set of Rotosounds and put them on. He's kind of on the fence about them. Says the B and E string sound different from the others. Don't know if he's going to put the originals back on or try something else.
The thing stays in tune great and hasn't needed anything done to the truss rod. Action is exceptional. The only issue we have had with it is that I had to re solder a couple of the connections to the pots.
I have a GSR 200 and a couple of Ibby 6 strings. Love all of them. Good sounding , easy to play and reliable as a tick. Hard to go wrong with Ibanez.
 
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#18
A string should move freely lengthwise in the nut slot when it is resting on the bottom of the slot. Heavy gauge strings or some nylon tapes require the width (NOT the depth) of the slot opened up some.

Tuning issues can also be a result of improper installation, like the 'witness'/contact points not being set, or strings overlapped on the tuning posts, so it takes a while and multiple re-tunes before they stabilize.
 
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#19
Matthew_84 said:
Can you please elaborate on what you mean by "the nut is most likely binding"? I'm guessing it has something to do with the angle of the nut slots and how the string sits in them? If so, can you please explain the issue a bit and how the slot should be cut to fix this?
Click to expand...
It has to do with the nut not being cut perfectly.

I'm not an guitar tech but basicly the string rubs up against the nut and if the string is bent it won't return back in tune. This is a bigger issue on guitars with tremolos since you don't bend as much on bass. Still it can be a factor for tuning issues.

Sometimes you can fix this by marking pencil led in the slot or something though. Having a nut made of better material helps too. But it is rarely the tuners themselves. Don't let people fool you.
 
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#20
JustForSport said:
A string should move freely lengthwise in the nut slot when it is resting on the bottom of the slot. Heavy gauge strings or some nylon tapes require the width (NOT the depth) of the slot opened up some.

Tuning issues can also be a result of improper installation, like the 'witness'/contact points not being set, or strings overlapped on the tuning posts, so it takes a while and multiple re-tunes before they stabilize.
Click to expand...

Mechayoshi said:
It has to do with the nut not being cut perfectly.

I'm not an guitar tech but basicly the string rubs up against the nut and if the string is bent it won't return back in tune. This is a bigger issue on guitars with tremolos since you don't bend as much on bass. Still it can be a factor for tuning issues.

Sometimes you can fix this by marking pencil led in the slot or something though. Having a nut made of better material helps too. But it is rarely the tuners themselves. Don't let people fool you.
Click to expand...
This all makes perfect sense. I'll check how freely the string moves lengthwise on the Strat, and maybe put on a new set of strings while I'm at it (it's been a while). Thanks guys!
 

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