Badtz Maru Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Ordered one of these (In Pearl White) because of a good experience with another one. Of course I had to do some set up to alleviate fret buzz, adjust neck, string height etc. Once it was set up to my liking and a fresh set of my gauge strings, this bass was ready for just about anything! I have used it for a couple of outdoor shows with medium and very large P.A support and the sound was very good overall. Through my stage amp, I was able to dial in a very usable sound quickly. The bass is very light weight .(Which helps those of us with back issues.) Yet is still able to get a decent tone. The bass I received was a newer model with a poplar body and a Jatoba fret board which still has the characteristics of rosewood (slightly lighter in color) with a hint of a maple type bite. Personally, I liked the overall sound with this particular fret board. Speaking of which, the fret board is very easy to play (when properly set up) with a smooth, fast neck. The electronics are decent enough although the "bass boost" knob should be used sparingly and judiciously just to add some deep flavor on occasion for certain styles. All in all, a pretty decent machine that can easily be used by beginners and seasoned pro's (ok, it won't match up with a "boutique bass" by any means but still a very usable product!) Very good value for the price!Heard the Bass

This bass is really amazing for the price of it. The neck is so smooth and a bit thinner than other regular bass, perfect for my small hands and the weight wow it is really light. the built quality is top notch. The sound is really good and you've got plenty of sound you can experiment with it. Overall it's an all rounder bass from beginners to pronelson c.

The Ibanez GSR 200 is one of the best "bang for your buck" basses on the market. They are made with excellent quality, lightweight wood, agathis, maple, rosewood. The onboard P/J pickups and electronics sound good. They play good out of the box but they play excellently if set up by a guitar tech. These were choice basses for many of the bass players supporting MWR tours. Musicians would take Ibanez GRS 200 basses on tour and raffle them off to service members on the last gig.matt4717

The Squier Bronco Bass delivers exactly what I expected. It's a 30" scale bass with a body shaped like the Fender Mustang bass; it has a single pickup (I believe it's a strat pickup), is fairly light weight (mine weighs in a 7 pounds 10 ounces), and it's a fun little axe. It's also the lowest-priced bass by an actual musical instrument company. How do they keep the price down? One way is that this is the only bass I've owned that has no fingerboard. It doesn't affect anything, but the front of the neck IS the fingerboard. The hardware is okay quality. But here's the thing – it sounds decent, feels great, plays well. There's going to be a little luck of the draw in a lower priced instrument, but my tuners stay in tune, intonation was on, everything is good. There was a little too much neck relief, but that was easy to adjust. If you're realistic about your expectations, the Squier Bronco Bass is an awesome value, looks good, and it gets you playing. It's not going to sound like a Stingray or a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, but it doesn't sound bad, either – I would do a show with one without worrying about it. I have other basses, but wanted to add an inexpensive short scale to my stable, and this bass was exactly what I wanted. I may upgrade the pickup later – I may not. For now, it falls between my 34" scale and 28.6" scale basses, and it's fun to play. I'm very happy with it.Pcake

I ended up using this bass for songs where long scale can be a bit difficult. My main bass is an imported '54 P Bass copy, Alder body and maple neck/fingerboard. It had to go into a local shop for some major nut repair, and I needed something to play around with. Off the rack, it was a pretty great bass for the price. The neck is very well crafted, no sharp fret edges like some imported instruments. It's an agathis body, so the tone can be kind of bland, but compared to older Squier Broncos, it seems that all of the bridge and neck contact one piece of wood on the multi-piece construction, so sustain isn't too bad. The bad: The tuners are pretty sorry and are an oddball size, which makes replacement with good tuners very difficult. My E and A tuners rattle some, but all four do hold tune pretty well for cheap tuners. Also, the stock pickup is a six-pole ceramic Strat pickup, so it can sound…odd when bending strings. The other bad is the bridge: although it intonates pretty well, two saddles can make proper intonation difficult to achieve along with proper radius. Also, the bridge mounting pattern is almost impossible to replace with another bridge–four hole lock-down and quick-release style bridges DO work, but the bridge is mounted a little too far forward, and intonation is almost always sharp on the upper end of the fingerboard. Gotoh 201's are also very difficult to adapt to fit. But for its price point, some of these cons are easily fixed. I have a Mojotone Alnico V lipstick Strat pickup in mine with CTS 500K pots. It sounds excellent–it fools some of my buddies about how cheap it is. This bass could probably also benefit from a bar retainer near the nut. It went from an around the house beater to a mainstay for certain songs.Isher

my dad, a professional and extremely experienced bass guitarist, bought me this for christmas last year, and i love it. this is the first bass i've ever picked up and it's easy to play, is well built, has a nice feel to it, etc. i highly recommend it for beginners. i play it in my school band class and it fits in very well with the rest of the instruments. however it can fall out of tune easily and the pickup isn't the best, but ultimately it's the most perfect beginner bassout there, especially for the low price, it's high qualityace

Very lightweight, no strain on my back. Has that perfect Ibanez action I've come to prefer over other makes. Pickups work in tandem, not separately, so that took some getting used to. Color is hot and sexy.John

The Ibanez GSR 200 is one of the best "bang for your buck" basses on the market. They are made with excellent quality, lightweight wood, agathis, maple, rosewood. The onboard P/J pickups and electronics sound good. They play good out of the box but they play excellently if set up by a guitar tech. These were choice basses for many of the bass players supporting MWR tours. Musicians would take Ibanez GRS 200 basses on tour and raffle them off to service members on the last gig.matt4717

I bought the jewel blue one and named it "Jewel". No, not like the singer. I thought it was totally beyond all expectations. I played it for a couple of years before I lost it when my marriage fizzled. Now I want another one. I'm no novice. I've been playing guitar for over 35 years, and Jewel was my third bass. I liked her better than a Fender Jazz. I want another one. To nitpick, I didn't like the square corners on the top of the neck (past all the frets), so I took the neck off and rounded them. Problem solved. I also didn't like that the threads stripped out on the E string bridge piece when I tried to back it up far enough to get the intonation right. But I think the real problem is solved with an Earvana nut. Anyway, if you can't afford to buy the bass everyone is telling you to buy – or even if you can – buy this one. If you don't sound good on it, you don't need a Fender or a Rick, you need lessons.Gravity Zen

This bass hits a home run. I would put it up to an American feder any day! The ONLY issue I have found it the jazz pup is a little weak when playing only through it.Mike

It is amazing how a MIM can sound like thunder. You can get amazing tonal possibilities from this bass; full of punch and with a clean and crisp tone. The neck is very soft for fast playing; and the pickups are incredible. I also have a Yamaha TRB 1005, and a Spector Classic Legend 5 but this MIM stands among the others with power and authority. You can take it to church and tear down the walls, or take it to the local venue and crush the other band mates. You will never find a bass like this, with this features for that price. If you find one: buy it! I'm thinking about buying one more to convert it to fretless it. You will not get wrong with the Deluxe P series!mrfunkh

I've been playing on and off for over 30 years. I have a broad collection. This is an excellent P Bass for the price. Great balance, very good tone, and the neck is awesome. The neck is a little thinner on the "SPECIAL" than a standard, which I love. I added an acrylic mirror pick guard, now it's time to Run To The Hills.flip21121967

I bought this bass in person at the Guitar Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Normally, I wouldn't choose a white guitar, but it was the only one they had in stock. The white color is actually beautiful and you can't really tell from the pictures. When it's in the light you can see it actually has sparkles in the finish. So this is not just a "white" guitar. Playability is incredibly comfortable and easy. I am predominately an acoustic guitar player and I hadn't picked up a bass in ten years, but I needed to lay down some bass tracks for a new album and didn't have a bass player so I figured I would wing it…and winging it turned out to be SUPER easy with this easy-to-play bass. The tone is fantastic for a bass in this low price range and you have several EQ knobs so you can really shape the sound you are looking for. This bass also has a "bass boost" knob to really fatten it up. I was really surprised with the quality and playability of this instrument. And Guitar Center had actually changed out the stock strings AND did a set-up on it before they even put it out on the floor which saved me $50 right there! The only small complaint I have is that the nine-volt battery died after only a month of playing. On the other hand, I have no idea how many people played this bass before I found it. Great bass for the money.Shawn

I visited guitar center and only saw the blue sunburst option in stock, so I had the white one shipped to the store and picked it up a few days later. Out of the box, the strap holder screws were extremely stripped and fell out immediately, which I wasn't expecting from a brand new bass. The finish also had some unsightly scratches around the pickups. Some of the EQ knobs feel inconsistently loose, and the volume knob feels like it can be strained and turned beyond its intended range. None of these issues were too major and could probably be fixed if I put in some effort, but they were somewhat unexpected. Aside from some fret buzz, it plays great. EQ knobs on the bass is a nice touch and helps in finding a tone you like. It has good pickups and feels light and maneuverable, albeit somewhat cheap. I'm happy with the bass itself, but won't be making the mistake of purchasing an instrument I haven't physically seen again.MoonGoblin

Purchased the Fender Player Jazz bass. Overall great looks and sound, but some quality issues from the Fender Mexico factory (not Andertons' fault): – First bass had very clear weird uneven blemish under the varnish on the sunburst body. Not awful, but if I was in-store I would never have chosen that particular item. Returned and swapped by Andertons, no quibbles. Second bass arrived. Overall happy, sounds great, but still a few issues with quality control and design. – Control plate was missing 2 screws and was moving around – how does that get through Fender quality control? Replacement screws sent free of charge by Andertons. – Nut has not been slotted correctly – high G must have been passed through a machine and slipped, string is clearly a couple of mm too close to fretboard edge and you can see the failed first pass. Doesn't really affect playability, but is annoying and I will get it corrected at some point. Again, points to poor quality control. – Fretboard (Pau Ferro) is really thin – on the Player series, at least. Neck fret dot markers in white are half over the mid-dark fretboard, half over the light maple neck. Very hard to see in low light levels. OK, so they're just an indicator for position, but the design isn't great. So overall, the bass sounds great and Andertons service was very good. Fender quality control loses the one star from the review.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

…and falls in love. Let me start by saying I actually have owned one other P-Bass. I had a 50s reissue Precision, but honestly the neck was just too thick for my liking after years of playing Jazz basses. Honestly, it felt thicker than the neck on my Yamaha 5-string. So, I picked this bass up after always dancing around getting what would be considered a more standard P-Bass. I have a 70s Jazz with a ton of modifications, I've had quite a few other brands of basses, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I ordered this a few weeks ago, and have been very pleasantly surprised. The action was pretty good out of the box. I adjusted it a bit, made a few tiny tweaks to the intonation, and now it's super smooth. And, on the pickups, let me say it's a great sounding bass. Pickups are clear, bass sounds great. I play through a little Ampeg Micro cabinet. Earlier this week, I bought some Flats to throw on it (because that's what you do with a P-bass, right?) and now it's quickly becoming one of my favorite instruments to jam with. It really cuts through the mix when playing in a group. I see why folks really love the sound of a precision. My Jazz still has it's place, but man, I really like the sound of this bass. The Player P is a great value for what you get. I've never owned an older MIM, but I research the heck out of pretty much any purchase I make, and it looks like Fender really stepped it up with this rendition of their MIM Precision basses. Good tone out of the box, no discernible pickup noise, good action, a beautiful neck, and a Tidepool Blue finish that just shines and shines.Dennis F

The Mikro bass plays, looks and sounds great. The extra-short scale length does not compromise the traditional bass tone it produces. I have played 6-string guitar for over 40 years, including many professional gigs and teaching. I own over a dozen topnotch guitars. But this is my first bass, and I chose Mikro on the recommendation of a trustworthy friend. I have been doing my own repair work on guitars for decades, and can say the Mikro bass is impressively well made, and arrived decently set up with new, good strings. Fret work, neck, nut, tuning machines, bridge, fingerboard, finish, electronics are all virtually flawless; and the tobacco sunburst color I chose looks really nice, with a "vintage" vibe. I replaced the stock chrome dome knobs (which are nice ones) with Gibson-style knobs so I can see numbers for volume and tone settings. I really like the tone of the Mikro, especially the "Precision" style pickup–the one closer to the neck, from which it's easy to get a classic P-bass tone in conjunction with the tone control, which also works great. Ibanez chose a great capacitor value for the tone knob. The bridge position ("Jazz" style) pickup is just OK–usable, and not bad, but nothing remarkable, and it's especially lackluster when used solo, without any of the P-style pickup dialed in. That is the only part of this bass, other than the knobs, I would consider upgrading in the near future (maybe also the potentiometers, but even those feel smooth and responsive out of the box). The satin-finish neck feels great, and is a breeze to play, even for someone like me, who is coming to the bass from years on guitar. The tuning stability of the Mikro is remarkably great. So the latest versions of the Mikro basses are a phenomenal bargain! I would not hesitate to recommend a Mikro to anyone considering moving from guitar to bass, or to someone with smaller hands. From what my bassist friends tell me, the Mikro is great for any bassist PERIOD.NYC Slide Guitarist trying bass

Overall: I've been playing for years, mostly Fenders, Tobias and a heavily modified Decca short scale from the 60s. This is my first Ibanez bass and I am blown away! I chose the brown burst finish, and took a chance on the "blemished" version. Been looking at it all day and I can't find any imperfection anywhere. Definitely wanted short scale, light weight and a fast neck, this one has all 3 and then some. Set up out of the box was close, very close, with only a slight fret buzz on the E string. A very small adjustment at the saddle took care of it. The stock pickups sound good, the tone knob has useful range, everything sounds quite good through everything I've played it through so far (Fender, Orange, antique Earth head, etc.). Overall, I couldn't be happier!Bryan

An utterly great bass overall. It's perfect for someone with a low budget, or someone who's new to learning bass. Also good for children or people with small hands since it's a short-scale. This was my first bass and I still play it a lot. Not only is it cheap, but it has a really good tone, a nice feel to it, and a beautiful orange finish (if that is the finish you chose). The only bad thing I have to say about this is that it got some fret buzz to it but in all honesty, it's not that bad. I love Ibanez basses, I own several and this one is absolutly great.Logan

Just took delivery of a used Hofner shorty bass in black. Lovely instrument. Fit and finish was fine. I had to do a little bit of intonation setting which took no time. The neck is better than expected. Frets are finished properly and the neck has a nice satin finish. Its not to wide, not too thick and feels great. The pickup delivers and even sound across the strings. There are no dead spots. Volume and tone controls work great and the knurled knobs feel very good. I was able to dial in some of my preferred sounds using the VPF control on my Markbass Blackline 250 going through a Markbass NY604 cabinet. I was also liking the sounds going through an Eden World Tour preamp. Im looking forward to rehearsal tomorrow using the Eden directly into an EV ZLX 12 powered cabinet. The bass came professionally packed and really appeared to be new. Love the padded Hofner gig bad with the logo on it. All in all a great small, inexpensive (but not cheap) bass for practice, performance and especially travel.Miguel404

First of all, this bass is just what I wanted for practicing when traveling. Compact, 24 frets, decent electronics and comes with a gig bag. Intonation was pretty good too. I did adjust the intonation, but that's really only because I'm kind of fussy about intonation. One thing I will say is I had never experienced "neck dive" until I owned this bass like. in the resting position, the bass headstock will point right down to 5 o'clock. Since this is a practice instrument, I made some modifications. I put weight in the body cavity, but the body cavity is not huge, so with extra weight, I could get the neck to hang in the resting position at about 3 o'clock. I next removed the front strap pin and drilled a 3/8" in diameter hole 2" into the body at the same angle as the strap pin screw. I purchased 3/8" aluminum round stock and cut it to 7.5". 2" would insert into the body and 5.5" would remain outside to mount the strap button while extending out to nearly the 12th fret. I painted the round stock black (primer and paint). I mounted (drilled and epoxied) the strap button on the end of the round stock. I think epoxied the extender into the body. It looks pretty darned good and now the bass balances perfectly.Kevin1014

I did not buy the bass from this vendor. This is a beautiful instrument. It's light, makes wonderful sounds and is comfortable to play. The very coarse wire wound strings that came with the bass made a lot of noise if your fingers moved along them. I replaced them with flat wound strings and you can only hear what you play. It needs a pro set-up but is straight and true, and stays in tune The semi-hollow design makes the bass feel solidly built while providing that deep woody hollow body sound You can't go wronghellejame

Thought I would do a follow up from previous review on just the Bass itself. As others suggested installed Nylon Flats and had a setup done. This has become one of my favorite Bass guitars. Nice deep tone, quiet strings and easy to play. Sounds fantastic thru my Markbass amp. Be sure to order long scale strings. Truly worth having in your collection.JohnnyB

One of the most beautiful basses I have seen, the binding and craftsmanship is on point. I even like the way they made the volume and tone knobs to match the guitar. My Bass came pretty well set up and ready to go, the neck was straight enough and there was no buzzing of the strings, alittle tuning and admiring, started playing 5 minuets after I got it. When I put a strap on the bass it had a tendency to lean away from the body, if you need to see the fretboard it might present a problem, maybe a different strap position would help, didn't bother me. It sounds very woody and a little bit hollow, it doesn't sound like an Jazz or P bass, I have both so the comparison was easy for me to make, it has its own sound. I think it would mix up good in a easy setting, a little light rock and some country music, not a metal bass by no means. All in all I knew what I was getting when I order it so I'm not disappointed at all, its not a fender or musicman, it's an Ibanez and that's what it sounds like.MickeyB

I have owned about 8 Ibanez basses over the past 30 years and stopped playing them about 5 years ago as it's been the same thing year after year. I saw this Multi-scale version and figured I'd give something new a try. I was a little hesitant about the fanned frets and how it would play. Within 5 minutes of playing this I am in love!! This has to be the most comfortable playing bass I've ever owned – you get used to the fanned frets in seconds – It's like second nature – PLUS it's a beautiful instrument in it's finish and fit. The electronics are easy to use and allow it to sound like multiple basses I already own. I haven't played any of my other basses since I bought this. Thank You Ibanez for making me WANT to play a bass again!!Barry

An absolutely beautiful and I mean beautiful bass. From the fanned frets where your fingers fall perfectly into place to the phenomenally mind-blowing body, this magnificent bass is a need my only wish being it came with Nordstrands to even better compliment the tone.Jace

Bought this bass for my son. He loves Ibanez basses (already has 2 others). He has always talked about the sound and style of Dingwall basses and this Ibanez is an awesome fan fret bass. Great tone, playable neck.Don H

Sound: I was impressed by the sounds I could get from this little beast. I'm a pretty heavy handed finger style player (I've always had a heavy attack), but I could hear the differences every time I alternated pickups, adjusted the EQ, and flipped the "Power Tap" switch. This thing offers a lot of sound for very little money! Features: As stated, the thin fast neck of this bass is amazing. I have smaller than average sized hands, so the slimmer design is really comfortable for me. The PowerSpan dual coil pickups are really decent sounding for what they are. The "Power Tap" switch is what sold me on it. After some knob twiddling, trial and error, I found a really nice warm, but heavy sound that I enjoy. Also, the ease of access to the battery compartment is a nice feature as well – no screwdriver needed! Ease of Use: Ease of use is great! Plug it in and play 😉 Seriously though, my stepfather is a guitarist by nature, and even he's remarked at how nice it plays and how nicely the knobs freely turn to dial in the sound you are looking for. Quality: I was impressed by the overall quality of this instrument for the price. I own and play "higher end" basses (Warwick's, Ibanez SR Premium's, etc.), and the quality of this is bass is almost as nice as my SR Premium at a fraction of the cost. Of course it had a few things that needed some tweaking out of the box, but overall I am very pleased with the product. You could spend a lot more and get a lot less (I have anyways…). I guess there's a reason I keep coming back to Ibanez basses. Value: The Ibanez SR300E is considered by most to be a beginner bass. I get that. Yet, for the price, you will be hard pressed to find something with better quality and features. If you are new to bass, or need a backup for your regular player, I would highly recommend the SR300E. I see it becoming my regular player because of it's features and sound. And hey… If something were to ever happen to it at a gig in one of those "seedy" venues, I could easily replace it and not be too upset about the price. Manufacturer Support: I've never had to deal with Ibanez directly, but I have dealt with zZounds a few times and their customer service is wonderful! Friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. Those are the things that make me a repeat offender to this site! The Wow Factor: This bass is a lot of bang for the buck! I love the look of the black hardware on the weathered black finish. When my girlfriend gave me the "Oh no. Did you buy another bass?" look – even she had to admit the weathered black finish was sexy looking. Ha! Overall: I originally bought an Ibanez SR300E Iron Pewter as a gift for a member of my family who took an interest in playing the bass. When it arrived I took it out of the box to tune it and give the action a little tweaking. Of course, being a bass player myself, I had to give it a try to see how well it played. I was in shock and awe by how well it played and sounded. The neck was extremely comfortable; very thin and fast! It felt like this thing could play itself. After playing it for a few days, (and a few times since), I was so amazed by it that I had to come back to order one for myself (Weathered black – that black hardware on black bass just looks so good).Jason

I'm a 40+ year working bass player. Previously I had owned an Ibanez BtB and loved it, then traded it for a Warwick, which was cool, and definitely fashionable too. Ended up having several shoulder surgeries and a major spinal surgery in my neck, (I set off metal detectors now), also gathered a pile of some rather large medical bills in the process, so the Warwick had to go to pay the bills, so I decided to retire in order to heal up for awhile. Lately, sitting at home doing nothing and waiting for the pandemic to end. I decided it was time to get another bass, and decided to start playing again. Since I had worked at a local music store for years as a guitar tech I was familiar with the Ibanez SR Series, so when I found this here I knew this had to be the "one" because of the price and me being familiar with the SR Series, (we were an Ibanez dealer). I love the color, the feel of the thin neck and the active electronics. With the 3 way tap switch, volume/tone/pickup splitter knobs you can get an amazing number of sounds out of this instrument, from floor shaking lows to twinkling clear highs. The color was nice, the neck felt good and the price was definitely right. It also arrived with a decent set up, not great, but better than many others I have seen, so as a retired guitar tech I lowered the strings a bit, tweaked the truss rod, worked on the intonation and it was ready set go! If only my callouses would come back that easy everything would be golden.I would definitely recommend this as a great beginner instrument, and also as capable of being a suitable gigging instrument.Sonny

I am Loving my new Ibanez SR300E Bass. As a female Rock bassist, I needed to find a lightweight, slim bass that still packed a punch, and this baby does all that I've asked of her. Lovely deep tone, well balanced and responsive, the active electronics are on point, the lead stays put, and as for the colour… WOW! My husband, the drummer, is also really impressed at how well she locks in with the groove. Excellent delivery times from PMT, ordered on line and it arrived within 3 days. Very happy.Sammy T.

This fretless bass is a great value! This bass is about 1/3 the price of the next cheapest fretless. The sound is very good with a wide range of tonal possibilities. Exactly what I was hoping for. The flat wound strings have amazing treble, similar to round wounds. I was able to lower the action quite a bit by adjusting the bridge with the provided Allen wrench. On the downside, while the A, D, and G strings were flawless, the E string was dead. It was totally mismatched to the sound of the other strings; thumpy without any treble. I guessed that the outer wrapping around the core had unwound at the factory and was not tight. Removing the E from the tuning peg and twisting it to tighten the wrap around the core improved the sound dramatically. Endemic to this model is a design flaw (I tried 3 of these basses previous) wherein the two tone controls are wired in series rather than in parallel. Either tone control can control the tone of either the bridge or neck pick-up, so that it is impossible to control the tone of the two pickups independent of the other. Consequently, you can roll off the treble fully with one tone control and then roll it off again with the other for an insanely deep bass sound. You can easily re-wire this unforgivable defect in a few minutes, if you own a soldering iron. You can Google this slip-up and get a correct wiring diagram online. I may leave it for now, as I am getting into the tonal possibilities of the "extended bassy" sound. Finally, the fret board is unmarked. Being a visual player, I found it helpful to pencil in fret lines. The side markers provided on the neck are not so helpful, as they are in the traditional fretted positions, one half fret back from the place where you need to finger. These drawbacks are not a deal breaker in my opinion. The bass is a blast to play and the tone is completely different than my fretted basses. GET THIS BASS! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT!Lenny

To be honest, I bought this bass mostly because of a great discount offered by Musician's Friend. I didn't want to spend a lot on the bass since I only wanted to experiment with fretless playing. However, this bass was a pleasant surprise. It looks great, plays great and has provided me with a bass sound I always wanted but could never get with my fretted basses. I was concerned that I would play out of tune without the frets, but it was easy to get used to finding the correct notes. The pickups are excellent! I've recorded several tunes with it now and honestly love the results. I'm impressed by Rogue basses, which many of my bass-playing friends shrug off as being "cheap" and not a brand name. They don't know what they are missing! I intend to buy a fretted version ASAP. It is lighter than my Fender Jazz basses and the smaller neck is easier to play. In conclusion, I'll never be a bass 'snob' again. Rogue products are an excellent bargain and not just for "beginner" bass players.lcad1953

I am mainly a guitarist but have always had an interest in a fretless bass. It sounds surprisingly good. To get intonation right I had to replace the bridge adjustment screws with longer 3X50 mm screws. Without that fix it is unplayable. Another fix would be to move the bridge plate 1/2" towards neck.Tom

Overall: I wandered into a national Music store chain one day in Oct 2016 and went straight to the used guitars that were hanging on the wall in the used section. I'm always trying to keep an eye out on a good used Music Man electric as I try to collect these fine instruments. That particular day there was pretty slim pickings so I wandered through amps, effects and I ended in the pass guitar section. (I do play bass but usually when I write my own tunes) and this 6 string bass caught my eye. It didn't look cheap so I asked one of the vultures hovering there ( employees, just doing their gig) what he could tell me about this bass. It was pretty light-weight, first impression, so he gave me the run-down on the thing and I asked him if I could put it through the paces that I knew and we plugged it into an Ampeg mini brute what ever it was called and began a 45 minute of exploration where I passed this through an extensive test regarding tone, intonation,ease of reaching pots, tome control, The bass boost, I checked out the spec's which were pretty tight on with what was written. The balance was great, ease of use overall in case I plan to take a 6 string bass to a gig and perform for 3 hours was good weight-wise. I was particularly impressed with the bright tome. I was impressed in the selection of pickups that were available with this instrument. I've been performing on stage since I was 8 years old but mostly on guitar. I understood first you are usually someone and I was tithe whoweEric

Overall: I bought this simply to see if I want to pursue playing a 6 string. Beyond a few brief encounters in music stores, I have not played one and opted to try the tried-and-true Ibanez brand. The price point had me a little scared but this was a great purchase. I don't expect to have this long being I will either continue on the 6 string, or it will be flipped into something else. This is my first Ibanez and I will likely give the higher end SR models a closer look regardless of string count. The Good: Price, the setup was perfectly playable out of the box, tone is decent, weight is good for a 6 string, the fret ends a dressed. The Bad: doesn't balance well (Raw leather strap helped), finish is thin and wood not worth keeping natural (wanted the black model but, out of stock), Odd EQC.j.

I had no trouble setting up this bass. I was able set the intonation perfectly. Even the low strings sustain pitch very well and were easy to tune. I added a slight relief to the neck, because there was a lot of string buzz. After this slight adjustment to the truss rods, there is only a buzz when playing hard on the bottom 3 frets of the lowest string. The action is still low and it is very easy to play (though I do have long fingers). The stock strings are very cheap. As someone else stated, I feel upgrading to higher quality strings may resolve the low B buzz issue. The tone is amazing thanks to the built in EQ bass boost. I found it easier to play harmonics than my other basses. Walking bass lines sound smooth and percussive playing sounds pro. This is my new favorite bass. I can't wait to play it with the band.Michael O

This guitar came ready to play right out of the box. If it weren't for the 3 day trip from Indianapolis to Ohio, It would of probably been in tune out of the box. The instrument was packaged well. While un-wrapping the case from the 2 boxes it was packaged in I had no doubts that the instrument would be okay. The guitar itself is a beautiful piece of art and beautifully set up. Clean and Neat. The guitar plays like butter and is easy to play. I am a music student going to school for music performance in jazz studies and this guitar matches all the requirements I had for a guitar. I have other instruments besides this one, but I wanted a work horse guitar that I would not be afraid to carry on my back everyday. NO FRET BUZZ on any strings! I have been to the Galloup school of guitar repair and building for the journey man program and I felt no need to try and tweek this guitar in any way, other than the pick up height on the neck pick up. That pick up was set oddly low. I would like to commend the person and peoples at music man for a nicely done job on getting their instruments ready to go out of the shop and Musicians Friend for the great customer service and fa-nominal job on packaging and shipping. Thumbs up!Joey Slu

My guitar arrived ready to play. I almost didn’t even have to tune it. workmanship was superb no fret sprout, rough edges, string buzz etc. The pickups are great as is and you can dial up any sound you want easily. Neck is smooth as silk no issues. The guitar exceeded all of my expectations. it’s hard to put down once you begin to play it. Hard shell case is great very solid and beautiful inside with lots of room for stuff! I own over 138 guitars this is one of the absolute best of my high end models. Once you begin to play it you will find it hard to put downmwpv11

Quality and attention to detail is the name of the game with Music Man. Acoustically the guitar is resonant and had a clear tone. Plugged in the low output pickups let the tone shine. It has body you’d expect from humbuckers but with a clarity that was very surprising. Fret work is flawless and the natural feeling neck is fast and smooth. Plus the flame on the neck and fretboard is incredible. It has more flame and depth than many big brand body tops I’ve seen. I’d say the neck is on the smaller side of medium but super comfortable. Overall the guitar is simply outstanding.Mark

Just bought one. Very nice looking, plays well. Bought mine via Walmart for a lower price.Nice gig bag, great Fishman electronics. I have owned Aliens, Ovations and now this one. This one is a keeper. Same feedback issues at higher volumes that almost all acoustic basses seem to have. Just have to rely on a good EQ to get rid of most of it.616jacqdaniels

One of the nicest acoustic basses I have owned. Great finish, great tone, very nice Fishman electronics and a excellent gig bag. I've had Warwick Aliens, Ovations and now this one. Can't be beat for the cost.JacqD

I was shocked by the quality and setup on this entry-level Ibanez Bass. Either the Ibanez Indonesia factory has stepped up their game, or AMS at least doesn't ship out the duds. Never purchased from AMS before, but once you buy you are hooked (stop sending me those $20 off coupons). VERY satisfied customer.Island Thumper

The Ibanez GSR105EX Bass is a nice value bass. The neck was straight. The action was nice and low. The neck profile made it very comfortable to play. The passive pickup has quite a growl to it. It is so light. Mine weighed just over 6 pounds. Strings were the weak link on the bass, which you would expect on a bass at this price. They were really rough on the fingers, even for an experienced bass player. They were changed out immediately, and it greatly improved the sound, and they saved my fingers from further trauma. I enjoy playing it. I think it is a good starter bass for those who want to explore a 5 string without a big investment.Pete H.

1st-great price for what you get – no more or less. 2nd- Re: Mahogany Oil naming – this guitar hasn't ever been in the Zipcode of Mahogany but I guess the stain is Mahogany colored – sort of. Review: The bridge is fine and the intonation and action is fine. This guitar is like my old 'Cuda – the harder you drive it the better it gets. It shines on more aggressive stylings; tho I don't like slapping and popping this thing sounds excellent for that. I use this mainly for recording so as far as sound – the one giant 'bucker is fine as I run Bass thru EQ's and compressors anyway on my DAW. Having the low B, 5 extra notes is the key here for stoop-down bad-ass low-ness. For 2 bills it's too nice. •••• d:DDean

Overall: I was lucky enough to get the last one last month in black Bass is beautiful set up perfect nice and light fast easy neck and the tone with the Nordstrand pickups is amazing and versatile Kinda like a jazz bass on steroids I've done 4 gigs nothing but compliments on the sound I'm very happy with this bass zZounds rocks I've bought a lot of gear from them and 4 basses so far A Ibanez gsr200m for my granddaughter A Ibanez btb 20th anniversary 6 string fantastic bass with Nordstrand pickups A sterling sting ray 5 hh the 1000 dollar one in White Killer bass My other basses that I have owned for a few years are my Yamaha Trb 6 jp2 6 string my boutique baby and a really cool maestro neck thru 5 string fretless So i have a nice stable of basses I do find myself using my 605e now a lot its light comfortable and a tone monster Do yourself a favor and order one ..worth the waitDavid

Molto soddisfatto, ottima elettronica, manico stretto per un 5 corde. Spedizione al solito velocissima e con imballo adeguatoMassimo Alboretti

Just bought one. Very nice looking, plays well. Bought mine via Walmart for a lower price.Nice gig bag, great Fishman electronics. I have owned Aliens, Ovations and now this one. This one is a keeper. Same feedback issues at higher volumes that almost all acoustic basses seem to have. Just have to rely on a good EQ to get rid of most of it.616jacqdaniels

One of the nicest acoustic basses I have owned. Great finish, great tone, very nice Fishman electronics and a excellent gig bag. I've had Warwick Aliens, Ovations and now this one. Can't be beat for the cost.JacqD

Classic Ibanez body shape, neck, tuners and lightweight, like a scaled down Soundgear (SGR) series only sans the unnecessary active bass junk. Knobs are solid metal, not cheap plastic ones found on other low end Ibanez basses. Only thing bass needed out of box was intonation set. No neck adjustments needed and no significant buzz. Strings are round wound (my pref). Would not recommend this bass if you think you need (tone killing) flat wound. I'm not aware of anyone making flatwound strings for a 28.6" scale bass. Note: scale length of this bass (28.6") is shorter than typical short scale (30"). The strings on it are proprietary (Ibanez). You might be able to make some cut down long scale strings work (pain, wouldn't recommend) but the proprietary Ibanez strings are the way to go. MF doesn't sell them for some reason. You can find them online for a very reasonable price online. Buy a couple of extra sets. Pickups are jazz bass style and config (two volumes + one tone) which is my pref. I had zero issues with tone or volume controls. Pickups are all passive. Yah! And tone sounds great, classic jazz bass tones available including a nice Jaco-ish tone with 100% bridge pickup and tone rolled way down. Be wary of review comments from guitar players that don't play bass and buy this bass and suddenly have a lot of opinions about what this bass should and shouldn't be. This bass does not need the bridge, pickups, tuners or electronics replaced to make it a "pro" instrument. All this bass needs to be a "pro" instrument, is a "pro" player playing it. Tone is in your fingers. I highly recommend for beginners and I think experienced players will dig it as well, especially those that appreciate shorter scale instruments.mark5211

My 75 year-old fingers are becoming very arthritic and my two Fender Jazz basses were causing too much pain so I tried the Mikro bass. Its short scale makes playing much easier and less string tension has provided painless fretting. The sound is amazing – from really punchy vintage bass sound to jazz bass to great slapping and with changing pluck position, it mimics a fretless bass beautifully. I am now playing daily and am very happy with this bass. The low cost belies the great sound and quality of the instrument.Paul J

I play short scale & wanted a 5-string but didn't want to spend too much. Having played Ibanez full scale basses I know their quality so figured I'd risk the $200. No risk at all. Greatly exceeded expectations. Solid, a flawless finish & smooth neck. First thing I checked were the frets, as I've seen some inexpensive basses with fret issues. The frets were level with not a sharp edge to be found. This bass is a joy to play. Has good tone & is fast due to the 28.6" scale. Two minor quibbles: 1) wish it had color options like the 4-string Mikro (the transparent red is killer); 2) I'm not a big fan of round wounds & these may be the 'clangiest' I've heard. However, this little bass is so good I see a set of La Bella SS flat wounds in the very near future.John

Dimond anniversary Precision Bass what's not to like. I did receive the Guitar in a little ruff shape, however nothing I couldn't handle myself, I.E. Set-up was way out and I had to use a light rubbing compound in a cupule of spots. In comparison I got the 75th Jazz a month earlier, it was perfect. Both come out of Ensenada Factory, so I guess its hit or miss with that factory. AMS was as usual spot on with taking care of the problem, I believe that was my 4th Bass from them and it will not be my last.. I've had it for a month now and it plays LIKE BUTTER! Thank You AMSZig Borden