Short Scale Electric Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

Received one from MF and put it through my usual testing: Results were mixed in that the bass itself looks good, seems pretty well made and plays really nicely. Frets were in good shape and seated well. Intonation/ set up were good. The neck is wider than most other basses, but not uncomfortably so. The light weight of the bass is a real plus for me. On the negative side, I did notice some 60 cycle hum from the pickup that got very noticeable once it was plugged into my stage amp. The extremely loud hum was even more annoying when the bass was run through a chorus effect. Not good! But, when I gave it the "gig test", the sound (other than the annoying hum) was very good. Well balanced across the strings and more than enough edge to cut through the drums, guitars, monitors etc. and sat well in the overall mix. Depending on your eq settings, this bass can get deep lows and smooth highs that compliment a slap sound without sounding "clacky". But I had to cut the volume knob to zero after every song because of the loud hum…. So, I sent it back for a replacement and … uh oh…. yep, same problem with the next one. I will try figuring a way to ground the pickup or changing out the pickup to alleviate the problem because otherwise the bass is quite good as is. I would recommend this bass but with reservations because of the pickup problem.Heard the bass

I received this bass guitar as a gift from my family this past Christmas. I am absolutely in love with this guitar. I own many bass guitars, from two Fender Jazzies, to a Squire Jaguar, also two acoustical basses, and a 1976 Rickenbacker 4001. This is just a beautiful playing, and sounding, bass guitar, as well having stunning looks. I am going to keep this bass for the long term. One of the Jazz's is for sale at this very moment… If you want something that has a unique look, and is easy to play and get many different sounds from, this could be your ticket. For the price,are you kidding? Recommended!Ed Conley, Bass Guitarist

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

I bought this bass because a friend had one that worked great and played great and I loved it. When I purchased mine I had it sent to my house. 5 days later and it comes in with busted knobs and I had to take it in for a refund. They had another in stock and I took it home. Well the second is busted too. Huge disappointment considering how much I enjoy playing this bass. Absolutely unreliable and I won't be getting a third one.James

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 got the Squier Mini P-bass in Dakota Red, it looks great, no finish issues. I'm a guitar player and I love the size, it's a blast to play, the scale length isn't too far from a guitar, it sounds pretty good and is comfortable to sit with. The pickup is fair, it would definitely make a great bass for a younger player or a small adult that is uncomfortable with a full size bass… and for someone like me that just wants to play around on it for fun and do some some basslines on home demo recordings it is sweet. With a couple of upgrades it could be a mini monster.Mark

I’d read reviews of how good this bass is and had to check it out for myself! I’m starting uni soon so wanted a cheap small bass to take with me. Fit and finish is very good as was the setup. Just had to slightly tweak the intonation. It’s really quick and easy to play and actually sounds very precision like 👍🏼 The G string can have a slight ‘sizzle’ to it but nothing too untoward. The tuners aren’t the best but seem to hold tune ok. I did replace the strap buttons as they are minuscule and my strap came off them too easily. Overall a fun and great sounding addition to anyone’s collection.Nic S.

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

This is a really good starter bass, IMO. It came well set up and ready to play right after I tuned it up. Intonation was good. Neck was straight and the fretwork did not need any repairs. Pickups seem to be decent. Fun to play. Short scale was the right choice for me. The extra 4" for a full scale would have really been an uncomfortable stretch for me.Clay

Right out of the box, was amazed at the quality of the finishes. Great balance. The neck was a terrific surprise as it came with no sharp frets and so comfortable. The electronics are not the highest of quality but they do work. The set up was amazing and initially had fret buzz on low E at 7th fret. Tuned it and has lessoned, I may need to tweak a bit. But for price who could go wrong! I should have ordered another one and will continue to check to see if they go back on sale again. Even at regular price if the deliver what I received then it is great value for the money. I happened to get mine when they were 1/2 off regular price so am super pleased.carol2m

Completely unusable out of the box. Neck was bowed like a half pipe. Various high frets had to be filed down, and it was impossible to intonate. E string nut was cut so deep it is almost even with the fretboard. Theres no wood on the tuner side to replace the nut like a Fender where there would be a wooden slot to fit a nut into. I'm trying to build it back up w/ some epoxy and filings off a bone my dog was chewing on & will refile. Otherwise, I'll use it for firewood. I had some higher end parts and the experience to make this a decent little bass but if you dont, save your money or go w/ an Ibanez or Jackson in a budget short scale. Or spend more on a Fender.Matty G

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

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

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

Overall: I bought this without playing it, but was very pleased right out of the box. My fingers were black after a few minutes of playing due to the dirty strings, but that didn't dampen my opinion by any means (but good idea to purchase a new set of strings along with the bass). Bought the Walnut Finish (looks more expensive) for use with my SC-300 Boss Looper (also purchased from zZounds). It sounds great! I'm not onstage playing head banger metal, so don't need that rumbling low end anyway. But the pickup configuration def gives you a lot of low end. Even though I've been playing guitar and bass for over 30 years, I would use this bass onstage, AND more importantly, if you are introducing anyone to playing bass – this will be a much easier learning bass due to the size. It still feels like a 'bass' and it's not tiny or anything, but it doesn't feel clunky like a bigger bass does. I'm looking forward to using this for a long while, and assuming it holds up over the next few months I'll likely grab another one just to have a backup. Don't hesitate if you need for a recording bass, or onstage. And def great for a beginner to keep them from losing interest due to most basses being too large for them.Jason

This is my second Mikro. I gave my first to my nephew, and moved onto full scale bass guitars, some fairly expensive. However, I missed that Mikro. Even though it?s the cheapest bass I own, it is by far the most fun to play and sits next to my desk as the ?go-to? guitar to pick up and play when the mood hits. Love this thing.RICHARD

I'm recently retired and a beginner with the base. The Ibanez miKro Series GSRM20 was just what I needed to get started. The short scale is better for stiff fingers, and I found it quite easy to play. The quality is very good for this lower priced guitar, and it came mostly set up, needing only a few tweeks. I recommend this product to others, especially older folks with arthritis.MARK

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

As a long time guitarist, I thought I'd dip my toe into the world of bass. This is an incredible product for the money and in no way feels or looks like an entry level product. Really usable features which lend towards a huge range of tones from a single instrument. The guys at GG set up instruments to be played straight off and this one was no different – great action on a highly playable neck.Superb!Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I have had this beautiful five string fretless bass guitar for almost four months now. This guitar was set up just right out of the box. The only two things that I had to do differently was of course to put flatwound bass strings on this bass, and I chose to raise the strings action up a little higher. Other than that this bass is exactly what I wanted in a fretless bass guitar. I wanted a bass that could nail those "Jaco Pastorius" bright tight punchier "Jazz" bass tones. This bass also does the new age music fretless bass sounds so well. It is very well built, and has a beautiful finish. I could not ask for any more from a bass especially for the wide range of sounds to be had from a bass like this Ibanez SR375EF! Thank You American Musical Supply. Sincerely Steve N. Jr.Steven N.

I've been hacking around with guitars for over 40 years and never had any inclination to get a bass guitar until recently. Partly because of the size and weight, I think. I never saw myself standing up with a concrete block hanging from my neck, trying to pick out a bass line. Not my idea of fun at all. I always play sitting down, especially since I have grown old, and I do mean OLD. And then I discovered the short scale bass. Wow. Never even knew such a critter existed until a couple months ago. That opened up a whole new way of looking at the bass. A guitar-size instrument that will rattle my toes when I play. Now we're talking. Long story short – I got me an Ibanez GSRM20 in black. I absolutely love it. It has everything I need in a guitar – value, looks, playability, the whole nine yards. Can't say it would suit everyone the same way, but for me it is perfect. If you are a guitar geek and never really have been inclined toward a bass, this might do it for you. I love it.king_arthur0_1

The stock pickups and tuners are not so hot, but were easy enough to upgrade. It still has a lot going for it: mahogany body, comfortable maple neck-not too thick, and the fret work was impressive. Also the newer models like I received are using a lighter colored jatoba fret board instead of the darker rosewood. I don't notice much difference in tone between the two woods, more of a visual. I think the lighter colored jatoba looks good in contrast with the black of the this instrument. To me the string tension was a little too loose. Came with 45-130 strings. I put on D'addario 50-135 and now it handle the low B string much better. Is a standard 34 inch scale. As far as the pickups I went with Duncan SSB5 passives-were direct fit, did not have to modify. The stock p/u's are passive as well, just has an active bass boost. They sound better than stock, but I'm still not a fan of the bass boost. Also for some reason 500k pots are used on this, not 250k like most bass's use. I will likely end up wiring up with 250k pots and bypass the bass boost, making a truly passive bass. Tuners would slip and were not smooth. Replaced with Gotoh GB707-5 L3xR2 tuners. They dropped right in and used old screw holes as well. I could have spent seven hundred plus on the nicer Ibanez with name brand tuners and pickups, but saved a few hundred putting together myself. I really dig it. I've tried a few 5's before (mainly a 4 string player), but this one is a keeper. Very comfortable, and now stays in tune and sounds good.mv

The gsrm20 is more than I seriously expected. It's short scale is so convenient for me since I'm a short person so it definitely makes my playing experience more comfortable. The sound that comes from the guitar is definitely amazing, and a guitar like this would very much work for people who are looking for a bass to transport when having gigs or rehearsals. The guitar is really beautiful and is definitely a steal for the price it is at. It doesn't matter if you're a child teen or adult, the guitar can be for everyone and does more than you would expect.leo c.

Overall: I bought this without playing it, but was very pleased right out of the box. My fingers were black after a few minutes of playing due to the dirty strings, but that didn't dampen my opinion by any means (but good idea to purchase a new set of strings along with the bass). Bought the Walnut Finish (looks more expensive) for use with my SC-300 Boss Looper (also purchased from zZounds). It sounds great! I'm not onstage playing head banger metal, so don't need that rumbling low end anyway. But the pickup configuration def gives you a lot of low end. Even though I've been playing guitar and bass for over 30 years, I would use this bass onstage, AND more importantly, if you are introducing anyone to playing bass – this will be a much easier learning bass due to the size. It still feels like a 'bass' and it's not tiny or anything, but it doesn't feel clunky like a bigger bass does. I'm looking forward to using this for a long while, and assuming it holds up over the next few months I'll likely grab another one just to have a backup. Don't hesitate if you need for a recording bass, or onstage. And def great for a beginner to keep them from losing interest due to most basses being too large for them.Jason

This is my second Mikro. I gave my first to my nephew, and moved onto full scale bass guitars, some fairly expensive. However, I missed that Mikro. Even though it?s the cheapest bass I own, it is by far the most fun to play and sits next to my desk as the ?go-to? guitar to pick up and play when the mood hits. Love this thing.RICHARD

I'm recently retired and a beginner with the base. The Ibanez miKro Series GSRM20 was just what I needed to get started. The short scale is better for stiff fingers, and I found it quite easy to play. The quality is very good for this lower priced guitar, and it came mostly set up, needing only a few tweeks. I recommend this product to others, especially older folks with arthritis.MARK

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

this bass requires batteries even if you only want to use the 1/4 out to an external amp. tech support confirmed that it does have passive pickups, but active electronics. messing with 3 AAA batteries is a pain. i would prefer that it have a bypass switch to route the pickups straight to the 1/4 output. just a caveat if you’re thinking of buying this. it was a deal breaker for me. cheers!inland b.

My TB-4P is better than 7 years old when writing this review in 2022. Mine is black with a white pick guard, which they do not offer anymore. I have better than 50k miles traveling with my TB-4P bass in the small trailer I tow behind my Honda Gold Wing motorcycle and equally as many traveling by car. This bass has also been on close to 20 flights with no issues by TSA or the airlines. There are several positive features about the TB-4P bass. First and most importantly is its' small size and light weight making it easy when on the road. Next is the full size scale and neck. The TB-4P bass plays just like any regular size bass. So practicing in this Traveler Bass is just like practicing on a full size P, J or other bass. I didn't realize until I started traveling with this TB-4P how important the built in headphone output, 1/8 inch or 3.5 mm plug input and internal amplifier are. All I need to practice with the TB-4P is headphones and my music player with a cable to connect to the bass and I'm ready to play along with my practice audio materials. I play silently using headphones or plug into a small powered speaker (a bluetooth speaker with a 3.5mm input is my go to amp on the road) or any regular amp input and I can play along with others hearing both my bass and music player audio. As an example how many trips my TB-4P has been on, I wore out the original travel case ordering a replacement earlier this year. Because this bass is so easy to carry, and plays and sounds like a regular bass, I usually bring the TB-4P to setups prior to a gig for basic rig and sound check purposes, as well as many rehearsals or practice sessions. The craftsmanship and workmanship of the TB-4P is outstanding. The setup is spot on and the frets are smooth. The TB-4P is ready to be played and enjoyed right out of the box! I recently purchased a Redlands Acoustic Bass for acoustic sessions with equal level of satisfaction!zutltd

I was a little unsure and thought this purchase over for a while. There was none available at the nearest big name Guitar shop (over 90 miles away) to try out so I made a leap of faith. I already own a Traveler Electruc (old style with piezio pickup in the bridge) and it has by now accumulated enough airline miles and hotel points to take an extended vacation in Fiji! I am glad I did. A fullsize bass takes up a fair amount of room and since i travel a lot, a small footprint fullscale instrument is preferable – I've had too many bad exeriences with airlines and instruments. The playability is great – action feels good, and even for a bass is light. The only weak points I have found so far is the pickups sound a little thready and the built in headphone amp is weak. If only I could find a portable bass amp comparable to my Honeytone…..Mad Uncle Dave

I bought this for my son before Christmas and he was blown away! He loves playing this bass! I’m impressed by the quality of construction and my son has been playing it non stop. I’ve been a customer of AMS for several years and they have been my exclusive shop for all of the gear that our four musician household could ever need. Thanks once again American Musical!Ronald A.

I previously purchased the U.S. version of this bass in tangerine and I loved it; except for the color. The color was more like bright metal flake orange than tangerine metallic and although the bass played great and sounded amazing I returned it. After seeing Ed Friedland (the Bass Whisperer) review both versions on YouTube I decided to try this one. Although it looks kind of plain it plays and sounds almost as good as the U.S. version for half the price. I’d highly recommend it if you want a great sounding, comfortable and easy to play short scale.Ranger Sarge