# Ibanez Gio GSR206 6-String Bass



## Sheridan (Jun 21, 2011)

I'm a major newbie to guitars, but I picked up my dad's Hamer Cruise Bass a few weeks ago and I've been learning pretty fast, so I want a 6-string so I can learn songs by some of my favorite bands, like Periphery, In Flames, and Scale the Summit. A 5-string would be good enough, but the Ibanez Gio is a really good deal on Guitar Center (See here.). It's only $299, which is in my price range. Any recommendations?


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## Kstring (Jun 22, 2011)

Budget? but heres a couple to look for

Cort Curbow 6 String Shark Bass | eBay

Cort Curbow 5 String Bass - ELECTRIC BLUE - NEW! | eBay

ESP LTD B-206SM 6-String Electric Bass Guitar Natural | eBay

IBANEZ Bass Guitar in Excellent Condition SDGR SR506 | eBay

SCHECTER STILETTO CUSTOM 6 6 STRING BASS GUITAR VRS RED | eBay


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## Razzy (Jun 22, 2011)

The GSR206 is surprisingly solid for the price, and I almost bought one when I bought my 6-string bass, but I ended up getting the LTD B-206SM, because it was only like $100 more, and it was money well spent. The neck on the LTD. isn't as thin as the Ibby necks, but it's very, very comfortable. I recommend it highly. The stock electronics are surprisingly decent too, I bought it with the intention of swapping everything out for better electronics pretty much right off the bat, and ended up not needing too. 8 months or whatever later, and it's still stock.


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## Superwoodle (Jun 22, 2011)

Rondo is an option, Rondo Music 6 String Bass Guitars


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## Sheridan (Jun 22, 2011)

Razzy said:


> The GSR206 is surprisingly solid for the price, and I almost bought one when I bought my 6-string bass, but I ended up getting the LTD B-206SM, because it was only like $100 more, and it was money well spent. The neck on the LTD. isn't as thin as the Ibby necks, but it's very, very comfortable. I recommend it highly. The stock electronics are surprisingly decent too, I bought it with the intention of swapping everything out for better electronics pretty much right off the bat, and ended up not needing too. 8 months or whatever later, and it's still stock.



I'll look into that one, thanks.


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## troyguitar (Jun 22, 2011)

I can't say for a fact, but that Brice HXB is probably a much nicer instrument than the Gio or the LTD. I've thought about buying one for awhile myself.


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## guitarister7321 (Jun 27, 2011)

I wouldn't get the GSR206, personally. I've sat down with one of these a few times at Guitar Center. They're not that bad at all, but you can definitely do much, much better for $300. I got a nice used neck-through Peavey Grind 6 for $350. I recomend checking out the used market. If your looking for a nice Ibanez 6-string check out used SR406's. You can probably snag one for $300. Plus they're Soundgear basses, which is better than GIO.


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## thedarkoceans (Jul 4, 2011)

my first bass ever was a GSR 200.the 4 strings version of the bass you're talking about.great choice for a beginner.GO FOR IT!


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## Explorer (Jul 4, 2011)

Having a Cort Curbow 5, and having picked up the Ibby in question using a coupon at GC this past weekend, I have to observe that the Ibanez is surprisingly good. It was punchy, feels good in my hands in terms of the neck, and is workable (not necessarily excellent) for slap/pop. This instrument sounds great stock, and although I wasn't planning on actually getting a bass this weekend, I wound up spending the money. 

I had to switch my Curbow's pre in order to get better tone from it. I'm a huge fan of the instrument's ergonomics, but once you start upgrading to get the sound to the same level as the feel, it's more expensive than a lot of options. Additionally, I wish the action was a little more adjustable, as my high string is set as low as the bridge allows, and I wish I could drop it a bit more. This isn't the first Curbow I've felt this way about. 

Regarding the 506, I'm not a fan of the jack placement. I find it preferable to have an edge jack to the slanting hole jack placement, but to each his or her own. 

$250 for this thing was completely worth it. I had been considering getting something from Rondo for close to the price, but all the reviews on TalkBass made it sound like I'd want to replace the electronics right out of the gate, as opposed to my instant satisfaction with the range of tone on the Ibanez. Given that a lot of the Rondo sixes are the same price or higher compared to the GC pricing of the Ibanez, and the idea that I'd have to spend to get a similar tone out of the Rondo, I'm pretty pleased.


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