Shorter-than-short-scale

[scrumpymike]

Has anybody tried - or bought, even - an Ibanez GSRM20? I'd be interested in knowing what the quality's like, how it plays and whether it's viable for gigs. I've done a quick online search and it appears to be more than just a toy - neck/body build/finish pretty good with cost-cutting to achieve £165 retail price coming from cheap pups etc. Maybe this has the makings of a good compact, lightweight travel travel/practice bass that could be upgraded to a backup gig bass for not much extra dosh.

[url="http://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/jumpstart/GSRM20.html#.VorUPFIvkiV"]http://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/jumpstart/GSRM20.html#.VorUPFIvkiV[/url]

[Coldflows]

That sounds great to play, but I imagine finding strings for a 28" scale would be a nightmare. I guess it would be suitable as a travel bass, I'm wondering it might have a somewhat 'floppy e' like some short scales tend to go floppy when you d tune them.

It also sounds a bit like a tenor guitar..

I was tempted by this:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/eastwood_guitars_warren_ellis_tenor_1p_cherry.htm?ref=search_rslt_Tenor+guitar_360438_13

For having a noodle on. I'm not sure what a tenor guitar really means. I just know it has the right number of strings! :-D

[alyctes]

I've got one, five or six years old. It's definitely not a toy. The build quality is pretty good for the money, but there's a buzz which is probably bad earthing on one of the pups. The E string was very flabby out of the box; I changed it which improved it somewhat, but it's still a bit soggy. I don't gig much so it hasn't been on stage. It needs a bit of looking at, IMO, but I would gig it. I'm thinking about restringing it ADGC, which would sort the E string and shouldn't be a major hindrance.

Edit: The new strings are for a 30". They're fine.

Edited January 29, 2016 by alyctes

[scrumpymike]

[b]Coldflow[/b] Tenor basses apparently have different stringing/tuning - not sure of the details but I'm guessing it's the ADGC mentioned in alyctes' post.

[b]alyctes [/b]Thanks for the feedback. So, based on what you and others are saying: £165 will buy me a playable neck and a body that's light/compact but well balanced as it retains a full top bout. That's really all I need for a usable travel/practice bass but sounds like I'll be replacing some other stuff if I want a back-up bass for gigs. Could be a nice little project, especially if I could pick up a second-hand one at the right price.

[r16ktx]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1454151233' post='2966915']
...Tenor basses apparently have different stringing/tuning...
[/quote]

Not really sure there's an 'official' name like tenor bass as bass is already a guitar tuning alternative - tuned in fourths from E, then baritone guitar tuning in fourths from B, guitar tuning in fourths from E, tenor as stated in fourths from A? (Sorry that's new to me)
I use a BEAD tuning so having seen this is a baritone guitar one octave down, I thought it would be baritone bass but it appears not :-)

[pfretrock]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1454095483' post='2966474']
Has anybody tried - or bought, even - an Ibanez GSRM20? I'd be interested in knowing what the quality's like, how it plays and whether it's viable for gigs.....
[/quote]

Gear4Music have the rot beer version on offer at £149, Walnut to order same price.

[Phil Adams]

Mike,
further to our conversation a week ago I had pretty much decided that this was what I was after, but I couldn't find one in stock anywhere near me to try.
The Walnut looks beautiful.
Let us know if you go for one, slightly concerned about string tensions though.

[borntohang]

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1454179412' post='2967339']
Not really sure there's an 'official' name like tenor bass as bass is already a guitar tuning alternative - tuned in fourths from E, then baritone guitar tuning in fourths from B, guitar tuning in fourths from E, tenor as stated in fourths from A? (Sorry that's new to me)
I use a BEAD tuning so having seen this is a baritone guitar one octave down, I thought it would be baritone bass but it appears not :-)
[/quote]

Tenor bass is an 'official' name for a bass tuned in fourths and strung ADGC.

Tenor guitar isn't just a four string guitar but a distinct instrument which was originally a crossover from banjos and the mandolin family. It's usually about a 23" or shorter scale but there are longer ones similar to plectrum banjos. There are a lot of tunings but the most common is tuned in fifths as CGDA or GDAE; you also see DGBD and DGBE which are closer to traditional guitar.

[r16ktx]

[quote name='borntohang' timestamp='1454322150' post='2968471']


Tenor bass is an 'official' name for a bass tuned in fourths and strung ADGC.
[/quote]

I guess that leads to alto bass and soprano bass, and of course bass bass, aka double bass! :-D

[Byo]

I have a Fender P-Bass Junior which I bought at Wunjo's back in 2010 after seeing it hanging on their wall for a few weeks.

I remembered it from an old Fender catalogue that I had and decided to give it a go thinking it would be a toy as it was shorter than a 30" bass (28 point something I believe...) but it turned out to be a super cool bass with loads of tone and way lighter than any other bass I own.

If I ever find another one, I will buy it!

[borntohang]

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1454324229' post='2968495']
I guess that leads to alto bass and soprano bass, and of course bass bass, aka double bass! :-D
[/quote]

There's already piccolo bass and contrabass to cover those. Of course the double bass is already termed a Contrabass Viol in orchestral music, but there are Octobasses and Subcontrabasses underneath it which are even larger and deeper. The Octobass I saw was tuned C1 G1 C2 and was played by two people; one to bow and one to use the pedals and levers to fret. Supposedly there is a Triple Contrabass Viol around which goes to C0. It's a funny old world.

[scrumpymike]

Thanks for the info everybody. I'm off to PMT in Bristol tomorrow to have a play

[scrumpymike]

OK, so today I'm the proud owner of a baby Ibanez finished in Root Beer Metallic - my favorite flavor! First impressions are surprisingly good, although anybody expecting it to play like a MIA P-bass is obviously going to be disappointed. This is amazing value for money, and a smart piece of marketing; by offering a cheap-'n'-easy route into the magic world of bass playing, Ibanez are helping win more converts to the cause and no doubt generating a bit of brand loyalty for themselves at the same time.

[url="http://[URL=http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/scrumpymike/media/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg[/IMG][/URL]"]http://[URL=http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/scrumpymike/media/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o598/scrumpymike/008_zpsjqtsgy13.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url]

Sorry about the dodgy pic, but it's not an easy colour to photograph at night on a cheap compact camera.

[Phil Adams]

So what does it play like and sound like Mike?

[scrumpymike]

Used it for band rehearsal the other night, where the reaction was interesting: "Oooh that looks nice; what a great colour. How heavy is it? Wow, that's light - basses are normally so heavy!! How much was it? A hundred and fifty quid - new? You're kidding!" Followed by: " That sounds really good!" All of which proves what we already knew: the only people who understand basses are bass-players Mind you, turning that statement around, nowadays many cheap basses deliver enough performance for your audience not to notice the difference - especially if you're mostly playing middle-of-the-road covers like I do. As far as I'm concerned, it's a nice player with a limited tonal range (as you would expect) and the playing/wearing impact on my poor old body is thankfully negligible. Also worth mentioning that the hum, fret buzz and intonation issues mentioned in a couple of older reviews I read were absent from mine 'out of the box' - although experimentation suggests that fret buzz will be present for anyone who is bit more heavy-handed than me.

[Phil Adams]

Thanks Mike.

[jimbaby]

I have one of these and for £69 it's a cracker.

http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jandd-jb-mini-4-string-mini-bass-guitar-black--214224

[Phil Adams]

Shiver me timbers Jimbaby!!!
That looks fabulous for the money.
I wonder of it's from the same factory as Thamann's Harley Benton one.

[scrumpymike]

[quote name='jimbaby' timestamp='1454675189' post='2971909']
I have one of these and for £69 it's a cracker.

[url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jandd-jb-mini-4-string-mini-bass-guitar-black--214224"]http://www.dv247.com...r-black--214224[/url]
[/quote]
Yep, I looked at those too but went for the Ibanez cos it looked lighter and got so many enthusiastic reviews. Glad to hear that you like yours.

[jimbaby]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1454868898' post='2973755']
Yep, I looked at those too but went for the Ibanez cos it looked lighter and got so many enthusiastic reviews. Glad to hear that you like yours.
[/quote][quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1454868898' post='2973755']
Yep, I looked at those too but went for the Ibanez cos it looked lighter and got so many enthusiastic reviews. Glad to hear that you like yours.
[/quote]

I do like my minibass but I suspect your'e right re the Ibanez being lighter, I also have a bronco and it's heavier than that.

[scrumpymike]

The Mikro has a mahogany body but it's much slimmer with deeper cuts and chamfered forearm rest.

[jimbaby]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1454878207' post='2973890']
The Mikro has a mahogany body but it's much slimmer with deeper cuts and chamfered forearm rest.
[/quote]

I did look favourably at the Mikro at the time, but the skinflint in me won and I went for the cheapie.

[scrumpymike]

If you tried the Mikro, how would you compare the two?

[jimbaby]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1455016815' post='2974977']
If you tried the Mikro, how would you compare the two?
[/quote]

I only compared them online , liked the look of the Mikro, amongst others I may add, one of my things is looking at gear online, that's why I have 7 basses, banjo, 2 ukeleles, and am now considering one of these.

http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/sub-series/sub-guitars-international/silo3-international

[scrumpymike]

More power to your elbow mate! Seriously though, you have to live with something (or somebody) for a while before you really know what you've let yourself in for... that's my excuse anyway.