animalfarm Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Had mentioned to a Friend I was on the hunt for an inexpensive Bass and Amp set-up to have to "monkey around with" and get my feet wet in the "play a Bass" department. He's a Drummer, but like all of us gear-freaks, collects just about anything music-related. Gits, Amps, PA, DRUMS, etc. Long story short, he called, 2 days ago, says "I have", asks if "I want". I sez, "I'll come and look". (I did some pricing research prior to looking). After negotiating, I paid $225.00 for....... 1. Ibanez GSR200 Bass 2. Ibanez Soundwave 65W Amp Both are in almost mint condition. My research told me the Bass is still selling for $199, and the Amp has been discontinued, but I find prices ranging from $249 - $160 on various craigslists. Pics to follow, but a question - Trying to manually decode the serial # on the bass doesn't make sense due to the almost pristine condition. Serial # I0706#####. Indicates made in Indonesia at the "Cort" factory in June of 2007? If this IS a 4 year old bass, where the heck are the usual scratches????? I DO have some truss rod adjustments to do - he kept it in his storage building (HOT) and I can see that the neck has backbow at the end, plus the open/fretted strings have buzz until I hit the 5th fret. Other than that, ALL works just fine, including amp. I've already been playing mini-scales and arpeggios above the 5th just to check it out. OK, Bass-Playas - point me torward some good links to start my journey... Learn me up!!! Link to Ibanez GSR200 Factory page: http://www.ibanez.com/BassGuitars/model-GSR200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Congrats Greg, seems a pretty good deal to me, HNAD & HNBD mate. EDIT: don't forget to update your sig, LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordy01 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 HNB&AD!! As you well know I am not a bass player, or even a really good guitar player, but I'll stick my 2 cents worth in anyway. YOUTUBE lessons. Some really good teachers on line. You probably know more than you think already. Find some old blues or rock, and work on the bass lines in those songs. Same as learning regular guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Both inexpensive and the high end Ibanez basses are good.....( I'm a bassest as well..)....Whether using a pick or fingers IMHO doesn't matter....Picking is easier.....I say just play along with your favorite music to learn the basics; basic bass is easy....... Good and great bass playing is harder than one might think.....I prefer 5 string basses ( I have 5 string fretted and fretless )... Nice find, for sure................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted June 5, 2011 Author Share Posted June 5, 2011 OK, definitely copping fret buzz. Friend says it was being played at jam sessions during the colder months, and no issues. He even had it set up by local tech. No prob, I believe him. Just been sitting in HOT space for months. I put an 18" straight edge on the frets, almost touching the Nut. I can get the up and down rocking motion of the straight edge, looks like 5th fret is pivot point, really does indicate backbow. I've already loosened the truss rod 1/4 of a turn and re-tuned to pitch (about 30 mins ago). Can already hear a "little" difference, but obviously I'm going to have bide my time and let the neck flex on it's own. Regarding ACTION at 12th fret (unfretted), looking for numbers. My research says LOW action: E - 3/32" G - 1/16" High action: E - 1/8" G - 3/32" EDIT: Just checked my Action - currently a shade under "Low" action described above, but I'm not going to "Funk" with it until I get my neck straight/relieved. I know the desired action (as in Guitars, too) depends on the player, I'm just looking for a starting point. Thank you.... Yeah will have to update my sig eventually. Mentioned it previously in the "Thunderstick" Thread, BUT... This will be the first Song I learn to play. ME LIKEY! Can already play both guitar parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3kRmorjw4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF9h6CeYez4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaolee Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 As a bass player for 30 years who dabbles in guitar, I find playing with fingers far easier and faster than playing with a pick. It's just a matter of what you do most, I guess. I'm completely self taught, so asking me about lessons isn't going to get you anywhere. Because you play guitar, you already know the neck. Bass is just an octave down and missing a couple strings. Here are some thoughts: The drummer is really your friend. Really. Getting really tight with the drums make everyone else sound better. The lead guitar gets the girls' attention, but bass makes 'em move. My brother has an eloquently crude way to put it which I will share as a PM, if anybody is interested. Sparse is good, and so is playing in the pocket. A solid bass allows the lead to float over the changes and rhythm. Lots of notes on lead guitar is flashy. Lots of notes on bass is just muddy. Bass is the most important part of any band. I'm not just saying this. It is absolute, gospel truth, proven by science, centuries of fine art, philosophers, and great composers. Would Beethoven's third symphony be as good without bass? Nope! Neither would Smoke on the Water. See - proof! There's probably more, but I can't think of it right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 HN(Dark Side)D AF... & I simply can't improve on all of Gaolee's excellent advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thanks for the Comments and learning advice! Still looking to confirm tht Tech data from posts #1 and #6, although I have located an online manual for an IBBY bass regarding Truss rod adjustments, bridge setup, etc. Just wanted input from a LIVE user! Sounds just like doing the set-up on a git...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Congrats on pulling the trigger on a bass, AF! Ibby makes pretty good low-end stuff. The Sound Gear stuff is pretty popular. I have a friend who owns several of them from back in the day. I was looking at them pretty seriously until I found my EBM in the early 90's. this IS a 4 year old bass, where the heck are the usual scratches????? Maybe it was well taken care of. When I bought my 1994 G-310 a couple years back, it didnt have a scratch on it. Same with the 1992 EBM I bought last year. Although, the EBM had a scarf joint warp, but I bought it more as a replacement body for the original.The body and hardware were immaculate. I hope you can get the neck straightened out. The good news is that these basses are pretty common, so getting a replacement should be easy if you have to go that route. Lets hope not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaolee Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thanks for the Comments and learning advice! Still looking to confirm tht Tech data from posts #1 and #6, although I have located an online manual for an IBBY bass regarding Truss rod adjustments, bridge setup, etc. Just wanted input from a LIVE user! Sounds just like doing the set-up on a git...... A bass guitar is just a big guitar with fat strings as far as setup is concerned. The big strings vibrate bigger, so you will want a bit more space between the strings and the frets. Maybe. That's pretty much it. If it is a Rick, then there are weirdness issues, but not with an Ibanez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 The big strings vibrate bigger, so you will want a bit more space between the strings and the frets. Maybe. This is something that I have issues with. I like low LOW action for better upper register fluidity, but...I have noticed that with the action low on a bass, the strings tend to hit the frets when they vibrate, creating a harsh, metallic sound when you strike them. Being stubborn about liking low action, I've tried to adjust my playing to suit. There are other ways around it, like rolling off some treble, but thats not always a good solution either. Its a better solution for basses with decent pickups than a low-end rig though. But yeah, you'll want the strings a bit higher. They naturally will be though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well, over the last 36 hours I've loosened the truss rod twice, about 1/4 turn each time. No more Fret buzz anywhere, but there is the SLIGHTEST hint of a "rocking" motion with the 18" straight-edge, maybe 1/32" travel. Neck still has a tad of backbow... I'll continue to let the neck settle in another 24 hrs, then re-check. Action at 12th fret right now is definitely high - LOW E is easily 1/8", and G is 3/32". Also used micrometer at work to get the string diameters so I'd know WHAT is currently strung on: E - .105 A - .085 D - .065 G - .045 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Tweak, Tweak... Pivot point for 18" straight-edge has moved back from 5th fret to 2nd fret. Neck not quite straight, but almost. You know, it IS fun playing a Bass!!!! You definitely get caught up in the rhythm of the tune! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I measured my bass strings at the 12th fret tonight on the EBM. I'm at 1/8" across the board. An acceptable height for the most part, but a little high for my tastes. I prefer the feel at about 1/16" at the 12th, but thats where you can get into string rattle territorry. I didnt get any rattle from vibration like I do on the TB75 with lower action. But I know the action is only that high due to the weather change. I brought it home to do a set up on it...and a cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Neck backbow issue worked out with no problems. Sitting in a HOT storage building for months had caused terrible backbow, so I just gradually tweaked the Truss Rod a bit at a time over the course of MANY days until the neck was darn near dead-flat, just the BAREST hint of forward relief. After reading the Ibanez Action recommendations, PLUS the Bass Action set-ups used by many "PRO" players (in the Dan Erlewine "Fix-Git" Book), I dropped the LOW E to a shade under 4/64" and the HI G to 3/64". THEN, after converting the Ibanez Fretboard radius of 304mm to Inches (11.976683... or 12"), I made my own "under-string" radius gauge out of stiff cardboard. Then, just put the radius gauge in place, dropped the two middle strings to match the gauge, and..... Happy, Happy!!!! Even unplugged I can actually HEAR the Bass Strings, where before the action was so high it was very difficult. Of course, now my intonation is slightly Flat, but that's easy. I'll do that this weekend. After all this, I noted the G string trying to "Fret-Out" at the 12th fret. I thought about it a bit, said: "I Wonder..."? So, I supported the neck, used a soft piece of wood and pressed the bejezzus out of the Fret to reseat it. YEP, that was it. Gone. Being in that HOT environment had apparently "shrunk" the wood in the fretboard a bit. The equivalent of sticking a Bass in the trunk of a car for months. All-in-all, this has been FUN! Using logic, tweaking, and patience has provided me with a 100% totally playable Bass. Now, time to play more than just basic arpeggios! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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