Ibanez GIO Soundgear GSR206 Bass Review

Here's the new 6-string beast that I bought recently that you've probably seen in my "Hard Rock Gee" video.

About:
I was never much of a bass player. However, since I need to do recordings and I didn't want to use computer generated bass, I decided to get an ACTUAL bass. This 6-string bass is an absolute BEAST! Because it's 6 strings, the neck is HUGE and navigating around it is a whole new challenge from playing guitar. I enjoy playing this bass. It might be a challenge to play, but it sure is fun during practice sessions! Also, this bass despite being a 6-strings set me back $360 which I think is a very reasonable price.

.:Technical Specs (Click to View):.

Personal Views:

One of my main criteria for picking an instrument is its versatility in different genres. This bass, I can honestly say can fit in with pretty much any style and genre. The diversity in tone can be rich, it can be crisp, it can be powerful. Also, because it's a 6-string, it has a lot of diversity in its range of notes available.

Design:
I was a bit disappointed that this guitar only came in black. Since my Ibanez RG370DX Electric Guitar was already black so I wanted a bit of diversity (all about the no racial LOL). HOWEVER, with that being said, I still like the glossy finish AND I especially like the chrome hardware installed on it.

Sound:
As I've said, this bass has a great diversity in tone. It also has something called a boom switch, and if you ever listen to the band KoRn, it gives that hard rock heavy crunchy sound when you go give the strings a hard pluck. Sliding up and down the bass is smooth, it can also gives a pretty good thick sound for those pop/jazz songs.

Playing Comfort:
The neck, as I've said is HUGE! So playing this thing isn't exactly easy. However, the neck is still smooth and pretty fast. The one thing I like about the way that this plays is that it improves my guitar technique. Because of the fact that the neck is so big, switching from this bass to my guitar makes my guitar feel SO much more tiny and so much easier to play.

Complaints:
There are a few drawbacks to this bass. One being the fact that there is an annual running cost to this bass. Why you ask? Because the pickups require a 9V battery to use. However, the man who sold this to me said that I would only need to change the batteries around once every 6 months or so. An upside to that is that the battery will only start to use power when you plug your patch cord in, so if you're doing silent practice, you're fine.

Overall Impression:
It's a great bass, harder to play than a 4-string but definitely MUCH more fun. Sound is great and it feels fantastic! Plus it scares people hahaha

Ibanez RG Series RG370DX Guitar Review

Here is the guitar that you guys see me play so often in my videos. This is my very first electric guitar, the Ibanez RG370DX.

About the guitar:
It is a part of the RG Series that makes excellent quality guitars at an affordable price. I got mine for around $450 while the music store was having its Christmas Sale. These RG Series guitars are a musician's best friend when it comes to rock, metal etc. It has a very comfortable and thin neck that gives great comfort while playing and has some pretty hot pickups, combined with a pretty descent tremolo bridge that gives very good tuning stability. This model that I have was made in Indonesia.

.:Technical Specs (Click to View):.

Personal views on the guitar:

Well, personally this guitar has pretty much been with me through many gigs, practice sessions, performances and it's honestly one of my best friends by now. It has also taken a few beatings here and there, but despite that, it managed to still sound awesome! This guitar might be a bit tailored to hard rockers but trust me, this baby's been with me to old-school jazz and pop performances and it still managed to fit in with the style and please the crowd.

Design:
What drew me to this guitar in the first place was its shiny black body and shark tooth inlays. I liked the design because it sort of fits in-between the Fender classy look and the BC Rich overly flashy design. That said though, the black does seem dull after being used to it, but the glossy finish ensure that on stage, this baby will SHINE!!!

Sound:
I ESPECIALLY love how it sounds. The INF pickups are pretty hot and can either make the guitar really sing or make it growl. However, I personally only like the two extreme sides of the pickup. Anything in the middle just sounds too "twangy", sounds like a hillbilly instrument.

Playing Comfort:
The neck is really fast and smooth, getting around it is really easy. I've also lowered the action of the guitar to give even better playing comfort for myself.

Complaints:
The only complaint I have is for the tremolo bridge. It seems to be made of some really cheap material, because when I was lowering the action, as the screws turned, I could see parts of the bridge being shredded off, and so that was my only worry with this guitar. Of course, after a few dive bombs or hard hammering with the whammy bar and you will be a bit out of tune but hey, it was $450....

Overall Impression:
I would definitely recommend this guitar. Reasons are because it sounds good, it plays well, it's super versatile, and it's pretty well-priced.