I bought one of these yesterday Friday January 21, 2022 from a used guitar store. It needed to be cleaned and new strings. I put flat wound light gauge strings on. Mind you, it was used. There was no scratches or dents and any kind. In 1965 I got a KAPA short scale bass that had tremendous power. Well, today after cleaning this up in every detail, I am impressed how nice it looks. This little bass plays so well, my search for another KAPA bass or any other bass has ended. This little guy fits me because I am only 5’-7” tall. It is light, and very easy to play. Fifty years ago it was lost by someone I loaned it to. This will add to what I can now do. Accordion, ukulele, guitar, and now a bass. Awesome.
I'm 60 years old. I've been a gigging musician for over 43 years. I'm also a recently retired telephone lineman whose had a back injury. So I play a Music Man Cutlass for my main guitar. It is compact and weighs in at just over six pounds. I experience very little pain playing it for a whole show. I also play bass in another band. I bought a Mikro bass for the same reasons. I still can't believe how good the instrument sounds. A heavy, full scale bass would be painful for me. Not this bass. The only shortcoming I found in it is a typical issue with many electric stringed instruments. I experienced a noticable volume difference moving from note to note and string to string. I solved that problem handily with an Electro-Harmonix Platform compressor pedal. The pedal plus a Radial JDI direct box comprise my bass rig. The sound and feel is perfect for my taste. It really thumps. I can't say enough good things about the Mikro.
May I just say... I really like your playing. You get a really awesome rock vibe. I think a lot of the bassists on UA-cam are way too focused on being the next Victor Wooten. We need more Lemmys, Geezers, Geddys, etc.
This bass is great! I recently bought one as my first bass. I am a guitar player with girly hands and would struggle with a regular sized bass. The sound you can get with the right settings and a good amp is really good. The neck feels so fast and comfortable, the body light and overall it does not feel like a toy.
i’m a singer who wants to learn to play the bass now. Just ordered the Ibanez miKro GSRM20L-BK lefthanded. I’m female with small hands and this one felt absolutely right when i hold it in the store. I think it was a good choice for the beginning
I have actually gigged with this bass on several occasions and received many compliments on my playing and sound. Surprised? So was I! Just love this little bomber! It is sooo comfortable, easy on the shoulder and easy to play complex figures due to the short scale. Another thing...it is great not having to worry about it getting banged-up in close-quarters stage situations. Not a big $$$ investment, so if it gets ratty, I’ll just go get another one! This bass plus a MarkBass 1X12 combo amp = great sounding, easy-to-schlep rig. BTW, as I was playing this rig in a convention center, I had to “dial it back” because it was overpowering the rest of there band! OOPS!! Couldn’t believe it! Highly recommended.
I've played this bass on the road and downtown nashville hundreds of gigs. I just love how it feels and plays. Alot of times I pick it over my more expensive basses. One big plus is anytime I've flown for gigs I take this cause it fits in overhead compartments unlike most basses.
Mr. Patrick, that forceful riff you laid down at 1:54 sold me, not on the bass guitar but on what I could sound like if I practiced more. Kudos to you for demonstrating quality technique.
@@travieso1ruvalcaba672 22 here and learning. albeit a bit younger than y’all but hey no better time to learn than today! y’all still playing after a year?
My youngest son bought one a couple of years ago with his Christmas money. I was surprised at the tone you get for $179. He chose the metallic blue color that looks really good. Unfortunately, he didn’t stick with trying to learn bass.
I stuck with bass because I find guitar to be a little bit harder especially for Thrash Metal because I play Thrash Metal I tried rhythm guitar because of James Hetfield it's so uncomfortable compared to bass.
Just bought one. I'm a guitar player who, despite my big hands, could never adapt to the fret spacing on a full-scale bass. Never had a bass of any sort before. This thing is a blast! Haven't had this much fun in awhile!
I have small hands but like fatter necks because my hands cramp on thin ones. It sounds like this Bass is fine for you, even with big hands, but is the neck thin, medium, thick?
I’m a pro player and bought this Mikro bass in the Flat Black finish for home practice, I absolutely love my Mikro bass and have actually considered using it for gigs. It’s sounds killer thru all my big and small bass amps and cabinets, it’s a blast to play and the lightweight could be awesome if I decide to use it on some of my 4 hour gigs. I Highly recommend this bass for pro players. Cheers, Davyo
This Bass stands in a corner in our living room. I grap it when i just one to play (unplugged) for two minutes, take it to a home session or watching football at home. It is really nice to play. Just for having fun or to check ideas directly. It is a nice tool.
I got one for my son, and he stopped playing. I play guitar in a band, and I have been filling in the bass from time to time. This little thing really is fun, and just the right size for what I am used to.
I have one in the walnut finish and I love it! It has re-ignited my desire to learn to play and practice. I have had a Hamer Cruise bass for years, but I struggled with the full size neck. Working on the Mikro has actually made playing the full size bass a bit easier! My practice times always start with the Mikro, then I might pick up the Hamer, then end on the Mikro.
I find the original pickups to be quite good. There is no need to change them immediately. With good strings and a well-tuned amp, it is possible to have a good sound, the rest is the fingers that create the melody
With short-scale basses, I find sticking lower gauge strings on is a bit of a must unless you're going for a really warm vibe. I like doing 0.040-0.100 gauge or smaller. It gives you a lot of extra tension on the string which takes some of the mud out of the tone and really cleans the tone up for rock/punk and funk type tones.
@@wubpronto4440 I tend to use Rotosound RS66LE / LD strings on my basses. D'addario make some decent sets as well so they're a second option if I can't get a hold of Rotosounds.
@@jazzman1954 likely. The shorter scale does mess with that a bit though. Lower gauge strings end up feeling like they have less slack in them than heavier gauge strings.
I'm an intermediate player and I bought my 9 year old nephew one because always tried playing my Ray34 and my Jackenbaker 5 string. He lost interest so I bought it back from him and I absolutely love it. Soooo fun. And incredible tone. Ibanez is the HR leader of all time
Since my first comment on this video around a year ago I have purchased a few more Mikro bass’s. I now own three 4 string models and three 5 string models. Now for the really fun fact, I’ve always converted all my 4 string bass’s to BEAD bass’s and my 4 string Mikro’s are no exception. I used Dunlop short scale super bright 5 string sets (the G strings go in the garbage can) the low B is a 125 gauge and doing the BEAD thing on my 4 string Mikro’s has worked awesome !!! I just purchased and am getting ready to install a Kickass bridge and Ultra Lite tuners on one of my weathered black BEAD 4 string Mikro’s, that should be a very interesting upgrade. My 5 string Mikro’s I’m also using the Dunlop super bright’s on as well, 125 for the low B. I don’t think the stock Mikro strings sold by Ibanez suck but I think the Dunlop’s sound a bit better. For the record, I’m a pro player and use my Mikro bass’s often on paying gigs, my regular scale 34” expensive 4 and 5 string bass’s are continuing to collect lot of dust. Cheers, Davyo (Great video by the way)
I got one used from Guitar Center a month ago for $85.00. I have a USA Custom Shop Carvin LB20, a Japanese Ibanez SR400, and a Yamaha fretless. I'm turning 69 this month and I've moved towards some short scale guitars (24") because they're easier to play. This Ibanez GSRM20 is a BLAST to play
Love this thing, very comfortable, decent sound, far easier to transport than a cheap Squier full scale, and simple. Nice beginner bass and comfy for people like me always wishing they had with them to practice on the go
I'm not even a beginner but stopped bass two years ago, ngl I'm tempted to get this. Always good to have a nice sounding compact bass when you live in a small ass appartment and don't use an amp but an audio interface.
Had this as my starter bass for the first year and a half as a beginner bassist, loved it. Helped me learn some of the basics, had good tonal versatility and was quite punchy, even if it felt a little tinny at times and was a pain to find strings for (special orders, usually). Upgraded to a full scale jazz bass last summer and donated the Mikro to a local after school music program, hoping it’ll inspire a few kids’ love for the low end.
Thanks for doing this because Ibanez has a left handed version as well. Sounds really good. Fender and Gibson, on the other hand, pretty much takes left over scraps, paints the parts black, and offer those as left handed models once in awhile.
I saw your video last week and pulled the trigger. Got the same color for the same price as you did. Everything you said is true. Intonation is slightly off and the tuners are a little weird but it's a great little bass. The only mod I did was change the round wounds to stainless flats [allergic to nickel and trying to save the frets]. Whatever I lost in tone I made it back with my [get this!] Behringer Bass V-Amp. After all these years, my G-3s and P-basses were starting to get a little bit long in the reach. This one has got me back to playing every day. Thanks for the honest demo of this one.
Gidday from Australia I'm glad you did this review I own 2 of the Ibanez mikro . I've put picalo strings on one and trust it sounds incredible try it and review .
As a guitarist who has been recording using a POG with some drive to record bass tracks i think im finally going to get a bass for recording and you've sold me on this one. I will never be gigging with a bass and just wanted something simple that slaps to lay down some bottom through a bass modeling amp and this guy seems to do the job. This is a great review that sold me completely vs the mini P Bass due to the bridge pickup. I have a mini strat for travel that this would complement nicely on the rack. Thanks for the review.
Got the candy apple red „used“, but like new, off ebay. For me as a guitar player with tiny hands, the size and fret spacing is perfect. Sounds really good thru headphones on a guitar practice amp. Lots of fun!! edit 1year later: didn’t practiced much , but had swapped the bridge with 4 individual saddles for a narrower spacing. Before 57mm, now 49,5mm. Nice for my super short fingers! Added also two self made thumb rests out of wood. Makes it very comfortable.
@@wayniac917 been great man. I love this bass. I'm trying to learn how to slap out some Primus riffs. I went ahead and bought and entire band from Sweetwater. I got a Jackson dinky and an alesis command mesh drum kit. One day I work bass one day guitar the next but been on the drums everyday since I'm a complete beginner with drums.
I have one in "Transparent Red" that I picked up with a lil Fender Rumble 10w combo amp to learn it. SO MUCH BANG for the BUCKS! It's seriously an amazing bass for so little money, and it sounds wonderful! You don't want to do a huge investment until you learn, but you don't want to go TOO cheap either because a crappy sound discourages new students. I love mine and am thoroughly enjoying learning on it!
Roadster Orange Metallic. Just bought one in this color this year. Considering upgrading the bridge, nut and tuners, and dropping in a nordstrand p/j set. Great fun this little bass.
I picked up one of these last fall and I love it. I don't play bass as much as I used to, and I find it a lot less jarring to switch to the 'micro' scale from playing guitar when I want to record some bass tracks.
The Sire U 5 Marcus Miller. I just bought one and even the frets are rolled. I have 3:short scales because of arthritis which I had my right thumb bone removed, then they took a tendon from my wrist to wrap around the bone. Then I had 3 trigger fingers pop up on my left hand, so after 52 years of playing bass professionally, I decided to make it easier on myself lol. I also bought the headless Ibanez 5 string multi scale which is amazing and also a short scale. Thanks for your demo and don’t get arthritis lol.
I play a 6 string Ibanez and bought one of these purely as a light travel bass so I can still play and practice without my expensive one getting banged up or anything. It was a great investment tbh. I carry one of those vox headphone amps with me too. It’s a good time.
Interesting. Shorter scale (28") than a typical short scale bass (30"). I wish I could find a music store that had one on the floor so I could try it out. I tried short scale basses - they felt like toys - and a medium scale bass, which I fell in love with. But this could be a good knockaround/small stage instrument. Big bonus - this thing is available left-handed!
WARNING: My pal just bought one and although it plays great and good tone, but the intonation isn't right because the bridge pieces sit at least a quarter inch too far forward and the adjustment screws/springs are too long to allow it to be adjusted back far enough to bring it into proper intonation. So just confirm the intonation with a tuner before you lay your cash/card down on one.
I have one of these, 'cept the color of mine is black. I gotta say I really like it as a bass. It wasn't too terribly expensive, has a good weight to it, doesn't go out of tune easily, and overall is comfortable to play. My only issue with it is that they don't label what each knob is for, given that I'm a beginner. I'm considering using a friend's label maker to label them manually though, that way I can really get the tone and sound I want
I love the big low end on short scale basses! I bought a GSRM20B walnut earlier this year, partly because of this review, and I'm absolutely blown away by it! My bass teacher was a bit surprised seeing a grown man with normal sized hands coming in with a bass he would rather recommend to smaller people or kids. But he too was amazed by its quality. I just put a set of LaBella flats on it and it sounds awesome!
Hello, bro! Could you tell me how much this Ibanez weighs and what is the length of the neck? Not the beaker, but the neck itself. I will be grateful for the information!
@@ivango8598 hey, I'm sorry to say I had to sell that Ibanez. I really really liked it, but I also had my eye on some other basses and I had to choose one to sell. It's a featherweight though, and really compact. It was way lighter and slightly shorter than the cheap Strat knock-off we had lying around. I still believe the MikroBass is an absolute gem!
I've had one for years. Pickups are fine, sounds great through my 40 watt fender rumble. The only downside of this bass to me is the bridge...have to periodically reset the intonation. Use flatwounds on mine...because the neck is so small, you can play melody along with the bass lines to mix things up. Not much larger than a strat neck.
Good sound, very playable, nice and light, especially great for those who can't or don't want to reach long to the nut. A surprising value at that price!
Short scale basses has shorter string vibration, so the frequency isn't long-compressed-and focused projection, the short scales have a beefier rounder sound. Amogst Fender Mustang players, this is a well known secret. Like the difference between a 1x15 vs 4x10.
I played 1 that was set up decently was blown away how awesome that thing is. Going to pick 1 up for fun and to get my 5 year old started on string instruments
I just got one of these and it is shockingly good a lot of fun . and extremely well-made considering the price tag everything is a very precise not a lot of Frills but very well built. You might want to lower the bridge Saddles from the stock settings just a bit but it's nothing to be afraid of they even give you some Allen wrenches with it🔥🔥🔥🎸😎
I am looking into this, I am a guitar player wanting to get into bass as well so, when I played this at a local guitar store it felt more guitar like and easier to play
It sounded just fine and looked very comfortable to play. Short scale is all I look at now. No reason to play an uncomfortable full 34" scale. Face it the sound is not that much different and sounds great on these Ibanez basses.
I'm not primarily a bass player but I do own an SR505 (EADGC) and a Mikro. It sounded great out of the box but I did mod it out. I put on a Hipshot bridge and tuners and a set of SD pickups. It's a ton of fun to play. Now, if I could just get Victor Wooten to personally tutor me!
I bought this as my first bass and didn’t realize it was smaller than a regular bass and was looking forward to having a large instrument because I am taller and have bigger hands 😅 but I take it’s a pretty decent bass so I’m looking forward to when I get it.
Actually it makes perfect sense as to why you’re getting such a fat, meaty tone. With a short scale, to get the same tuning you put less tension on the strings. They’re looser, meaning more bass should come through
Most demos have really obnoxious personalities that I switch off, so I was really surprised by your pleasant informative style and your playing. Just picked up a second hand ibanez bass cheap. My first bass. It's fun.
My pal is 6'3" tall and his Mikro looks like a ukulele on him. But it sounds great, he says it's easy to play, and it stays in tune enough for a gig. Best hundred bucks he's spent
Looks really cool and sounds great. I have a squire bronco with a stingray pickup that im pretty attached to. However, I may have to pick one of these up
I was checking one out the other day at guitar center. And I was surprisingly surprised by how nice it was for the price. Way nicer then my old Memphis short scale
0:50 ! What song is this? And if it isn’t a song, could you post the tabs? I love it! And the tone while playing that part is great!!! How did you get that tone?😊
Just ordered a white one on the basis of this video. It will take a month to come but will be worth it. Your playing is so tight and clean. I've seen other video demos of this bass and there is all sorts of fret buzzing due to lower tension strings ... great sounds from the bass and great playing. Did you spend much time on setup or change the strings?
Musician's Friend now has it in 8 different colors and the "Roadster Orange" is the cheapest by $30 ($149.99). I have a Jackson short scale that sounds surprisingly good, but the tuners are cheap crap. But, it was $180 so no biggie. I rarely play it because I bought it to play in my office on break and lunch, but I got a new boss, so . . . it mostly collects dust at home.
What pick up replacement would drop in nicely in these? I have one but prefer the vintage p bass sound. Any input would be greatly appreciated, Great demo BTW Patrick, as always!
Okay y'all, what other short scale basses should I check out??
New Sterling Stingray short scale!
Dean EVO XM. Surprisingly awesome for the price tag.
I would also like to see you demo the G&L Fallout
Some short scale 5-strings like TMB30-IV? Can that short B-string sound good?
And as already commented, a Stingray would be nice.
Mustang bass
pro tip: strap one of these bad boys nice and low, and stand far from your audience. They'll think you're a giant playing a normal sized bass.
I bought one of these yesterday Friday January 21, 2022 from a used guitar store. It needed to be cleaned and new strings. I put flat wound light gauge strings on. Mind you, it was used. There was no scratches or dents and any kind. In 1965 I got a KAPA short scale bass that had tremendous power. Well, today after cleaning this up in every detail, I am impressed how nice it looks. This little bass plays so well, my search for another KAPA bass or any other bass has ended. This little guy fits me because I am only 5’-7” tall. It is light, and very easy to play. Fifty years ago it was lost by someone I loaned it to. This will add to what I can now do. Accordion, ukulele, guitar, and now a bass. Awesome.
I'm 60 years old. I've been a gigging musician for over 43 years. I'm also a recently retired telephone lineman whose had a back injury. So I play a Music Man Cutlass for my main guitar. It is compact and weighs in at just over six pounds. I experience very little pain playing it for a whole show.
I also play bass in another band. I bought a Mikro bass for the same reasons. I still can't believe how good the instrument sounds. A heavy, full scale bass would be painful for me. Not this bass.
The only shortcoming I found in it is a typical issue with many electric stringed instruments. I experienced a noticable volume difference moving from note to note and string to string.
I solved that problem handily with an Electro-Harmonix Platform compressor pedal. The pedal plus a Radial JDI direct box comprise my bass rig. The sound and feel is perfect for my taste. It really thumps.
I can't say enough good things about the Mikro.
I have it. I dig it. Mine's in a flat walnut finish. I call it "Lil Nutty".
I bought the same yesterday....can't wait to try it out
May I just say... I really like your playing. You get a really awesome rock vibe. I think a lot of the bassists on UA-cam are way too focused on being the next Victor Wooten. We need more Lemmys, Geezers, Geddys, etc.
Hi, I think you'll enjoy my channel as well as I am about as far from virtuoso as you can get.
We need more bass players that serve the music. Not their egos
Davie504...
@@ampthebassplayer I didn't see this comment back then because I don't check YT much, but I ended up finding your channel eventually regardless!
This bass is great! I recently bought one as my first bass. I am a guitar player with girly hands and would struggle with a regular sized bass. The sound you can get with the right settings and a good amp is really good. The neck feels so fast and comfortable, the body light and overall it does not feel like a toy.
i’m a singer who wants to learn to play the bass now. Just ordered the Ibanez miKro GSRM20L-BK lefthanded. I’m female with small hands and this one felt absolutely right when i hold it in the store. I think it was a good choice for the beginning
I have actually gigged with this bass on several occasions and received many compliments on my playing and sound. Surprised? So was I! Just love this little bomber! It is sooo comfortable, easy on the shoulder and easy to play complex figures due to the short scale. Another thing...it is great not having to worry about it getting banged-up in close-quarters stage situations. Not a big $$$ investment, so if it gets ratty, I’ll just go get another one! This bass plus a MarkBass 1X12 combo amp = great sounding, easy-to-schlep rig. BTW, as I was playing this rig in a convention center, I had to “dial it back” because it was overpowering the rest of there band! OOPS!! Couldn’t believe it! Highly recommended.
Thank you for your story. I feel so good about mine coming Tuesday
How did you get it to work, because mine I'd a real piece of shit dude, the strings are so fucking low to the frets that it's genuinely unplayable
@@Eekieookie that's why people "set up" their instruments. Either you learn to or have someone do it for you, but it makes such a change!
My son has the same one and I love it! Gonna put a set of Quarter Pounders in it and upgrade the nut
I've played this bass on the road and downtown nashville hundreds of gigs. I just love how it feels and plays. Alot of times I pick it over my more expensive basses. One big plus is anytime I've flown for gigs I take this cause it fits in overhead compartments unlike most basses.
Mr. Patrick, that forceful riff you laid down at 1:54 sold me, not on the bass guitar but on what I could sound like if I practiced more. Kudos to you for demonstrating quality technique.
47 and want to learn the bass. I just ordered one of these. Looks fun.
38. Let's do this
@@travieso1ruvalcaba672 22 here and learning. albeit a bit younger than y’all but hey no better time to learn than today! y’all still playing after a year?
Just turned 47, I want to learn also. I ordered one yesterday. What a coincidence, lol.
My youngest son bought one a couple of years ago with his Christmas money. I was surprised at the tone you get for $179. He chose the metallic blue color that looks really good. Unfortunately, he didn’t stick with trying to learn bass.
Well, if he doesn't want it...
...can I have it? :D
SonicXRage Ha ! Well, I think he ending it up giving it away to somebody. Go figure. 🤷🏻♂️
Playing bass is not so easy like Homer Simpson said, however your son might give it another chance one day have hope brother. ☺🎸
let him watch Davie504 on UA-cam, he will like bass XD
I stuck with bass because I find guitar to be a little bit harder especially for Thrash Metal because I play Thrash Metal I tried rhythm guitar because of James Hetfield it's so uncomfortable compared to bass.
Just bought one. I'm a guitar player who, despite my big hands, could never adapt to the fret spacing on a full-scale bass. Never had a bass of any sort before. This thing is a blast! Haven't had this much fun in awhile!
So the space between frets is smaller? More convenient?
@@asafsas definitely
@@LRS905 weird way to say you play the same side. i kid i kid lmao
@@LRS905
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I have small hands but like fatter necks because my hands cramp on thin ones. It sounds like this Bass is fine for you, even with big hands, but is the neck thin, medium, thick?
I’m a pro player and bought this Mikro bass in the Flat Black finish for home practice, I absolutely love my Mikro bass and have actually considered using it for gigs.
It’s sounds killer thru all my big and small bass amps and cabinets, it’s a blast to play and the lightweight could be awesome if I decide to use it on some of my 4 hour gigs.
I Highly recommend this bass for pro players.
Cheers, Davyo
Now this is how you demo a bass.Thank you,very well done.
This Bass stands in a corner in our living room. I grap it when i just one to play (unplugged) for two minutes, take it to a home session or watching football at home. It is really nice to play. Just for having fun or to check ideas directly. It is a nice tool.
I got one for my son, and he stopped playing. I play guitar in a band, and I have been filling in the bass from time to time. This little thing really is fun, and just the right size for what I am used to.
Just scored one used for $50. I told myself I didn’t need anymore Basses but I couldn’t pass it up!!!
Same but for 100$
@@asexualkilla2418 Same but $125 but I cant wait to get her..
@@1shovelove yeah, same but for 170 bux
I traded it yesterday for my snes
@@erichehe8216 I traded mine for money after I made this post 😶
I would like to commend you on using the word "Golly".
I much prefer every other word being "Super", really endearing.
I have one in the walnut finish and I love it! It has re-ignited my desire to learn to play and practice. I have had a Hamer Cruise bass for years, but I struggled with the full size neck. Working on the Mikro has actually made playing the full size bass a bit easier! My practice times always start with the Mikro, then I might pick up the Hamer, then end on the Mikro.
George Kinslow I’ve been playing my Hamer Cruisebass 5-string for the past 24 years. Fantastic bass 👍😊
I find the original pickups to be quite good. There is no need to change them immediately. With good strings and a well-tuned amp, it is possible to have a good sound, the rest is the fingers that create the melody
With short-scale basses, I find sticking lower gauge strings on is a bit of a must unless you're going for a really warm vibe. I like doing 0.040-0.100 gauge or smaller. It gives you a lot of extra tension on the string which takes some of the mud out of the tone and really cleans the tone up for rock/punk and funk type tones.
What strings would you recommend
@@wubpronto4440 I tend to use Rotosound RS66LE / LD strings on my basses. D'addario make some decent sets as well so they're a second option if I can't get a hold of Rotosounds.
@@jazzman1954 likely. The shorter scale does mess with that a bit though. Lower gauge strings end up feeling like they have less slack in them than heavier gauge strings.
I'm an intermediate player and I bought my 9 year old nephew one because always tried playing my Ray34 and my Jackenbaker 5 string. He lost interest so I bought it back from him and I absolutely love it. Soooo fun. And incredible tone. Ibanez is the HR leader of all time
Since my first comment on this video around a year ago I have purchased a few more Mikro bass’s.
I now own three 4 string models and three 5 string models.
Now for the really fun fact, I’ve always converted all my 4 string bass’s to BEAD bass’s and my 4 string Mikro’s are no exception.
I used Dunlop short scale super bright 5 string sets (the G strings go in the garbage can) the low B is a 125 gauge and doing the BEAD thing on my 4 string Mikro’s has worked awesome !!!
I just purchased and am getting ready to install a Kickass bridge and Ultra Lite tuners on one of my weathered black BEAD 4 string Mikro’s, that should be a very interesting upgrade.
My 5 string Mikro’s I’m also using the Dunlop super bright’s on as well, 125 for the low B.
I don’t think the stock Mikro strings sold by Ibanez suck but I think the Dunlop’s sound a bit better.
For the record, I’m a pro player and use my Mikro bass’s often on paying gigs, my regular scale 34” expensive 4 and 5 string bass’s are continuing to collect lot of dust.
Cheers, Davyo
(Great video by the way)
Just bought a black one. As a guitar player I wanted a small lightweight instrument. This one feels perfect for me. Good video!
I got one used from Guitar Center a month ago for $85.00. I have a USA Custom Shop Carvin LB20, a Japanese Ibanez SR400, and a Yamaha fretless. I'm turning 69 this month and I've moved towards some short scale guitars (24") because they're easier to play. This Ibanez GSRM20 is a BLAST to play
Love this thing, very comfortable, decent sound, far easier to transport than a cheap Squier full scale, and simple. Nice beginner bass and comfy for people like me always wishing they had with them to practice on the go
I'm not even a beginner but stopped bass two years ago, ngl I'm tempted to get this. Always good to have a nice sounding compact bass when you live in a small ass appartment and don't use an amp but an audio interface.
@@Griefhand that's the exact reason I wanna get this, perfect for an apartment studio setup
Had this as my starter bass for the first year and a half as a beginner bassist, loved it. Helped me learn some of the basics, had good tonal versatility and was quite punchy, even if it felt a little tinny at times and was a pain to find strings for (special orders, usually). Upgraded to a full scale jazz bass last summer and donated the Mikro to a local after school music program, hoping it’ll inspire a few kids’ love for the low end.
That was so nice of you to donate it to a school ❤
Thanks for doing this because Ibanez has a left handed version as well. Sounds really good. Fender and Gibson, on the other hand, pretty much takes left over scraps, paints the parts black, and offer those as left handed models once in awhile.
I am a beginner, and am studying your riff Starting on the A string. Awesome.
Just ordered one, can't wait to get it 👍.
I saw your video last week and pulled the trigger. Got the same color for the same price as you did. Everything you said is true. Intonation is slightly off and the tuners are a little weird but it's a great little bass. The only mod I did was change the round wounds to stainless flats [allergic to nickel and trying to save the frets]. Whatever I lost in tone I made it back with my [get this!] Behringer Bass V-Amp. After all these years, my G-3s and P-basses were starting to get a little bit long in the reach. This one has got me back to playing every day. Thanks for the honest demo of this one.
Have the 5 stringer version. It's different in that it has 2 J Pickups and I prefer the tones. Can get new for $200 and even cheaper if you're lucky!
Gidday from Australia
I'm glad you did this review I own 2 of the Ibanez mikro .
I've put picalo strings on one and trust it sounds incredible try it and review .
Dude that's what I like about your channel straight up honesty no BS
As a guitarist who has been recording using a POG with some drive to record bass tracks i think im finally going to get a bass for recording and you've sold me on this one. I will never be gigging with a bass and just wanted something simple that slaps to lay down some bottom through a bass modeling amp and this guy seems to do the job. This is a great review that sold me completely vs the mini P Bass due to the bridge pickup. I have a mini strat for travel that this would complement nicely on the rack. Thanks for the review.
Ha! This is the video I found when doing some research on the GSRM20 and lo and behold, I ended up buying it from you. Cheers amigo!
Thank you! This was awesome. I have one on the way!!
The first bass I ever owned. I miss it now
Got the candy apple red „used“, but like new, off ebay. For me as a guitar player with tiny hands, the size and fret spacing is perfect. Sounds really good thru headphones on a guitar practice amp. Lots of fun!!
edit 1year later: didn’t practiced much , but had swapped the bridge with 4 individual saddles for a narrower spacing. Before 57mm, now 49,5mm. Nice for my super short fingers!
Added also two self made thumb rests out of wood.
Makes it very comfortable.
Just bought one I love it I'm a beginner. Money is rootbeer and it's so fun!
Damn this bass sounds good!
Guitar player here. Just ordered one from Sweetwater. Can't wait for it to get here. I haven't owned a bass in 15 years.
Got mine from Sweetwater as well.
So how's it going? Been a month
@@wayniac917 been great man. I love this bass. I'm trying to learn how to slap out some Primus riffs. I went ahead and bought and entire band from Sweetwater. I got a Jackson dinky and an alesis command mesh drum kit. One day I work bass one day guitar the next but been on the drums everyday since I'm a complete beginner with drums.
Oh yeah, I bought one of those in blue for my kid, years back. Hella fun.
I have one in "Transparent Red" that I picked up with a lil Fender Rumble 10w combo amp to learn it. SO MUCH BANG for the BUCKS! It's seriously an amazing bass for so little money, and it sounds wonderful! You don't want to do a huge investment until you learn, but you don't want to go TOO cheap either because a crappy sound discourages new students. I love mine and am thoroughly enjoying learning on it!
Interesting. I just brought home a bright black one with a fender 15W rumble amp.
How is yours working out?
I just bought one as my first bass, I can’t wait to play it
same i just ordered it how is it
berkay bas I actually canceled my order bc it was going to be backordered until late August but going to re order once they have stock again
Roadster Orange Metallic. Just bought one in this color this year. Considering upgrading the bridge, nut and tuners, and dropping in a nordstrand p/j set. Great fun this little bass.
I picked up one of these last fall and I love it. I don't play bass as much as I used to, and I find it a lot less jarring to switch to the 'micro' scale from playing guitar when I want to record some bass tracks.
The Sire U 5 Marcus Miller. I just bought one and even the frets are rolled. I have 3:short scales because of arthritis which I had my right thumb bone removed, then they took a tendon from my wrist to wrap around the bone. Then I had 3 trigger fingers pop up on my left hand, so after 52 years of playing bass professionally, I decided to make it easier on myself lol. I also bought the headless Ibanez 5 string multi scale which is amazing and also a short scale. Thanks for your demo and don’t get arthritis lol.
I play a 6 string Ibanez and bought one of these purely as a light travel bass so I can still play and practice without my expensive one getting banged up or anything. It was a great investment tbh. I carry one of those vox headphone amps with me too. It’s a good time.
My Micro is black with a maple fingerboard. I have 32 basses and this is one of my faVs
I just looked up that bass, and here in Canada, in 2024, the fret board is described as " Bound Purpleheart". Might be another name for the same wood.
The whole point is HAVE fun , i'm a huge fan of 7/8 th scale , less is sometimes is better !!! :)
Awesome demo, patrick. these basses sound incredible for a short scale. not to mention how awesome they sounded with distortion. \m/
My son has the beautiful orange one, that's both our favorite color. Great bass for the price!
I just ordered one, perfect size bass to take to the park and jam on 👍.
This bass + Orange crush 100 and you will blow everything away, if you will.
Awesome ROCK BASS
Interesting. Shorter scale (28") than a typical short scale bass (30"). I wish I could find a music store that had one on the floor so I could try it out. I tried short scale basses - they felt like toys - and a medium scale bass, which I fell in love with. But this could be a good knockaround/small stage instrument. Big bonus - this thing is available left-handed!
WARNING: My pal just bought one and although it plays great and good tone, but the intonation isn't right because the bridge pieces sit at least a quarter inch too far forward and the adjustment screws/springs are too long to allow it to be adjusted back far enough to bring it into proper intonation. So just confirm the intonation with a tuner before you lay your cash/card down on one.
This dude is actually jamming this bass . Well done review !
I have one of these, 'cept the color of mine is black. I gotta say I really like it as a bass. It wasn't too terribly expensive, has a good weight to it, doesn't go out of tune easily, and overall is comfortable to play. My only issue with it is that they don't label what each knob is for, given that I'm a beginner. I'm considering using a friend's label maker to label them manually though, that way I can really get the tone and sound I want
Looks like a "must have" for the collection. Dammit! Just when I think I have enough, too.
I love watching your hands when you play! Buying this "bassed" on your recommendation.
I love the big low end on short scale basses!
I bought a GSRM20B walnut earlier this year, partly because of this review, and I'm absolutely blown away by it!
My bass teacher was a bit surprised seeing a grown man with normal sized hands coming in with a bass he would rather recommend to smaller people or kids.
But he too was amazed by its quality.
I just put a set of LaBella flats on it and it sounds awesome!
Hello, bro! Could you tell me how much this Ibanez weighs and what is the length of the neck? Not the beaker, but the neck itself. I will be grateful for the information!
@@ivango8598 hey, I'm sorry to say I had to sell that Ibanez. I really really liked it, but I also had my eye on some other basses and I had to choose one to sell.
It's a featherweight though, and really compact. It was way lighter and slightly shorter than the cheap Strat knock-off we had lying around.
I still believe the MikroBass is an absolute gem!
I've had one for years. Pickups are fine, sounds great through my 40 watt fender rumble. The only downside of this bass to me is the bridge...have to periodically reset the intonation. Use flatwounds on mine...because the neck is so small, you can play melody along with the bass lines to mix things up. Not much larger than a strat neck.
With a back issue the weight is key for me. Just ordered one to replace my 2 long scales. Planning on gigging with it. Great review!
It's called Roadstar red. it's a reissue of a popular color from the 80's that they used on the Ibanez Roadstar line
Good sound, very playable, nice and light, especially great for those who can't or don't want to reach long to the nut. A surprising value at that price!
Short scale basses has shorter string vibration, so the frequency isn't long-compressed-and focused projection, the short scales have a beefier rounder sound. Amogst Fender Mustang players, this is a well known secret. Like the difference between a 1x15 vs 4x10.
I played 1 that was set up decently was blown away how awesome that thing is. Going to pick 1 up for fun and to get my 5 year old started on string instruments
I just bought one, it's Great, Transparent Red.
I just ordered one yesterday. Can’t wait
I just got one of these and it is shockingly good a lot of fun . and extremely well-made considering the price tag everything is a very precise not a lot of Frills but very well built. You might want to lower the bridge Saddles from the stock settings just a bit but it's nothing to be afraid of they even give you some Allen wrenches with it🔥🔥🔥🎸😎
I am looking into this, I am a guitar player wanting to get into bass as well so, when I played this at a local guitar store it felt more guitar like and easier to play
Love the intro jam!
It sounded just fine and looked very comfortable to play. Short scale is all I look at now. No reason to play an uncomfortable full 34" scale. Face it the sound is not that much different and sounds great on these Ibanez basses.
I'm not primarily a bass player but I do own an SR505 (EADGC) and a Mikro. It sounded great out of the box but I did mod it out. I put on a Hipshot bridge and tuners and a set of SD pickups. It's a ton of fun to play. Now, if I could just get Victor Wooten to personally tutor me!
i just bought this it will be my first bass :)
I bought this as my first bass and didn’t realize it was smaller than a regular bass and was looking forward to having a large instrument because I am taller and have bigger hands 😅 but I take it’s a pretty decent bass so I’m looking forward to when I get it.
haha its even called a "mikro"
I just got this bass and it’s just so much fun to play. I freaking love ❤️ this little thing and it sounds awesome!!!
Actually it makes perfect sense as to why you’re getting such a fat, meaty tone. With a short scale, to get the same tuning you put less tension on the strings. They’re looser, meaning more bass should come through
I just bought one!
Congrats ....now give it to me ..DO IT NOW
I bought one (black) beautiful finish and love the sound
This was my first bass ever, mine was green though
Most demos have really obnoxious personalities that I switch off, so I was really surprised by your pleasant informative style and your playing.
Just picked up a second hand ibanez bass cheap. My first bass. It's fun.
Got one, love it…!!!
I own 2 of those micro and I put piccolo string on one ,
Wow fucking wow it is the best thing for a piccolo bass.
Do it then review it trust me .
My pal is 6'3" tall and his Mikro looks like a ukulele on him. But it sounds great, he says it's easy to play, and it stays in tune enough for a gig.
Best hundred bucks he's spent
You should try the Ibanez SR Mezzo series. Maybe the SRMD205?😉👍
Looks really cool and sounds great. I have a squire bronco with a stingray pickup that im pretty attached to. However, I may have to pick one of these up
I was checking one out the other day at guitar center. And I was surprisingly surprised by how nice it was for the price. Way nicer then my old Memphis short scale
It has never been a better time to be a musician. Instruments have gotten so cheap and so good lately.
Just bought a new factory 2nd (tiny speck of missing paint) for $119. Going to beef it up with active emg's. Travel or even gig with.
0:50 ! What song is this? And if it isn’t a song, could you post the tabs? I love it! And the tone while playing that part is great!!! How did you get that tone?😊
Just ordered a white one on the basis of this video. It will take a month to come but will be worth it. Your playing is so tight and clean. I've seen other video demos of this bass and there is all sorts of fret buzzing due to lower tension strings ... great sounds from the bass and great playing. Did you spend much time on setup or change the strings?
Musician's Friend now has it in 8 different colors and the "Roadster Orange" is the cheapest by $30 ($149.99). I have a Jackson short scale that sounds surprisingly good, but the tuners are cheap crap. But, it was $180 so no biggie. I rarely play it because I bought it to play in my office on break and lunch, but I got a new boss, so . . . it mostly collects dust at home.
good review. great playing.
What pick up replacement would drop in nicely in these? I have one but prefer the vintage p bass sound. Any input would be greatly appreciated, Great demo BTW Patrick, as always!
im interested in one, and i apprecaite finding a review by someone who isnt playing just jazzy or funk.
Wos, it might be great if i consider it a piccolo or tenor bass. Thanks for sharing!
Just picked up the Pearl one for only $175 so good for travel and sounds great