I was loaned an Ibanez Mikro GSRM20, and I am really impressed with it. I'm not much of a bassist, I've found normal scale basses really rough on my joints, I wind up straining my fingers entirely too easily. Much less of a problem on the short scale (28.6" bass. The bass I got to mess around with is a cheap Rogue 5-string with a Musicman + Jazz with oversized poles setup, it's decent for playability, but the active preamp is flaky, and the longer scale means I injure joints in my hands if I'm careless).
Most surprising thing is how beefy the tone is. Very thick and warm. Great for James Jamerson tones, just roll the Jazz pickup off, and the tone way back, anchor my thumb on the end of the fretboard, and play with 1 finger above the Precision pickup. Not as cutting as you might want for hard rock or metal bass, but not totally out of reach, either.
The 22-fret neck has a less obnoxious heel than most of my guitars, and I like the sound of the high notes better on it than most of the long scale basses I've played.
It pretty much does what I'd expect out of a P+J passive bass, if a bit thicker/darker than a 34-35" scale bass. 2V/1T.
On the thinnest strap of any of my non-acoustic guitars it is the least tiring on my back (well, the G-400 might be less tiring on my back, but it's exhausting trying to keep the neck at a playable angle, ridiculous neck dive on that SG, a sad flaw in an otherwise nice guitar).
A lot of fun, I highly recommend checking out a short scale bass. The shorter scale makes it easier to get thick low-end focused tones, great for Motown. Blend in the jazz pickup for cut, though it wants some outboard EQ to reach GnR levels of cut.
I will want another Mikro GSRM20 when the owner takes it back. Though maybe active electronics and a different Jazz pickup...
Most surprising thing is how beefy the tone is. Very thick and warm. Great for James Jamerson tones, just roll the Jazz pickup off, and the tone way back, anchor my thumb on the end of the fretboard, and play with 1 finger above the Precision pickup. Not as cutting as you might want for hard rock or metal bass, but not totally out of reach, either.
The 22-fret neck has a less obnoxious heel than most of my guitars, and I like the sound of the high notes better on it than most of the long scale basses I've played.
It pretty much does what I'd expect out of a P+J passive bass, if a bit thicker/darker than a 34-35" scale bass. 2V/1T.
On the thinnest strap of any of my non-acoustic guitars it is the least tiring on my back (well, the G-400 might be less tiring on my back, but it's exhausting trying to keep the neck at a playable angle, ridiculous neck dive on that SG, a sad flaw in an otherwise nice guitar).
A lot of fun, I highly recommend checking out a short scale bass. The shorter scale makes it easier to get thick low-end focused tones, great for Motown. Blend in the jazz pickup for cut, though it wants some outboard EQ to reach GnR levels of cut.
I will want another Mikro GSRM20 when the owner takes it back. Though maybe active electronics and a different Jazz pickup...
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