Ibanez GWB 35 FD Signature Bass 5 String Limited Fretted Version
I bought this bass when I had the urge to change to 5 String but it wasn’t for me and it was just watching me play my 4 String Bass. So it needs a new home. You won’t be disappointed. GWB 35 FD Signature Bass 5 String. No need for a long-winded intro here: the Ibanez Gary Willis signature model bass has great tone, looks that kill, innovative features, and a price that puts it within reach of any serious bass player looking for a new five-string. The GWB35FD bass provides many excellent features you would expect to find in a premium instrument, and all that’s really missing is the big price ticket. Ibanez routinely delivers high quality, cutting-edge basses that are affordable, and this bass impressed us with its overall craftsmanship, cool “upgrades, ” and top-shelf sound. Even if you’ve never listened to Gary Willis (and really, you should), this is a versatile-yet-straightforward bass for players in need of an articulate, speedy five-string that plays with the ease of a four. For the uninitiated, check out Gary’s new fusion release, Larger than Life, and particularly the opening track, The Professionals. Or, listen to anything from his fusion band, Tribal Tech. The Ibanez Gary Willis fretted five-string bass we reviewed is a modern-looking beauty. The “flat black” finish with stealthy black hardware has an impressive vogue look. This Indonesian built bass is part of the Ibanez signature models of instruments, and the overall quality of construction and details makes it feel like it belongs in the Premium lines of Ibanez instruments. The basswood body, ebony fretboard w/offset, white dot inlays, and the three-piece maple neck have a familiar, Ibanez signature shape and style that is in character with familiar SR-series instruments, but it’s the little details that take this instrument someplace new. Before we delve into those details, though, let’s cover the basics. The neck is a 34 scale, the width at nut is 45mm, the width at 24th fret is 68mm, the thickness of the neck at 1st fret is 19mm, the thickness of the neck at 12th fret is 21mm and the radius of the neck and ramp are 305mm. Topped with medium frets, this neck is fast! You will fly, so please be careful and keep your fast passages musical and tasteful. The electronics are simple but powerful. The low and high EQ knobs are stacked, each with a center detent. Low frequencies can be boosted or cut up to 15dB, while high frequencies can be boosted or cut by almost 18db. The first feature is the GWB35 tuners, Gary’s extraordinary Sure Grip Tuners. The machine heads are almost unnoticeable at first glance, but these tuners masquerading as regular tuners are different than anything we have ever seen. They feel ergonomically correct and make tuning a bass noticeably better, for example if you are on a dark stage, or making a quick pitch adjustment in the middle of playing a song. An added bonus to the GWB35 machine heads is that your gig bag can’t inadvertently knock this bass out of tune. We believe this would be a great add-on or upgrade for any of the Ibanez basses. Second is the boutique bass ramp! We say optional because you can actually remove it from the bass if you prefer the aesthetics without. Once again, this would make a great option on any Ibanez bass. Third is the “that makes so much sense” feature. There are three strap buttons: one on the upper horn and two at the bottom of the body. When you set the bass down, it rests on the strap pins instead of the body with minimal risk of a fall. This feature also helps when you are sitting down, just as it does when found on certain pricey acoustic guitars: set your strap height for the top peg, and when you sit down to play bass, simply shift your strap to the lower peg to take up the slack and continue providing support. Straight out of the box, the Ibanez factory setup was excellent and we did not need to make any adjustments on the instrument. The triple wing tuners feel natural and make something as easy as tuning a bass even easier. During a live performance when a bassist has three seconds between songs to make a fine tuning adjustment on a blacked-out stage? That bassist will appreciate Mr. Willis’s special shaped machine heads. This is advertised elsewhere. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & DJ Equipment\Guitars & Basses\Bass Guitars”. The seller is “richaratla0″ and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.
- Brand: Ibanez
- Handedness: Right-Handed
- Type: Electric Bass Guitar
- String Configuration: 5 String
- Body Colour: Black
- Number of Frets: 24