IbanezGSRM25BK MiKro - Black

I've had this guitar for a year so I feel god about this review. I bought this because I'm a guitarist and my wife and I record our own music at home. I had been using another old 4 string short scale bass that was given to me a long time ago and wasn't ideal to say the least. I'm experimenting with a low B on some songs and needed the 5th string. This is perfect. I know some purists say the intonation isn't ideal but for me it's a blast. Not being a full time bass player, the shortcomings don't affect me at all. Using Amp-Lit-ude, I can get any sound I need. On another note, I replaced the factory strings with Ibanez IEBS 5 Coated Nickel Wound Mikro Bass Guitar Strings and wow, I'm done. I had to get them on another Sweet music site but they are cheap and are made specifically for this guitar. All in all it works for me in my simple studio and isn't 4 1/2 feet long and awkward.

I needed a 5-string bass, and have already had exposure using the Mikro 4-string, which was my favorite bass after I discovered the wonders of playing light and short-scale instruments. I'm never going back to a full-sized bass as a person is is almost 6-foot. I play a lot of guitar, and some bass, so this fit the bill for value of money, and also comfort in having a similar scale to a normal guitar.I've been playing this now for a month in a live band setting with a full drummer and lots of styles. Easy to go from prog rock to blues. Plenty of tones on tap between the two pickups. Nobody can tell it's not a "full sized" bass when I record or play live, and it saves my back.This is perfect for players with smaller hands or who just need a more comfortable, lighter, and portable bass. Right price point for a beginner, but works great for me to take on a stage as a more advanced/intermediate player.Build quality was great, pots are smooth, no fret spout, frets are clean, neck is straight, an no paint blemishes.For the money and value, I don't think you can get a better short-scale 5-string bass. Would love to have other color options than black, but honestly I'm in it for the sound of the instrument, and feel to play, and this has everything I'm looking for.

I really love this bass, but it needed work on receipt. I expected that based on reviews and am very happy but dinged it a star due to the required work.First, all 5 bridge saddle bolts needed to be cut to be able to correctly set intonation. It's really as if the bridge should have been mounted about .25-.5 inches further away from the neck. I started off on just the B, D, and G strings, and later had to do A and E. If you want to play all the way up and down the neck with proper intonation, this is required.The pickups are really not good. I happened to have some J Bass EMGs from the 80s, they fit well with just a bit of filing and really brought this thing to life. Was able to cram the battery into the volume/tone control cavity.Finally the metallic overtones are very significant (has to play with tone turned all the way down), the neck is fine though. So I went to flatwounds for E-G strings - left B on round wounds. This tamed that harshness, and it still can sound nice and aggressive if I want.After all that this thing is a real treat to play and great for gigging. Love the short scale and it now sounds fantastic.

It looks like the stock photo. easier to play for smaller hands like mine. Good action.

I own other Ibanez basses and guitars and love them, including the 4-string Mikro bass, so I had strong hopes for this one. I wasn't expecting anything stellar, given the very low price, but at least something solid and useful.Unfortunately, there was major fret buzz on one fret, which no reasonable amount of adjustment to the truss rod or saddle height could fix. Worse, as other reviewers have explained, the bridge is mounted too far forward to intonate the bass properly. Not matter what, you're going to be stuck with sharp notes as soon as you near the 12th fret, and it only gets worse as you ascend. The only workaround is finding shorter saddle screws or cutting them down with a hacksaw--not recommendable unless you really know what you're doing.As much as I'd love to be able to recommend this as an inexpensive, passive 5-string option, I can't in good conscience do so. That said, the 4-string Mikro bass is great for the money, and well worth getting.

Yes, it's cute, but this is a real, great sounding bass guitar. I've been playing bass for 50 years, and a few of my heavier basses are getting a bit uncomfortable after wearing them for a 4 hour gig. I thought to try this Mikro. It weighs in at 6.5 lbs on my bathroom scale, so it's a vast difference compared to my 9 lb + 5 string Rickenbacker. The neck is a bit wide for me - I prefer an extremely tight string spacing, but nothing that I can't get used to. Action was a tad high from the factory, but that is an easy fix. The nut height is also a tad high, so I'll have to break out the nut files - also an easy fix. That said, it's quite playable out of the box. Fit and finish is excellent for a $200 guitar. I may eventually do some mods - new strings, strap buttons, new pickups, and change the controls out to volume, blend, and tone, but that doesn't reflect anything wrong with this bass - I mod almost all of my instruments. I'll have to wait until next week at band practice to put the bass to the real test, but so far, I am impressed.