Rufus! - Ibanez GSR200B-WNF GIO Soundgear | Walnut Flat | 2018

Some basses arrive demanding pyrotechnics, pointy headstocks and enough switches to launch a moderately sized satellite.

Rufus has turned up looking like an extremely nice piece of furniture, and we mean that as the highest compliment.

Finished in Walnut Flat, Rufus is a 2018 Ibanez GSR200B from the GIO Soundgear range.

The understated satin finish allows the grain of the mahogany body to remain visible, while black hardware and the warm jatoba fingerboard give the whole instrument a simple, cohesive appearance.

The GSR200B takes the familiar Ibanez Soundgear formula and makes it particularly accessible.

Its sculpted body and deep cutaways provide comfortable access across the neck, while the slim GSR4 maple neck makes it an excellent option for newer players, guitarists moving across to bass, or anyone who simply prefers a fast and manageable neck profile.

The 34-inch scale length keeps the instrument full-sized, paired with a jatoba fingerboard and 22 medium frets.

Pickup duties are handled by an Ibanez Dynamix P/J combination.

A split-coil P-style neck pickup provides warm, rounded low-end punch, while the J-style bridge pickup adds extra definition and attack. Each pickup has its own volume control, alongside a traditional tone control.

The fourth control operates Ibanez’s Phat II active EQ, providing additional low-frequency boost when required.

Despite Rufus’s understated appearance, this gives him a surprisingly broad tonal range, from traditional P-style warmth to brighter and more defined sounds with additional low-end weight available from the active circuit.

Rufus has received the full Stray treatment.

His frets have been levelled, crowned and polished, his jatoba fingerboard thoroughly cleaned and conditioned, his electronics inspected and tested, and the entire instrument cleaned and serviced before receiving a complete professional setup.

His action and intonation have been properly dialled in and he is now playing beautifully.

Specification

• Ibanez GSR200B-WNF GIO Soundgear
• Walnut Flat finish
• 2018
• Made in Indonesia
• Mahogany body
• GSR4 maple neck
• Jatoba fingerboard
• 34-inch scale length
• 22 medium frets
• Dynamix P split-coil neck pickup
• Dynamix J bridge pickup
• Individual pickup volume controls
• Tone control
• Phat II active EQ
• B10 bridge
• Black hardware
• Frets levelled, crowned and polished
• Fully serviced and professionally set up

Rufus is not trying to reinvent the bass guitar. He is simply doing the important things very well.

He is comfortable, versatile, easy to play and capable of covering everything from warm traditional bass tones to something considerably punchier when the Phat II circuit gets involved.

No glitter. No pointy bits. No identity crisis.

Just a very handsome brown bass that knows exactly what it came here to do.

The Stray Chord
Rescue • Restore • Rehome