Ibanez GWB35FD Gary Willis 5-String Fretted Bass – Review

Ibanez GWB35FD Gary Willis 5-String Fretted Bass – Review…

New in the series of signature bases for Gary Willis is the GWB35FD 5-string fretted bass. This model offers a sleek look of the black satin finish on the body and headstock, to the coolest looking machine heads I have ever seen. Then there is the signature ramp that is commonly known with this line of Gary Willis basses from Ibanez. The GWB35FD has only one passive pickup, and to round out the electronics, the EQB-GWII 2-band eq, which is powered by a 9-volt battery with the compartment being easily accessible and no wires!

The ramp does allow you to increase your speed tremendously with a more consistent attack, keeping you from digging in when doing finger style. For slap and pop styles, I would recommend removing the ramp. Once the ramp is removed, you have ample room for slap and pop techniques. The ramp can easily be removed with the four screws holding it in place. The bass has a basswood body, maple neck with 24 fret ebony fingerboard and medium frets. There is one volume and one stacked tone control (2-band EQ) and all hardware is black.

The Ibanez GWB35FD looks and plays great. If you are concerned with only having a bridge pickup because you like the added round and low-end tone a neck pickup can give you, there are no worries. Every tone imaginable can be accomplished with this pickup. The neck is very comfortable and for your playing adjustments, there are three strap buttons, one on the front horn and the other two located in two different positions behind the bridge. This makes it a lot easier to adjust the position of the bass without having to adjust the strap.

Check out the Ibanez GWB35FD Gary Willis 5-String Fretted Bass at an Ibanez music retailer.