gerald veasley

Inspired by the budget-minded times in which we live, Ibanez recently rolled out a less-costly version of Veasley’s signature 6-string bass with the GVB36.


Ibanez has a long and respected history, and while at times the company gets stereotyped because of instruments they manufactured during the “lawsuit era” of the ’70s, that stigma continues to fade. Today Ibanez produces a wide range of well-crafted instruments, ranging from entry-level to upscale. Though best known as a guitar-centric manufacturer with a long list of big-name endorsees, the craftsmen at Ibanez have been working closely with a number of renowned bassists in creating a line of signature models to go along with their numerous other bass offerings.

Gerald Veasley is one such Ibanez signature artist, and his instrument has taken him around the world several times over. Backing such luminaries as Grover Washington, Jr. and Omar Hakim, Veasley has also shared the stage with legends like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. And while the prominent jazz bassist already has a signature model built to his exacting standards with the Ibanez GVB1006, its hefty price tag just north of $5,000 is out of range for many players. Inspired by the budget-minded times in which we live, Ibanez recently rolled out a less-costly version of Veasley’s signature 6-string bass with the GVB36. Though I wasn’t familiar with his initial signature model, I knew instantly that I was seeing something special when I opened the GVB36’s hardshell case.

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