Gary Willis' absolute mastery of the fretless is well documented in recordings with Tribal Tech, Wayne Shorter, Allan Holdsworth, Hubert Laws, Joe DiOrio and his own solo recordings. He is also one of the finest bass instructors in the world—his seminars on bass are a must for players who want to take their playing to the next level. Gary's no-frills fretless bass personifies and facilitates his total tonal and dynamic control. In 1999, Ibanez Guitars introduced the Gary Willis Signature Bass. In development for almost 2 years, the Willis Bass offers bassists the chance to purchase the bass built to Willis's exacting specifications, and an opportunity to get that "Willis sound." The bass has evolved over the years with subtle improvements, but the latest model (the GWB1005) is hand-crafted in Japan from start to finish and in Willis's words: "Instead of trying to make this bass more affordable, Ibanez has decided to make it perfect.
![]() | IBANEZ GWB1The Ibanez GWB1 Gary Willis Signature model was introduced in 1999. Available in natural flat (ntf) or transparent black flat (tkf) finishes. The fretless GWB1 neck was 20.5mm thick at the first fret line marker, with 34" scale length and a bolt on All Access neck joint which allowed the easy access to the upper frets. This model was discontinued in 2005. |
![]() | IBANEZ GWB1005The Ibanez GWB1005 Gary Willis Signature bass was introduced in 2009, replacing the GWB105 signature model. The GWB1005 is hand crafted from start to finish in Japan. There are a few changes from the previous GWB105 model: it has a black-faced headstock which no longer bears a Gary Willis signature. Now the signature is on the back electronics cover (each one is hand signed by Willis). The fretless fingerboard is now high gloss finished rosewood (instead of the GWB105's ebonol). The detachable finger ramp, designed by Gary Willis, is still there. |
![]() | IBANEZ GWB105The Ibanez GWB105 Gary Willis Signature bass was introduced in 2005, replacing the original GWB1 signature model. The fingerboard on the GWB105 was ebonol (phenolic) instead of the GWB1's ebony fingerboard, and it has offset dot position markers. The GWB105 was replaced by the GWB1005 model around 2009. |
![]() | IBANEZ GWB2The Ibanez GWB2 Gary Willis Signature model was introduced in 1999 as the fretted version of the GWB1. The GWB2 was available in transparent black finish only and was discontinued in 2002. |
![]() | IBANEZ GWB35Ibanez introduced the Gary Willis signature 5 string fretless bass (model GWB35) in 2004. It has a double cutaway basswood body with maple neck and ebony fingerboard. The GWB35 has a single SFR-GWB Custom pickup, active electronics and black hardware. The detachable finger ramp underneath the string pickuing area, designed by Gary Willis, encourages players to not "dig in too deep" and allows a more consistent attack with quick recovery time. |
Specifications:
Model | Image | Finish colors | Finish effects | Made in | Number of strings | Scale length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | ![]() | black finish, natural finish | satin finish, transparent finish | Japan | 5 strings | 34 inches scale-length |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | ![]() | natural finish | satin finish | Japan | 5 strings | 34 inches scale-length |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | ![]() | natural finish | satin finish | Japan | 5 strings | 34 inches scale-length |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | ![]() | black finish | satin finish, transparent finish | Japan | 5 strings | 34 inches scale-length |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | ![]() | black finish | - | Korea | 5 strings | 34 inches scale-length |
Model | Pickups brand and model | Preamp |
---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | Bartolini GW pickup(s), Bartolini NTBT pickup(s) | - |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | Bartolini GW pickup(s) | - |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | Bartolini pickup(s) | - |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | Bartolini GW pickup(s) | - |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | IBZ SFR pickup(s) | active preamp |
Model | Body material | Body shape features |
---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | swamp ash body | double cutaway |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | ash body | double cutaway |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | ash body | double cutaway |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | swamp ash body | double cutaway |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | basswood body | double cutaway |
Model | Bridge | Hardware color |
---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | STD-5 bridge | black hardware |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | B-105 bridge | black hardware |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | B-105 bridge | black hardware |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | STD-5 bridge | black hardware |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | B-105 bridge | black hardware |
Model | Fingerboard inlay material | Fingerboard material | Fingerboard position markers |
---|---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | ebony fingerboard | dot fingerboard position markers |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | ebonol fingerboard | offset dot fingerboard position markers |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | ebonol fingerboard | offset dot fingerboard position markers |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | ebony fingerboard | dot fingerboard position markers |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | ebony fingerboard | dot fingerboard position markers |
Model | Neck joint | Neck material | Number of frets | Tuner layout | Neck width |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | bolt on neck | maple neck | fretless | two-up-three-down | - |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | bolt on neck | maple neck | fretless | two-up-three-down | 1.77 inches wide at nut |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | bolt on neck | maple neck | fretless | two-up-three-down | 1.77 inches wide at nut |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | bolt on neck | maple neck | 24 fret | two-up-three-down | 1.77 inches wide at nut |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | - | maple neck | fretless | - | 1.77 inches wide at nut |
Model | EQ or mix controls | Number of control knobs | Tone controls | Volume controls |
---|---|---|---|---|
IBANEZ GWB1 1999 to 2005 | - | - | - | - |
IBANEZ GWB1005 2009 | 2-band EQ control | 2 control knobs | 2 stacked tone controls | 1 volume control |
IBANEZ GWB105 2005 to 2009 | - | - | - | - |
IBANEZ GWB2 1999 to 2002 | - | - | - | - |
IBANEZ GWB35 2004 | 2-band EQ control | - | 2 stacked tone controls | 1 volume control |