Ibanez RS-900

[Pekka]

I recently acquired a 1980 Ibanez Roadster RS-900 bass, the very same model that Phil Lynott used circa '79-'81. Minus the very heavy alder body the bass plays and sounds great and was clearly Ibanez' attempt to snitch some sales from Music Man Stingray (the pickup placement, the construction, the active preamp). I bypassed the preamp altogether (I hate batteries and really didn't need the preamp) and with the signal splitted and some grit from the Leslie pedal this bass sounds killer.

Any others round here? It's sister model RS-800 didn't have the preamp and may have had it's body made of different wood but was otherwise the same. John Wetton used a black RS-800 on the last UK tours in 1979.

[Droombolus]

Don't you just love those Sweetheart tuners ? 

[godofthunder]

Cool bass! I love older Ibanez stuff. Nice simple layout, luv that.

[patman]

I had one of those. It sounded great as long as the battery was fresh. Punchiest most percussive bass I ever owned.

[Pekka]

Don't you just love those Sweetheart tuners ? 

Maybe those were the inspiration for Thin Lizzy's song of the same name?

[jumbodbassman]

just sold my musician yesterday which predates yours but looks like same pickup.  If it is... very noisey single coil  but sounds great

[dadagoboi]

Looks like RS-900 was a predecessor to my RB-650 Roadstar II pair.  Great sounding/playing basses.  The red one had a Duncan basslines active pup set when I bought it, the white one is all original including the (DiMarzio?) pickups, knobs and strap buttons.  Basswood bodies.

[ilan]

It's sister model RS-800 didn't have the preamp and may have had it's body made of different wood but was otherwise the same

The 800's had mahogany core bodies with maple facings.

The one vintage Ibanez that I really want to get: RB920 Roadstar, another take on the MM theme

[Aussie Mark]

My first "expensive" bass was an RB-924 - it cost me $900 in 1983 brand new.  Before that I'd been playing a used Sakai and a Suzuki that cost around $150.

It was a fantastic bass - great neck and a good variety of tones from the two pickups, which had a coil switching toggle.

[Pekka]

My first "expensive" bass was an RB-924 - it cost me $900 in 1983 brand new.  Before that I'd been playing a used Sakai and a Suzuki that cost around $150.

It was a fantastic bass - great neck and a good variety of tones from the two pickups, which had a coil switching toggle.

Not to mention the fantastic pants that came along with the bass? You didn't play with the Split Enz did you?

Ibanez also had an MC-800 which was the Musician line version of the RS-800/900. Different construction but the same pickup in that same sweet spot:



MC-800 was almost the same as Roland's G-88 with the exception of a headstock (that looks very much like on Aria Pro II RSB-900):

[chromium]

I had the G-88 for a while.  I thought it was a great bass - well built, nice player, punchy, useful tone... but with a P, Stingray, and others around here, its sound seemed kind of redundant.  

The guitars stuck around, though!




I have an ST-980, which is cut of similar cloth.  Been playing that one a lot lately.

[Pekka]

I have an ST-980, which is cut of similar cloth.  Been playing that one a lot lately.

Always wanted that or MC-980. Both were 32" scale?

Anybody seen the RS-920?:


It seems that Ibanez used the "Stingray sweetspot" for basses with one pickup and Jazz Bass kind of locations for two pickup versions. Funny they didn't want to compete with Sabre with that RS-920. Same with Aria SB-1000 and SB-900.