FS: 1981 ROLAND G-88 BASS

chromium · #1 02-07-2011, 02:56 PM

I've decided to sell my 1981 Roland G-88 bass. Can't stand to have basses sitting around that I'm not using on a regular basis, and as wonderful an instrument as this is... I just find that I'm not playing it enough to justify holding onto it.

The Roland GR basses were built by FujiGen Gakki - same factory that made the Ibanez Musicians and Greco basses from this era. Its a maple neck-through construction with ash wings and ebony 'board. It has a nice, punchy single coil with 2-band active 18V EQ. Of course the 24-pin synth controller stuff is built-in there, but I've never actually used it. I don't have the synth floor unit, but it should work with the GR-33B or GR-77B if you have one of those... Please consider that aspect of the bass as-is. I've only ever used it as a "regular" bass, and in that respect it works like any other bass - plug in a 1/4" instrument cable and go.

I do not have a case for this one, but it should fit most Fender-type cases if needed. Truss rod cover is non-original, but replacement is beautiful - made of maple and stained to match the neck. The clear finish on the lower edge of the headstock is chipped up, and the bass has some dings, nicks, and scratches but overall it's in fine shape for its age. I tried my best to photograph the areas of concern...

Price is $675 shipped/Paypal'd in the CONUS. I'm not seeking trades at this time, but would consider other forms of payment besides Paypal if it helps... (wire, MO, GooglePayments, etc..)

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for looking!

chromium · #2 02-08-2011, 10:05 AM

This thing functions just like any other electric bass (has a 1/4" output, volume, bass/treble EQ)... but you could optionally grab one of the GR-33b or GR-77b floor units and stop those keytar guys dead in their tracks!!

There's some additional info about these Roland basses on this site: http://www.joness.com/gr300/GR-33B.htm

Wayne Joness also builds 24-pin to 13-pin adapters to facilitate connection to the modern Roland GR systems as well: http://www.joness.com/gr300/BX13.htm

sturoc · #3 02-08-2011, 10:54 AM

Ohh Man, that's nice.
Always liked their synth stuff for guitar and bass esp. the 303 / 808 series and this one.
though I gasp sometimes when I see a huge chunk of wood taken out for electronics etc, the sound is real nice!

Now, What is that Synth behind it ? ARP Modular ?

RedLeg · #4 02-08-2011, 11:24 AM

I owned the G-33B (set neck maple/rosewood version) and man o man what a cool bass.
very aggressive tone. fast neck. great feel.

P.S. it isnt the floor synth unit that is hard to find. it is the 24 pin cable.

chromium · #5 02-08-2011, 12:12 PM

Yeah the Greco-Roland guitars and basses are fantastic players! I'm a bit of a fanatic about them, and have absolutely no regrets selling my Gibson SG and a Fender Strat to fund these two six stringers:

I mostly just use them as regular guitars, and they both completely smoke their predecessors in that capacity. I feel the same way about the Roland bass, but I already have a old Stingray and a Precision that get in that same sonic ballpark... so despite being a great axe, its just kinda redundant for me.

The GR-33b floor units come up every now and then, and I've seen them sell in the 350-600 range. The GR-77b floor units are a bit more prevalent, and offer wider range of sounds (they share the JX-8P synth architecture, offer a broader selection of waveforms, etc...). The 24-pin cables are the same as used with the guitar units, and those fetch about 180-225 due only to the fact that the connectors are no longer available (making it tough to try and build your own, or for anyone to reproduce them). I used to have six of those cables, but just kept a pair for the two guitars and sold off the others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sturoc

Now, What is that Synth behind it ? ARP Modular ?

That's a 5U/Moog-format modular, and contains stuff from a bunch of different vendors - Synthesizers.com, COTK, STG Soundlabs, Cynthia, Encore, and some stuff I built (got some nice Buchla and EMS-inspired modules slated for that top cabinet) . It's a large part of the reason I never felt compelled to buy the synth unit for this bass!

Thought itd make a fitting backdrop for the Roland, though

squarewave · #6 02-08-2011, 12:47 PM

Oh man, that modular synth is fantastic. Cool bass too.

sturoc · #7 02-08-2011, 03:36 PM

Thanks for the photo and all the info .
Good to know someone still digs on the Roland GR stuff !!!
For a time I tried searching for the 303 + 808 for sale, but they go real fast .

chromium · #8 02-09-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sturoc

I tried searching for the 303 + 808 for sale, but they go real fast .

Its 'cause of that dang Pat Metheny guy

. When I was looking for my guitar, the G-303s (like his) were always fetching way more than the 808s. Could be the subtle differences in construction, but I'd rather blame Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squarewave

Oh man, that modular synth is fantastic. Cool bass too.

Thanks! That's been a couple of years in the making. Started out with me building this case...

...whilst muttering something about never needing more space than this for modules

Its the instrument equivalent of "The Blob"- slowly consuming the room and any sparsely used pieces of gear...

And speaking of sparsely used pieces of gear, any offers on the Roland G-88? I'm open to shipping it Internationally too. Shoot me a message if you have any interest - thanks!

coronado3 · #9 02-09-2011, 01:05 PM

Neil schon used to play a Roland guitar just like that red one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chromium

Yeah the Greco-Roland guitars and basses are fantastic players! I'm a bit of a fanatic about them, and have absolutely no regrets selling my Gibson SG and a Fender Strat to fund these two six stringers:

I mostly just use them as regular guitars, and they both completely smoke their predecessors in that capacity. I feel the same way about the Roland bass, but I already have a old Stingray and a Precision that get in that same sonic ballpark... so despite being a great axe, its just kinda redundant for me.

The GR-33b floor units come up every now and then, and I've seen them sell in the 350-600 range. The GR-77b floor units are a bit more prevalent, and offer wider range of sounds (they share the JX-8P synth architecture, offer a broader selection of waveforms, etc...). The 24-pin cables are the same as used with the guitar units, and those fetch about 180-225 due only to the fact that the connectors are no longer available (making it tough to try and build your own, or for anyone to reproduce them). I used to have six of those cables, but just kept a pair for the two guitars and sold off the others.

That's a 5U/Moog-format modular, and contains stuff from a bunch of different vendors - Synthesizers.com, COTK, STG Soundlabs, Cynthia, Encore, and some stuff I built (got some nice Buchla and EMS-inspired modules slated for that top cabinet) . It's a large part of the reason I never felt compelled to buy the synth unit for this bass!

Thought itd make a fitting backdrop for the Roland, though

chromium · #10 02-16-2011, 03:22 PM

Bump for price drop - now $675 Paypal'd and shipped in the 'States

sturoc · #11 02-17-2011, 09:13 AM

Hey Chrom ,
That's the price you started it at ?

chromium · #12 02-17-2011, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sturoc

Hey Chrom ,
That's the price you started it at ?

No, sorry for the confusion - I had also edited the first post to reflect the lower price.

It started at 749 shipped, and is now 675 shipped.

chromium · #13 02-20-2011, 12:07 PM

Sold via Evil Bay

Thanks all for your interest and comments