What's Fretless Bass Sting use in Soul Cages Concert Video?

[bluesdogblues]

What's Fretless Bass Sting use in Soul Cages Concert Video?

The bass is black and small body.. in some forum i read it was a ibanes roadstar rb999 (?) but from looking the picture of that bass i'm sure it's not what it is..instead the bass Sting use in his early The Police days.
Can somebody tell me? I'm curious (and my videotape (Betamax) which i saw it back when i was still in high school is already damaged so i can't re-check it)

Thanks a lot

[dannoman]

Is this the bass???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xelGJzDJJY

This bass is a Ibanez.

[bluesdogblues]

Yes thanks for the reply..yes it's Ibanez...but can you (or anybody else) tell me what type is it?

[m.oreilly]

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

...but can you (or anybody else) tell me what type is it?

me too, it looks cool

[FeralSpankmonky]

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

What's Fretless Bass Sting use in Soul Cages Concert Video?

The bass is black and small body.. in some forum i read it was a ibanes roadstar rb999 (?) but from looking the picture of that bass i'm sure it's not what it is..instead the bass Sting use in his early The Police days.
Can somebody tell me? I'm curious (and my videotape (Betamax) which i saw it back when i was still in high school is already damaged so i can't re-check it)

Thanks a lot

Yea, some kind of Ibanez RB999:
http://www.ibanezregister.com/Galler.../gal-rb999.htm
http://maruta.be/user_image/joe_cool/q7olPuEL.jpeg

[m.oreilly]

thanks, i'm not up on ibanez. i like the looks (love small bodies).

[pfschim]

I'm pretty certain this is Stings fretless black Ibanez Musician series bass model number MC940.

Great basses. I had a pair .. a walnut MC924 and a walnut MC940. Sold the MC940 years ago, still have the 924.

enjoy!

[FeralSpankmonky]

Originally Posted by pfschim

I'm pretty certain this is Stings fretless black Ibanez Musician series bass model number MC940.

The body of his MC940 is way larger than the RB999 in the youtube video, he's used both:

[bluesdogblues]

Umm.. I'm confused now.. So, is it MC940? or RB999? or ...?

[evilgus]

The bigger one is definitely an MC940, I have one.

EG

[hooky_marr]

This was a variant of the RB999, apparently only made for the European and Japanese markets. It has a single big humbucker (similar to other Roadstars) with 16 exposed polepieces, and simple passive electronics.

Compared to the RB999 or MC888, it does not have the same curved front, but has a flat front with a bevelled edge both front and back. I believe it came only in one finish, a metallic black/grey. The back of the neck is simple clearcoated maple, the front of the headstock matches the body.

I have not seen this in any Ibanez catalogs of the period, but it's popped up on some Japanese-language websites belonging to some collectors / vintage dealers. It's possible it was designed to fill in a lower price point in the 'bean bass' line, or was just an unlisted model created to use up remaining body blanks?

I know this cos I have one, which I got from a former American serviceman who had been stationed in Germany during the 1980s; it still has a sticker of the German music store where it came from on the back of the headstock. (Gotta love Craigslist!)

You can see that it's an RB666 from the Sting video: there's only one pickup on the bass and that the edges are bevelled (they catch the light), and when you see a reverse angle, the neck is unfinished.

Hey who knows, maybe I have Sting's old bass...

[nofretz]

i didn't read every single word of this thread, so forgive me if i'm contradicting anyone, but i can answer beyond shadow of doubt:

it is a 1983 Ibanez Roadstar II Model RB888. I have one exactly like it with the original case and brochure. The brochure is where you can see that the RB888 is THE one sting played. The RB888 is only one with the same pickup/control knob/switch config as sting's. if i'm wrong, please correct me. this has been a mysterious subject for me for years.

It is a common mistake for this model to be called the later-issued RB999 they are VERY similar, but sting's "soul cages" fretless is the RB 888.

would you guys like me to posts some pics of the bass/case and scans of the brochure? this is one of my favorite basses, and i obviously love to talk about it

as for the fretless aspect, i'm not too sure about it. the brochure doesn't mention a fretless option. on the soul cages concert video, the fretboard appears to be very shiny in certain shots. my guess is that this is a modification fretless with some sort of shiny laquer coat over ebony or something. mine is an ebony modification with no laquer. i need to have that done, though. i rarely play the bass, but the strings are still grinding into the ebony.

i'll try to post some pics and scans.

[Slymusic]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/stings-soul-cages-fretless-520348-post7029704/

[nofretz]

thanks for the plug