You got my hopes up with the thought of a reissued Roadstar.
Now I have to go sit in the corner and cry.
Now I have to go sit in the corner and cry.
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Ibanez Roadstar Reissue Incoming?
- Thread starter Norwegian_Wood
- Start date
Ibanez needs to reissue the 70s Roadstar design (a lighter version). They are sitting on some cool vintage IP they aren't taking advantage of. It's like if Yamaha didn't still make the BB basses.
It's a custom Shuker bass .
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Link for those of you on Facebook >>
Spec for those who don't want to click on a Facebook link >>
Shuker Adam Clayton custom P bass
Can be heard on the new U2 'Days of Ash' EP, #americanobituary
34” scale, 20 frets
38.5mm nut width, 19mm string spacing
flamed roasted maple neck and board
block inlays
medium jumbo stainless steel fretwire
brass nut
Chambered alder body
black gloss lacquer finish
custom tortoiseshell acrylic scratchplate
In house Owl custom wound split coil pickup
Chrome hardware
gotoh bridge
gotoh tuners
Schaller s-locks
I'm not a fan of U2, or Adam Clayton, but he has good taste in basses
Eude
Cool bass, though I'd image Clayton has like a warehouse full of Precision style basses given how many instruments I've seen him with over the years. Even if money is no object I can't imagine having so many variants of the same thing. Even his Warwicks were P bass style.
Ibanez probably makes more models of basses than anyone else. Maybe if one of their lines doesn't sell so well, and they run out of ideas, they'll throw a Roadstar Redux in the mix, but I wouldn't hold my breath - Ibanez seems to move forward with models, unlike some other unnamed company that has been making the same models (but with minor variations) for decades.
We have a company dedicated to treading water in their own bathtub (metaphorically) as far as "new models" goes, and one that moves forward. If you want something from the past, there is a company for that. If you want something new, there is another company for that. Asking either company that has been operating the same way for many decades to switch gears and do what the other company is good at, probably not gonna happen.
My first bass was a Ric 4001 (another "heritage focused" company). Ric still makes a bass with 99.999% of that dna. The bass I didn't buy? A Ric 4001 clone made by...Ibanez, which wasn't as good as the real thing ("Lawsuit era" instruments weren't always as good as the real thing). Today, Ibanez could probably make a better copy of a 4001/4003. But that isn't what they do well - if I want a Ric (I don't), I'll buy a Ric.
Ibanez already does have a retro re-released bass on their hands, the Talman, which was based on a 90's body shape. I don't think adding a Roadster throwback would be so out of character. IMO those 70's Roasters are much more appealing than the Talman lineup, and have room for improvement with a lighter body and better hardware. Here's the 90's inspiration for the Talman bass, which itself was a retro throwback for its time.
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I think if Ibanez were thoughtful about it they’d do very well with Roadstar II reissues. There are lots of 40 & 50-somethings who couldn’t afford one in their teens and now they can!…..And still want one!
Ibanez recently launched the Mode line, which are basically modernized Jazz basses: 24 fret necks and active electronics. The in-line headstock design inherits from the Roadstar models, a hybrid of the chunky swooshy one from the early 80s and the pointy hair-metal headstock from the late 80s.
The Soundgear series was more or less a continuation of the Roadstar II, starting the year after Ibanez terminated Roadstar. If you compare the models from the last year of the Roadstar II line with the first year of the Soundgear line, you'll see resemblances. A few years later once Ibanez started shipping Soundgears with soapbars rather than PJ pickups they had even more in common.
edit: after checking the Ibanez Wiki it turns out that Ibanez has done Roadstar guitar reissues, but only as one-offs through their custom shop. So a popular musician with enough clout can order one from them.
I doubt Jon Shuker will be paying Clayton, he's a one man band, making everything by himself, by hand, I'd suggest maybe a free bass, at a push, but he's not even been making much of a song and dance about it, so I have a hunch he may have paid for the bass. Jon's work is fantastic, so it could just be that Adam Clayton wanted a great bass
I hope that's the case anyways...
I remember some years ago Ibanez introduced the RD series. They were mid priced, interesting electronics, played well ETC. They resembled the Roadstar line but unfortunately they snuck away after a few years, disappointing sales? Didn't seem like they were around very long, shame.
I saw them at Wembley on the Joshua Tree tour 1980 something the support were the Pogues and Lou Reed, U2 were and still are instantly forgettable, Pogues were a bit Meh apart from Dirty Old Town but none of that mattered, I was there for the main man.
It just kind of amazes me. U2 might be the biggest grossing musical act in the world. Maybe being bland and innofensive is the way to go?I saw them at Wembley on the Joshua Tree tour 1980 something the support were the Pogues and Lou Reed, U2 were and still are instantly forgettable, Pogues were a bit Meh apart from Dirty Old Town but none of that mattered, I was there for the main man.
But who wants to do that?
They came over as pretty edgy ('scuse the pun) when they first started out reminded me a lot of SLF, but instead of staying true to their post punk roots they rode the gravy train for the Man churning out more and more insipid trash to trade for chart success.. No respect for folks who have no respect to their working class roots.
If U2 had stopped after Achtung Baby they'd have a nearly perfect discography. They did so much great work up until then and I think the path they've been on over recent decades, chasing the top rung when they should have just gone for art, has folks forgetting how it all started. If someone thinks a song like Where the Streets Have No Name is junk I want to hear what they like.
