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Ibanez Roadster RS800?

Tegzsa

Tegzsa

Oct 23, 2005
402
92
61
The Back End of Beyond
#1
According to my extensive armchair internet research, this bass answers most of the criteria for a 1980 Ibanez Roadster RS800 (it's most distinguishing feature being its unphotographical extreme weight):

Ibanez1crop.jpg


Ibanez4crop.jpg


However, I have not been able to find another passive model with the same finish, nor have I seen any others that appear to have a body made from 8 pieces of wood (the natural-finish active versions look much nicer). As far as I can tell, it hasn't been stripped or refinished (neck pocket, control cavity). I bought it second-hand in (I think) 1988. The nasty controls and thumbrest were added by me. The holes for a bridge cover were not.

So, is it an oddity from the Ibanez factory?
 
#3
That's the info I found as well. The catalogues also talk about mahogany as the body wood - which this obviously isn't, as well as flame maple caps - again absent.

I'd love to say that this is a tone machine, but it's not. I bought it because I needed something tougher than what I had at the time, and I have to say that if dropped it would probably damage the pavement.
 
#5
AphekGreg said:
You can work out the year it was made from the serial number. The letter at the start is the month it was made and the first two numbers are the year. e.g. F81254637 would be June '81.
Click to expand...

There's no letter, but the serial number starts with 80. The closest catalogue entry I could find was for 1979. I'm starting to think it may have been stripped of its original colour, but I can find no trace of paint anywhere. I am also curious about the wood - it looks like maple to me (as I said, 8 pieces of it).
 
#8
Mad_Phingers said:
I had the RS-900 in the burgundy (True Violin) finish. Heaviest bass ever. Decent tone, just not decent enough to keep it around.

Looks like Natural wasn't offered on the 800 series?

Link Removed
Click to expand...

Flamed maple top on that 800, so would make sense that it is the OP's bass. Just don't understand the refine and how there appears to be so many pieces... so strange.
 

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