TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) Bought myself an Ibanez Roadster fretless, unlined Ebony fretboard, JP pickups - serial A81 0557 - dark burst - but can't find the model. Note - bolt on neck. Possibly the RS940? I checked the various Databases but can't figure out what model this is. Any help? Edited September 24, 2020 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 A pic may help?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 I think it's the same as this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) If you're absolutely sure it's a Roadster, that fingerboard is definitely not original. All Roadsters had maple fingerboards and had PJ pickups from 1981 onwards. Prior to that there were some older models with the large Musician style brown soapbar pickups. The factory fretless RS940 had an unlined maple board with tiny off-center dots. If yours has an ebony board, it's likely a defretted RS824 (passive, 2V+2T) or RS924 (active/passive, VT + bass + treble, 3-way switch and active/passive-switch). Edit: Yep, modified RS924! Edited September 24, 2020 by LeftyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Ibanez https://www.ibanez.com/eu/support/catalogs/19810101000008.html https://www.ibanez.com/eu/support/catalogs/19810101000009.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Here's some pics I've just taken. I'm taking it to be serviced tomorrow so currently unstrung. It will have Status black tapewounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 12 minutes ago, LeftyJ said: If you're absolutely sure it's a Roadster, that fingerboard is definitely not original. All Roadsters had maple fingerboards and had PJ pickups from 1981 onwards. one pictured above at Bass Direct also has an ebony board. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Ibanez_Roadster_RS924_BS.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) Very pretty! That's exactly what the dots would have looked like, but only the MC940 came from the factory with a fretless ebony board like that. The RS840 and RS940 had maple boards. Unless this is some custom order by an Ibanez endorsee back in the day (Sting? He has famously played several Musicians, both fretted and fretless, 4-string and 8-string, and the bean bass Roadstar basses. Maybe Roadster too?). Edited September 24, 2020 by LeftyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 RS940, but there's no rosewood/ebony board version in any of the catalogues, as far as I've seen. May be a formerly fretted/maple board version that's had the board replaced, or just an oddity. Quite a few models from this era don't seem to be in any of the available catalogues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) Been googling...this confuses the subject https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ibanez_RS-940_fretless_bass_(1981)_headstock.jpg Edited September 24, 2020 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 45 minutes ago, TheGreek said: Been googling...this confuses the subject https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ibanez_RS-940_fretless_bass_(1981)_headstock.jpg That's not the original trc, looks like it's from an Ibby SR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el borracho Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 1 hour ago, TheGreek said: Been googling...this confuses the subject https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ibanez_RS-940_fretless_bass_(1981)_headstock.jpg This bass has it's own thread from 8 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 2 hours ago, Bassassin said: RS940, but there's no rosewood/ebony board version in any of the catalogues, as far as I've seen. May be a formerly fretted/maple board version that's had the board replaced, or just an oddity. Quite a few models from this era don't seem to be in any of the available catalogues. Um... there's one right there in the photo top right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakester Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 1 hour ago, BigRedX said: Um... there's one right there in the photo top right? T'aint fretless though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Found this: History The Musician series was introduced in 1979 with the MC-800 and MC-900 models, which were available in natural (NT) and "dark-stain" (DS) finishes. for the MC-800 was $655.00 USD for the NT finish and $665.00 USD for the DS finish. List price for the MC-900 was $775.00 USD for the NT finish and $785.00 USD for the DS finish. The MC-800 was a single-pickup design, while the MC-900 had two pickups and a three-band EQ. The 1980 price list retains the MC-800 and MC-900, in both NT and DS finishes, but adds the MC-824, MC-924, MC-940, and MC-980 (8-string), all of which were DS models. The 1981 catalog lists four models: MC-824, MC-924, MC-924L, and MC-940. All four models were DS models, as the natural (NT) finish was no longer an option. The MC-824 was the base model, the MC-924 added a three-band EQ. The MC-924L was a left-handed version of the MC-924. The MC-940 was a fretless version of the same. The 1983 catalog retains only two models, the MC-924 and MC-940, but introduces a new finish option, polar white (PW). The 1983-1984 catalog shows a reintroduction of the MC-824DS and an additional finish option, metallic black (MB), for the MC-924 and MC-940 models. The 1984 price list retains the 1983 models and introduces the MC-888, sometimes referred to as the "bean bass," which featured a smaller body. In 1986, only two models remain. The MC-924 is renamed MC2924 and the MC-940 is renamed MC2940. Their body shape is redesigned and looks more like what would eventually become the SoundGear line. These are the only two Musician models in the 1987 price list. Features The Musician Bass featured a 34" scale neck-through design. The neck was 5-piece neck, constructed of three pieces of rock maple, with two strips of walnut in between them. The body was initially made from a sandwich of mahogany and ash - a mahogany core, with ash on the front and back. The mahogany core was discontinued in '82, leaving it with a solid ash body. From '79 to '81 they used Ibanez Super 4, single coil 'soapbar' pickups, which were also used in the Roadster basses of the same period. Starting in '82 they change to Ibanez Super P5 and Super J5 pickups, which were Precision and Jazz Bass style pickups in Ibanez' own covers. The MC824 model used a single J6 humbucking pickup with the Ibanez Tri-Sound switch, allowing series, parallel and single coil operation. All Musicians were passive basses, but the majority of models included an active equalizer circuit that could be switched in or out. From '79 to '81 they used a 3-way selector switch to change between the pickups. From '82 onward the two pickup models lost the switch and gained a blend control. Endorsees The various Musician models were endorsed and/or used by several high-profile musicians, including Sting of The Police, Adam Clayton of U2, Fleetwood Mac's John McVie, The Who's John Entwistle, Mark Egan, Dee Dee Ramone, Mike Porcaro of Toto, Victor Bailey and James Freud of Australian band The Models. Sting's fretless Musician is said to be the instrument he used most in The Police. Adam Clayton used his Musicians as his main instruments from around 1981 through to 1984. He owned an MC824DS, which he favoured, as well as a MC924DS. Alas no info (currently) why mine is a bolt on neck NOT a neck through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) FYI https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.bassprofessor.info/index.php/bass-professor/bp-2019/bp1-2019/1844-bassmuseum-musician-serie-von-ibanez&prev=search&pto=aue Edited September 24, 2020 by TheGreek 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I think one or two of us might be becoming a little confused! 6 hours ago, BigRedX said: Um... there's one right there in the photo top right? That's an ST924 Studio. Bolt-neck, but with a fancy laminated body & soapbars rather than P/Js. 3 hours ago, TheGreek said: Found this: History The Musician series was introduced in 1979... ...from around 1981 through to 1984. He owned an MC824DS, which he favoured, as well as a MC924DS. Alas no info (currently) why mine is a bolt on neck NOT a neck through. Err... that'll be because this is about the Musician range (MC900, MC924 etc) and yours is an RS series Roadster. The Roadsters & subsequent Roadstar II (which was genuinely a typo) basses were all bolt-on. Pretty confident yours is just a model variation on the RS920 fretless, which just doesn't happen to be in any of the catalogues that are currently available. Lots of Ibbys underwent changes & updates during the model's life but those aren't always reflected in literature. Also there's not a complete record of catalogues for the 70s & 80s yet, so it may just have been in one there's no copy of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 8 hours ago, Bassassin said: Pretty confident yours is just a model variation on the RS920 fretless, which just doesn't happen to be in any of the catalogues that are currently available. Lots of Ibbys underwent changes & updates during the model's life but those aren't always reflected in literature. Also there's not a complete record of catalogues for the 70s & 80s yet, so it may just have been in one there's no copy of. RS924. The RS920 is an older and very rare 22-fret version with two soapbar pickups and a different preamp. I stand by my earlier assessment @TheGreek's bass is an RS924 with a new fingerboard, but I wouldn't rule out a factory custom job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 2 hours ago, LeftyJ said: RS924. The RS920 is an older and very rare 22-fret version with two soapbar pickups and a different preamp. I stand by my earlier assessment @TheGreek's bass is an RS924 with a new fingerboard, but I wouldn't rule out a factory custom job. Sorry - late night, half-asleep typo, RS940 was what I meant! You might be right but I'm still inclined to think/hope it's an uncommon standard model, would seem unlikely that a re-boarded bass would have the same offset dots as the maple board instrument & other factory fretless Ibanez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Took this to my local luthier, Terry Chapman, earlier today for a once over and spruce up. Terry's in isolation following an operation for Prostate Cancer earlier this year. He's on his feet and in a fair mood all things considered. I'm sure that those who know Terry will be sending positive thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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