Restoring an old Ibanez Roadster?

[umcoo]

Hi folks,

 

I recently picked up an early 80's Ibanez Roadster bass carcass.  Bridge, tuners, body, neck and nothing else. 

 

Originally I was planning on trying to get parts for it and restore it back to former glory, but the body is in worse condition than anticipated. The poly has multiple cracks and dings, so much so that it isn't comfortable to hold in a playing position. 

 

My thoughts turned to stripping it and refinishing and just having it as a passive bass with some nice pickups and a few switchable options. The bass originally had a preamp, but I can't find any 2nd hand or any modern suitable alternative. Plus, I'm kind of a passive guy. 

 

My query is whether it's worth just reselling it as it's now vintage and potentially sacrilege to strip an old bass, albeit one that doesn't have a ton of value on the collectors market. 

 

Any tips or thoughts? Here's a few pics. 

 

 

 

[TheGreek]

I disagree about them not being of value - I had a fretless - nice bass but weighed the same as two rhinos - first thing I would do in your shoes is consider chambering (removing wood from the body). 

 

If you're looking for a new pre-amp have a chat with John East to see what he can put together for you. I would recommend Herrick custom pick ups - he'll make you whatever you want at a really reasonable price. 

 

I have the original knobs if you need a set.

[umcoo]

22 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I disagree about them not being of value - I had a fretless - nice bass but weighed the same as two rhinos - first thing I would do in your shoes is consider chambering (removing wood from the body). 

 

If you're looking for a new pre-amp have a chat with John East to see what he can put together for you. I would recommend Herrick custom pick ups - he'll make you whatever you want at a really reasonable price. 

 

I have the original knobs if you need a set.

Ooh I might take you up on the knobs. There's a place in the US that does reproduction parts of old Ibanez basses, but they're not cheap. 

 

It doesn't actually weigh too much. I was half expecting a boat anchor, but it's very manageable. 

 

I was thinking some cream DiMarzio would look authentic, or I've got a set of old Schecter PJ pickups. Will look at the link though, thanks. 

[LukeFRC]

Looks like a great project! Do what you need to make it work! 

[Munurmunuh]

@Bassassin ahem

[LukeFRC]

3 hours ago, umcoo said:

but I can't find any 2nd hand or any modern suitable alternative.

On that- isn’t it passive volume tone, pickup selector switch and then active passive switch and active bass treble or something? 

[umcoo]

2 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

On that- isn’t it passive volume tone, pickup selector switch and then active passive switch and active bass treble or something? 

Yes, I think you're correct. I've never had an active bass before (despite me owning around 20 or so since I started 😬) so know almost nothing about preamps. 

[TheGreek]

This image just appeared in my emails

 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/comm/feed/update/urn:li:share:6856687977259692032?midToken=AQGLapBMsWHFKQ&midSig=3jv_QPLkdWO9Y1&trk=eml-email_network_conversations_01-hero-2-check_update_cta&trkEmail=eml-email_network_conversations_01-hero-2-check_update_cta-null-3yeayk~kv2ojmz2~q7-null-neptune%2Ffeed.update&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Aemail_email_network_conversations_01%3B1PPPJCcPTG2mp%2BVSipVJaA%3D%3D

[TheGreek]

One on ebay for £750

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174980161816?hash=item28bda16118:g:R8UAAOSwAfJhYaLD

[umcoo]

I paid 185 which I think was probably over the odds. Especially considering the state of the paintwork which wasn't accurately described in the listing. 

 

That guy has a few YT videos of the restoration of that bass. Sounds great. 

[NancyJohnson]

I had one of these, bought new from FD&H, Charing Cross Road, 1980/81.  First proper bass.

 

To be honest, it played nicely enough, it did suffer an earth/ground issue.  Sounded nice.  Couldn't give you any more than this even if you were holding a gun to my head.

 

Looks a good project.

[NancyJohnson]

Ooh, I think the original strap buttons were V-shaped.  I might have these somewhere.

[Duarte]

Go for it. There's some nice wood under that finish, strip it down and oil it - you'll have a totally new bass on your hands. I'm just about to complete a similar project and couldn't be happier with the experience and the outcome. It won't lose any value at this stage - and it will gain value to you.

 

Here's mine...

 

 

 

 

[neepheid]

18 hours ago, umcoo said:

Hi folks,

 

I recently picked up an early 80's Ibanez Roadster bass carcass.  Bridge, tuners, body, neck and nothing else. 

 

Originally I was planning on trying to get parts for it and restore it back to former glory, but the body is in worse condition than anticipated. The poly has multiple cracks and dings, so much so that it isn't comfortable to hold in a playing position. 

 

My thoughts turned to stripping it and refinishing and just having it as a passive bass with some nice pickups and a few switchable options. The bass originally had a preamp, but I can't find any 2nd hand or any modern suitable alternative. Plus, I'm kind of a passive guy. 

 

My query is whether it's worth just reselling it as it's now vintage and potentially sacrilege to strip an old bass, albeit one that doesn't have a ton of value on the collectors market. 

 

Any tips or thoughts? Here's a few pics. 

 

Forget "sacrilege".  I have restored 2 "vintage" Gibsons I received in poor condition by stripping them down and having them refinished - even in colours they were never available in when new - a Victory Artist in metallic gold and a Ripper in trans cherry red.  Furthermore, I did not use period correct electronics in the Ripper (SD remake pickups and modern pots, and the rotary wired for neck only in place of the daft out of phase setting which is standard).  I was not struck down with lightning and I still managed to sell them for decent money when the time came.

 

I would venture that this sacrilege thing is more of a vintage Fender thing, especially pre-CBS ones where Leo himself might have breathed on that lacquer - all 25% of it that's left - don't you dare scrape that off!

 

Also are you looking to resell - is that even the motivation here?  If you're looking to just have a nice passive bass to keep then do what you want to it.  If authenticity was your goal then you'd need to find the correct preamp and pickups and it sounds like you can't be hooped with that, which is absolutely fair enough.

 

Question arises - what makes it not "comfortable to hold in a playing position"?  I don't understand - here's what went through my head.  Some of the lacquer cracks are quite jaggy and you play bass naked.  Some of the lacquer is so bad that you fear it might slough off if you play it.  So you can see why I might need some clarification on that one...

[LukeFRC]

2 hours ago, neepheid said:

Some of the lacquer cracks are quite jaggy and you play bass naked. 

Wait… are clothes an option? 

[umcoo]

3 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Forget "sacrilege".  I have restored 2 "vintage" Gibsons I received in poor condition by stripping them down and having them refinished - even in colours they were never available in when new - a Victory Artist in metallic gold and a Ripper in trans cherry red.  Furthermore, I did not use period correct electronics in the Ripper (SD remake pickups and modern pots, and the rotary wired for neck only in place of the daft out of phase setting which is standard).  I was not struck down with lightning and I still managed to sell them for decent money when the time came.

 

I would venture that this sacrilege thing is more of a vintage Fender thing, especially pre-CBS ones where Leo himself might have breathed on that lacquer - all 25% of it that's left - don't you dare scrape that off!

 

Also are you looking to resell - is that even the motivation here?  If you're looking to just have a nice passive bass to keep then do what you want to it.  If authenticity was your goal then you'd need to find the correct preamp and pickups and it sounds like you can't be hooped with that, which is absolutely fair enough.

 

Question arises - what makes it not "comfortable to hold in a playing position"?  I don't understand - here's what went through my head.  Some of the lacquer cracks are quite jaggy and you play bass naked.  Some of the lacquer is so bad that you fear it might slough off if you play it.  So you can see why I might need some clarification on that one...

 

That's a fair point on sacrilege being reserved for old Fenders, and you're right about me not being too bothered about finding an original preamp. Even if I did, it wouldn't be original to the bass, so more just for completeness than originality.

 

Haha, no nude playing here. There's some chips in the poly where the arm contour would be (these basses don't have an arm contour) so it scrapes slightly, but I play with a plectrum so wouldn't be too big an issue for a finger player. 

 

Thanks for your comments

[LukeFRC]

10 minutes ago, umcoo said:

 

That's a fair point on sacrilege being reserved for old Fenders, and you're right about me not being too bothered about finding an original preamp. Even if I did, it wouldn't be original to the bass, so more just for completeness than originality.

 

Haha, no nude playing here. There's some chips in the poly where the arm contour would be (these basses don't have an arm contour) so it scrapes slightly, but I play with a plectrum so wouldn't be too big an issue for a finger player. 

 

Thanks for your comments

Bass guitars haven’t really changed masses since the ‘50s … one thing that has improved IMO is active circuits being a bit more refined 

[LukeFRC]

12 hours ago, Duarte said:

Go for it. There's some nice wood under that finish, strip it down and oil it - you'll have a totally new bass on your hands. I'm just about to complete a similar project and couldn't be happier with the experience and the outcome. It won't lose any value at this stage - and it will gain value to you.

 

Here's mine...

 

 

 

 

What is the bass? Looks nice

[Bassassin]

It's an RS924, all that's missing are pickups & electronics. Finish doesn't look awful to me, and it's an nearly 40-year old bass, so some scars are (almost) mandatory. All the irreplacable parts are there - the Hercules tuners & Accu-cast bridge are proper hen's teeth items.

 

I would be inclined to stick a cream-cover DiMarzio DP126 set in it (original pickups were DiMarzio clones) and wire it passive v/v/t/t with selector. That way it magically becomes an RS824, the 924's passive sibling, and quite a lot like this one:

 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/6200616-ibanez-rs824-roadster

 

Stick a phase switch in the remaining hole in the body - that's where the active/passive switch was. Fwiw I have an RS924 and always use it in passive mode, I've even idly thought about removing the (very limited) active circuit & wiring it like an 824 so I can blend the pickups. The fact I can't is one of the reasons I don't play it as much as I should - it's otherwise an incredibly nice bass.

 

The only other missing part appears to be the brass trc - you won't find an original so get one of these:

 

https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Ibanez-Roadster-Bass-Truss-Rod-Cover-Brass/p/5678959/category=1370956

 

These are great quality cold-cast resin/brass powder repros. I had one for a Musician resto & they're pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing.

 

Broadly I'd say if it was mine, I'd do a sympathetic resto to RS824 spec, I wouldn't refin it, certainly not if I was considering I might sell it - these are pretty sought after & do command increasingly decent money, and removing the original finish will devalue it significantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[umcoo]

34 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

It's an RS924, all that's missing are pickups & electronics. Finish doesn't look awful to me, and it's an nearly 40-year old bass, so some scars are (almost) mandatory. All the irreplacable parts are there - the Hercules tuners & Accu-cast bridge are proper hen's teeth items.

 

I would be inclined to stick a cream-cover DiMarzio DP126 set in it (original pickups were DiMarzio clones) and wire it passive v/v/t/t with selector. That way it magically becomes an RS824, the 924's passive sibling, and quite a lot like this one:

 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/6200616-ibanez-rs824-roadster

 

Stick a phase switch in the remaining hole in the body - that's where the active/passive switch was. Fwiw I have an RS924 and always use it in passive mode, I've even idly thought about removing the (very limited) active circuit & wiring it like an 824 so I can blend the pickups. The fact I can't is one of the reasons I don't play it as much as I should - it's otherwise an incredibly nice bass.

 

The only other missing part appears to be the brass trc - you won't find an original so get one of these:

 

https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Ibanez-Roadster-Bass-Truss-Rod-Cover-Brass/p/5678959/category=1370956

 

These are great quality cold-cast resin/brass powder repros. I had one for a Musician resto & they're pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing.

 

Broadly I'd say if it was mine, I'd do a sympathetic resto to RS824 spec, I wouldn't refin it, certainly not if I was considering I might sell it - these are pretty sought after & do command increasingly decent money, and removing the original finish will devalue it significantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful, as ever.  Thanks Bassassin.

 

I'd already seen that website for the trc, as well as repro's of the original knobs.  Good to know they're good quality though.

 

The finish isn't terrible, but a fair bit worse than the adverts pictures showed.  Maybe that's influenced my train of thought.

 

Thanks all

[Lo-E]

The DiMarzio pickups would be quite similar to the originals. The original preamps were pretty advanced for their time but most have gotten noisy over the years. Any modern, bypassable preamp would likely be a step up and would still allow you to play in passive mode. 
 

As for the finish, maybe you could drop fill the chip that bothers your arm and leave the rest alone?

[Duarte]

11 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

What is the bass? Looks nice

 

This is my Yamaha Pulser 450 from around 1978-9. It really is a beautiful thing. 

[Elfrasho]

Are the pickups on these not quite normal size, so it's not quite as simple as popping in non-original pups? Routing required perhaps

 

I'm sure my blazer is like that, perhaps the roadster is the same?

 

 

[umcoo]

29 minutes ago, Elfrasho said:

Are the pickups on these not quite normal size, so it's not quite as simple as popping in non-original pups? Routing required perhaps

 

I'm sure my blazer is like that, perhaps the roadster is the same?

 

 

I'm not sure, can't say I've heard that before. I had an old Blazer with the original pickups which sounded so good. 

[Bassassin]

2 hours ago, Elfrasho said:

Are the pickups on these not quite normal size, so it's not quite as simple as popping in non-original pups? Routing required perhaps

 

I'm sure my blazer is like that, perhaps the roadster is the same?

 

Just whipped out my Roadster and a couple of DiMarzio-equipped basses & can confirm dimensions are identical - the Roadster P units are maybe 0.5mm wider front-to-back, otherwise they are the same. Unless current Model P/Model J dimensions have changed from the 70s/80s originals, they should drop straight in. Only caveat is I didn't remove them so can't confirm the depths are identical, but considering the Ibby units are otherwise clones, it'd seem unlikely.

 

In other news, completely forgot quite how pretty my RS924 is - must take some pics that do it justice!