1985 Ibanez Roadstar II RB850 Bass Guitar

Vintage Japanese double humbucker bass, in immaculate condition, inside and out

The last few months included a quest for a bass with a humbucking pickup and after considering more recent Korean models from Schecter, Kramer and a Peavey Grind Bass that was made in Vietnam, this vintage beauty just appeared out of nowhere. I've now had 3 Roadstar guitars and basses over the past few years, two of them came from the Goodwill and both have incredibly been in impeccable condition.

I had no idea that Ibanez made a humbucker bass as part of the Roadstar series, so the ability to fill a need with my favorite brand and era of electric guitars make this an even sweeter find. This neck is super thin, even for an Ibanez and of course, it plays incredibly fast. The body also sports a sleek and slim design.Other features that stand out are the headstock and truss rod cover, which are reminiscent of the older Roadster series.

Also of note on this beauty is that it included both the original boomerang strap holders and odd-shaped, brown leather hardshell case. On the technical side, the bottom two knobs seem to control the two pickups and both are push knobs that turn them off and on. I haven't spent too much time messing around with this one yet, as most of my recent free time has been spent building some pedalboards and playing the Peavey Deuce tube amp and another sweet vintage amp that will be featured tomorrow.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution photos here.

1984 Ibanez Roadstar II RB650 Bass Guitar

Another top-flight 1980s import, still a popular choice with collectors and musicians 30 years later

Like it's younger cousin that we featured yesterday, this is another super-nice Japanese Fender copy from Ibanez, with P/J pickup configuration and a maple neck. This model still has all of the original hardware, including the very hard to find "boomerang" strap holders.

Can't believe how fast this plays for a maple neck, most others seem to be really wide. This one needed a little work with the electronics and it has been beaten up a bit over the years, but it's still in perfect playing shape.

This was the top model of the Roadstar II Standard Series in 1984, but I'm not sure if they had a Deluxe or Custom Series that year. Either way, this is a great bass for gigging or recording and you can generally find a mid-80s Roadstar bass from anywhere between $200-$300.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution pictures here.

1985 Ibanez Roadstar II RS440 Electric Guitar

Vintage Super Strat, Made in Japan, original hardware and custom finish, classic guitar

This is a real beauty, an old-style Ibanez super Strat, with a vintage locking tremolo system. Someone stripped off the original white finish and treated it to give it a natural relic'd look.

On top of looking great, it also plays like a dream and is rock-solid. No dents or cracks anywhere and the frets still have some life left in them.

The original Ibanez pickups are still well-regarded to this day and the Pro Rock'R Top Lok tremolo system is generally seen as superior to the Edge systems that succeeded it.

All in all, this is a pro guitar. The Roadstar series has a great following in the collectors market and for good reason. These are much better than today's MIM Fender guitars and you can expect to pay anywhere between $300-$400 to get one in great shape.

Thanks for looking, more high-resolution pictures here.