SOLD: Ibanez RB888 (Roadstar II "Bean Bass")

Emperor Guillotine

Active member
DESCRIPTION:
I have for sale an Ibanez RB888 (colloquially referred to as the “Bean Bass”) dated from the year 1984 that has been professionally refinished in a brilliant, bright white color.

If you're looking at this listing, then you'll already undoubtedly know that in recent years, the RB888 model has become increasingly rare with hardly any of them ever popping up on the used market. And whenever a RB888 does happen to hit the used market, it typically sells fast.

Specs:
• Body wood: alder
• Body finish: gloss
• Color: white
• Scale length: 34" (864mm)
• Neck construction: bolt-on
• Neck wood: maple
• Neck finish: semi-gloss
• Neck profile: D-shape
• Fretboard wood: rosewood
• Fretboard radius: 9.5" (240mm)
• Frets: 21 medium
• Pickup: Ibanez Super J6
• Controls: 3-way Ibanez Tri-Sound mini toggle (series/parallel/split), volume knob, tone knob
• Knobs: Ibanez Sure Grip II
• Bridge: Ibanez Accu-Cast BII
• Tuners: Ibanez Velve-Tune BII
• Strap buttons: Ibanez Dead End

The original Ibanez gigbag from the factory will be included in the sale.

Essentially, the RB888 is a slimmed down version of the Ibanez RB820 that was created by removing some wood from the body of the RB820. Thus, the RB888 has a lightweight, compact, 3/4th-sized body while still having a full-length neck with the standard 34" scale length.

The whole ethos behind the RB888's design was to have a lightweight, easy-to-transport instrument for the gigging musician who is constantly on the road and playing lengthy sets in a live context.

The neck profile is interesting as it is a chunkier (but not “thick”) D-shape with a somewhat defined central plane where the thumb rests. It is extremely comfortable and feels very, very different from the usual, ultra-thin, flatter, D-shaped neck profiles that Ibanez offers on their modern instruments of today. To me personally, the profile of this RB888 feels very "natural", and it honestly is one of my favorite neck profiles that I’ve ever played on a bass.

The Super J6 pickups that were offered by Ibanez in the early 1980s (and that came stock in many of their Roadstar II bass models at the time) were known for their strong, mid-forward output and transient articulation even though they were simple, passive pickups. And despite the RB888 being a small-bodied bass, the Super J6 pickup actually fleshes out the bass and gives it a BIG, full, rich sound. When combined with the Tri-Sound switching system, you’re easily able to cover any tone that you would need as a bassist for any genre of music.

Here in the Western hemisphere, we typically only see the RB888 in the "metallic black" (more akin to a “gun-metal grey”) finish color. That is the exact color this bass was before it was professionally refinished to be a little more eye-catching.

CONDITION:
Given that this instrument is 40 years old, there are some signs of age and usage, mainly just a very slight scrape on the "butt" of the bass along with some finish speckling. I’ve documented every little imperfection in the photos.

PRICE:
$800 OBO + shipping

LOCATION:
East Coast, USA.

I can work with interested buyers on all shipping concerns domestically or internationally.

PHOTOS:

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