1986 MIJ Ibanez Roadstar Bass RB850 / RB885 4 or 5 string with extra 5 string neck & Fender 10' cord

Sorry for the LONG description.. Please read all the way down on this bad boy.. See all the pictures, as the last 10 are of the extra, original Ibanez 5 String Neck & 5 Stock 5 String Bridge.

This Bass originally was an Ibanez RB885 5 string bass.. It was manufactured in Japan, in August 1986... I've owned it for 2 years.. I bought it from an elderly gentleman, who mainly played upright bass. He bought it used in the late 1990's.. So, the bass had mostly sat un-played throughout the 2000's..  As a 5er, it was playable only if you tightened up the truss rod all the way, & put lighter bass strings on it.. I've ran the "GHS Boomers Light 40-120" Five String Bass Set on it & that worked fine. It was decent back up 5 String bass. 

Back in the mid 1980's, Ibanez (like Steinberger ) crammed 5 strings onto a 4 string bass. The RB885 was made from 1984-1986 & was Ibanez's first production 5 string bass. It used the same basswood body & neck socket as Ibanez's RB850 4 string bass. If you like your 5 strings pretty close together, at 14mm spacing (center-of-string to center-of-string) the Roadstar RB885 is for you... But, I needed a 4 string for a "Karaoke with a Live Band" House Gig...  

So... I made the RB885 into a RB850 4 string bass!! From "the Bay", I bought a matching, mid 1980's, Black 4 String Ibanez Roadstar Neck, & moved 4 of the 5 tuning gears over to in. I also moved the valuable, black, Roadstar Truss Rod cover over too.. Lastly, I found and bought a period-correct, Ibanez Accu-Cast 4 String Bass Bridge, & installed it on the body. Everything fits like a glove! As you can see; The RB850 & RB885 are interchangeable. 

As an RB850 4 String Bass, It plays great! I didn't have to crank the truss rod crazy-tight.... The stock, super-quiet, Ibanez LO-Z5 (part # YE194BK) Low impedance pickups sound great. These are basically Ibanez copying EMG's low impedance pickup concept... The knobs are Volume, Balance, Bass (cut/boost) & Treble (cut/boost) There are alot of scuffs, dents, dings, & scratches on this baby... Look at the pictures.. Its a workhorse that has been played, but it now plays great! 

I'm throwing in the original Ibanez RB885 5 String Bass Neck (Low B tuner still installed) & the original Ibanez, narrow, 5 String Bass Bridge, just in case you wish to switch it back to a 5 string.. Again, see the last 10 pictures of the stock neck & bridge.

A 10-foot Fender cord, & well-used Warwick ROCKBAG bass gig bag are thrown it too.. The gig bag is in OK shape. It's nothing to get too excited about -but it does the job.