[Mr_Scotia]

Hello everyone,

I first joined this site a good few years back, i dont think i posted much (if at all?) I ended up selling all my guitars as i went on to become a mechanic, after working 6 days a week smashing your hands up and getting them covered in grease and oil, coming home to play a guitar isn't the first thing on your mind.

Previously owned a Xiphos, RG370, RG350, USA built Schecter 7 string, a Jackson Dinky and a couple other bits along the way. Ive basically bought and played Ibanez exclusively since i was around 17 years old (im 32 this year). My first electric guitar was an Aria Pro II that i got in 2003

I used to be pretty into guitar playing but it started to fade out around 2011-12 as i got on the tools more. Thankfully ive been able to leave the automotive field recently and ive rekindled my interest in Ibanez guitars. Ive picked 3 new guitars in the past 6 weeks so i thought i would share with others on here. (Ive had the V since 2018)

I might do an individual thread for 3 of them as they are a W.I.P with each guitar needing some form of restoration or repair.

I couldn't find a new members section to introduce myself so im killing two birds with one stone here...

The current line up in order of appearance: Ibanez VBT700, Ibanez Roadstar II RS1300TR, Ibanez Roadstar II RS140, Ibanez 540P Power

Hope everyone is well.

 

[FireEagle]

Love the old Roadstar II's and the Proline!! I can see what the PL needs, but what do the Roadstars need?

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Love the old Roadstar II's and the Proline!! I can see what teh PL needs, but what do the Roadstars need?

The red Roadstar had a bent bridge, so i had it pressed flat at an engineering shop, ive since reinstated the gold plating and bought new gold Gotoh tuners, control knobs, new pick up covers, poles etc. Its a full restoration job basically. Itl look almost new when its finished. Everythings original, just fix the bridge and freshen up really. As far as ive read only 276 exist in transparent red so i want it to look its best. Its currently in pieces stored and in a box, should be back together this month at some point.

The black Roadstar has a chunk out of the side of the neck at the 6th fret, it doesnt affect play but cosmetically it irritates me. I bought the black Roadstar to be a donkey guitar/project . I do alot of sound design stuff using DAW's, synths and MIDI/Piezo stuff so thats what the black one will be designated too, the cavity routing is HxHxH so it presents a few options with regards pickup configuration. Im having some custom pickguards made up for it as we speak. The frets arent great either so il probably pull those out and have them replaced when i refinish/repair the neck. Im not bothered about keeping it original. Cost me £250 shipped, it will be my personal long term guitar, its value is basically zero to me. It will never be sold

The white guitar is a 540P Power, it does look similar to a Proline but the body shape is slightly different. Joe Satriani briefly played them. They were first released in 1987 and then quickly discontinued, it needs a bridge pickup and the fretboard has lifted slightly at the nut. Apart from that its not too bad, few dings in the paint and its heavily discoloured due to either smoke or sunlight. Il probably have the body refinished in the future but im in no rush to do that. The Edge bridge is present even though its not photographed. It only cost me £285 and it came with a hardcase and a Roland GK-2A MIDI pickup too so i dont mind throwing money at that either.

Thanks for looking

 

[3bolt79]

Welcome! I really dig those Roadstar II’s

 

[JsXLine6]

Very cool!

The P looks just like the one on his dreaming #11 album cover 😆. Those 3 guitars are so awesome. I want to get one of each from the later 80's... No toggles. I have 2 radius guitars... It I need to get a saber and a power!

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Very cool!

The P looks just like the one on his dreaming #11 album cover 😆. Those 3 guitars are so awesome. I want to get one of each from the later 80's... No toggles. I have 2 radius guitars... It I need to get a saber and a power!

Thats the one

I had no idea what model it was, the eBay seller had it listed as "Ibanez electric guitar made in japan" The seller was dealing with Dyson Hoovers and Commodore 64 games consoles, this was the only guitar they had for sale. No idea how they came across it but i knew that the Roland MIDI controller and the case it came with were almost worth the price i paid so i took the chance on it.

It was only after some Google deep diving i figured it out, i thought it was either a 540R or a Proline but the body contours and switching threw me off at first

I also managed to come across a signed photo of Joe playing that exact model from a different seller so i bought that aswell to compliment the guitar 😄

Thanks for the replies everyone

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Welcome! I really dig those Roadstar II’s

Thank you sir!

Im typically an RG player but ive grown very fond of the 80s Ibanez range. Ive got a few more guitars in mind that il hopefully track down in the comming months

 

[Michael_LIS]

Hi, I've got a black Power myself. That roadstar II is really something else. Very nice.

I always wanted one of the Steve Lukather model......
RS1010SL

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Nice stable, and some good snags too, stuff on conventional selling platforms has gone up in price, though Roadstars are still kinda sleepers, maybe partly as very few famous guys used then, and when they did it wasn't for long. I tend to prefer the '86 models because of the trem but earlier ones still have great necks, loads of pu options etc.

V looks cool too (Ibanez tend to do them well) - intonation adjustment for days.

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Hi, I've got a black Power myself. That roadstar II is really something else. Very nice.

I always wanted one of the Steve Lukather model......
RS1010SL
View attachment 18323

Are you selling your 540P on Reverb? Theres a black one on there just now...

The red Roadstar II is the one im most precious with, its more like an ornament than anything else, it will be played but it will live in a hard case 24/7 and stay out of harms way. Its genuinely one of the nicest things ive ever owned. They were from the 1984 custom line

Marine sunburst is my favourite finish, they applied that on a few other models along with the RS1010SL, im going to try track one down something with that finish on it. They done some Artists in marine sunburst too but theyre hard to find...

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Nice stable, and some good snags too, stuff on conventional selling platforms has gone up in price, though Roadstars are still kinda sleepers, maybe partly as very few famous guys used then, and when they did it wasn't for long. I tend to prefer the '86 models because of the trem but earlier ones still have great necks, loads of pu options etc.

V looks cool too (Ibanez tend to do them well) - intonation adjustment for days.

Yeah ive been quite lucky with my purchases, my red Roadstar II was the one i paid the "right" money for, the rest were scooped at bargain prices. The V first came out in 2007 and were discontinued, apparently a lawsuit from Dean because of the V they had in production for Dave Mustaine at the time. Ive no idea how many V's exist but apparently the ones that made it out alive were shop pre orders from NAMM, they dont even appear in a product catalogue...

Thank you everyone for the kind comments

 

[FireEagle]

Hi, I've got a black Power myself. That roadstar II is really something else. Very nice.

I always wanted one of the Steve Lukather model......
RS1010SL
View attachment 18323

Me too!! The finish is stunning and workmanship top notch, but those tremolos kind of turn me the other way... If they had a solid bridge or Edge trem I would sell several guitars in order to buy one!

 

[FireEagle]

The white guitar is a 540P Power, it does look similar to a Proline but the body shape is slightly different. Joe Satriani briefly played them. They were first released in 1987 and then quickly discontinued, it needs a bridge pickup and the fretboard has lifted slightly at the nut. Apart from that its not too bad, few dings in the paint and its heavily discoloured due to either smoke or sunlight. Il probably have the body refinished in the future but im in no rush to do that. The Edge bridge is present even though its not photographed. It only cost me £285 and it came with a hardcase and a Roland GK-2A MIDI pickup too so i dont mind throwing money at that either.

Right... A quick glance and from the front it just screamed Proline. I tried to buy an '86 PL650 in the dark Wine Burst finish from Reverb last year, but the seller had sold it to a freind off Reverb that day. I ended up buying an '86 RG440 from him with the same finish, but had him make a custom H-S pickguard for it. Loaded it with my own pickups and now its a great player, keep it in drop D just because it matches the look!

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Me too!! The finish is stunning and workmanship top notch, but those tremolos kind of turn me the other way... If they had a solid bridge or Edge trem I would sell several guitars in order to buy one!

Unfortunately the weakest point on the era of Ibanez is the bridge, the Hard Rock'r and Pro Rock'r are very fragile. I was lucky to find a full Pro Rock'r unit on eBay 6 days after buying my red Roadstar so i scooped that just incase.

Im actually putting together a hardware/service kit for the Pro Rock'r and il also be fabricating my own brass sustain block for it to try and add some strength to it.

 

[Mr_Scotia]

Right... A quick glance and from the front it just screamed Proline. I tried to buy an '86 PL650 in the dark Wine Burst finish from Reverb last year, but the seller had sold it to a freind off Reverb that day. I ended up buying an '86 RG440 from him with the same finish, but had him make a custom H-S pickguard for it. Loaded it with my own pickups and now its a great player, keep it in drop D just because it matches the look!

View attachment 18325

I had no idea what a 540P was until last week, i also thought Proline or 540R untill i done some Google diving. Luckily the seller didnt know what it was either because they seem to sell for 4 figure sums of money.

Ive bought an Air Norton bridge pickup for the 540P so il get that back together in the next few weeks along with the red Roadstar aswell

 

[FireEagle]

I had no idea what a 540P was until last week, i also thought Proline or 540R untill i done some Google diving. Luckily the seller didnt know what it was either because they seem to sell for 4 figure sums of money.

Ive bought an Air Norton bridge pickup for the 540P so il get that back together in the next few weeks along with the red Roadstar aswell

What a lucky find! It is harder and harder to get a good deal on these old killer classics, but if you know what to look for and do some research you can still find one every now and then. Fantastic and worthy project... You seem like you know what you are doing and I'm sure it will turn out awesome!

I had a similar lucky find a few years ago... Listed on ebay as "Ibanez Electric Guitar" with only one grainy picture. I did my research and posted a copy of the picture on here and realized it was an early Ibanez 540S LTD. So I took a chance and won the bidding for around $200, if I remember right. Arrived in a beat up old hard case, but inside was the guitar to the right of the RG440 in the picture above, an '89 540S LTD in amazing condition. Barely played but needed a good cleaning. It is one that I play as much or more than any other... Just got lucky!

Best of luck on the projects!!

 

[Mr_Scotia]

What a lucky find! It is harder and harder to get a good deal on these old killer classics, but if you know what to look for and do some research you can still find one every now and then. Fantastic and worthy project... You seem like you know what you are doing and I'm sure it will turn out awesome!

I had a similar lucky find a few years ago... Listed on ebay as "Ibanez Electric Guitar" with only one grainy picture. I did my research and posted a copy of the picture on here and realized it was an early Ibanez 540S LTD. So I took a chance and won the bidding for around $200, if I remember right. Arrived in a beat up old hard case, but inside was the guitar to the right of the RG440 in the picture above, an '89 540S LTD in amazing condition. Barely played but needed a good cleaning. It is one that I play as much or more than any other... Just got lucky!

Best of luck on the projects!!

Mines was pure luck aswell, i had already bought the 2 Roadstars and i had no intention of buying anything else. I searched "Ibanez" on eBay uk and selected "time ending soonest" The 540P popped up with current bids at £180, 1 day left on the auction. I already needed a hardcase for my red Roadstar and the Roland MIDI controller that came with the 540P is something i would use anyway so i put in a max bid of £350 ten seconds before the auction ended and i won at £285

I figured even if the guitar was trash i could part it out and get my money back and still be left with the MIDI controller and the hardcase so i just took the chance on it, i was blown away when it turned up and i found them selling on Reverb for crazy money. Because it was so cheap i can afford to make it 100% and still be waaaay under the guitars actual value.

Very grateful to have found it and il make sure i do it justice.

Thanks for the kind words

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Haha, don't start about the Pro Rock'r 😆. I have an RS525, whoever owned it before me totally stripped the screws for the string locks (still possible to tighten/undo with a large slot screwdriver), and when I was a Pro Rock'r noob, I broke a t-nut too (££ replacement), which may be considered a rite of passage (there's a bloke around now who sells cast bronze replacements). Good thing Ibanez got smart and decided to pay Floyd a license fee, which gave us the Edge.

It's still possible to find deals, but, like FireEagle says, less easy these days. I noticed recently that various PLs are now 1-2k. I guess I can forget getting a hold of the 1880, 2660 etc., ha! Sometimes you see ads where it's just 'Ibanez guitar' and the seller doesn't know/care what they've got, so it's cheaper, but with all the information out there, most, understandably, look things up and price what they're selling accordingly.

When I did my 'shopping', there was generally less interest in some of these things (my RS525 was $150). Like you with your 540P, I made an offhand bid, thinking that if I didn't like it, I could sell parts and more than recoup the cost. The guitar came, I set things up, and upon the first strum it was: 'wtf? this neck vibrates like mad!', and plugged in - sustain, aggressive and tight low end...yikes.

I'm kinda interested in the 440P, which has a non-recessed trem and a different neck, but they're hard to find, not many made, I imagine.

 

[Mr_Scotia]

@Ashurbanipal Im new to the Pro/Hard/Power Rock'r game as ive only had modern Ibanez up until now. I quickly discovered how problematic they were through research online. I found a complete Pro Rock'r bridge for sale just 6 days after i bought my Roadstar, the seller was based in Colorado, it had been listed for 2 hours and already had 8 watchers on it so i decided to pull the trigger on it.

Might seem excessive but i didnt want my new Roadstar turning into a paperweight because of a fragile and fairly rare bridge, i did genuinely feel a bit bad because my Pro Rock'r is fine now and i bought the other one only as a back up, i know that theres some poor Ibanez out there who needed parts off that and i bought it just as a spare...

I did actually enquire about having parts made for the Pro Rock'r as there is demand for them and i can front the money to put stuff into production but the company never got back to me, im going to fabricate my own slightly bigger sustain block to try increase the overall strength of the bridge plate. Mines was bent and the one i just bought from the USA is also slightly bent.

I googled around and most of the Pro Rock'r bridges i came across looked like they had a slight bend in them too, the material used to make them is called Zamak which is a blend of Zinc, Copper and Aluminium usually. Its quite weak and even my engineer wasnt super comfortable straightening out my bridge plate because its so fragile.

Im a mechanic to trade and i have friends in different fields of engineering so il see if i can produce anything that might help Pro Rock'r owners in the future, right now ive spec'd all new hardware for the bridge so any nuts and bolts that are needed i can help people out with that at least.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

It's only logical to get a spare if you can, and you seem to be getting on top of how it works and what the issues are, as a good engineer should .

People have been having problems with these from day one, I imagine, because of the over-complication (Ibanez trying to avoid the various patents for the Floyd system); the fact that the system seems to have more built-in friction due to the surface area of the pivot pins rubbing against the studs, and the separate nut/string lock at the headstock; and key stressed parts made from soft material. It can be made to work, but if you're used to real Floyds it's pretty meh. I turned mine into a hardtail and decked it against the body - no more woes.

Yeah, the guitars are killer, their bridges let them down a bit. Somewhat easier with the Power Rocker - can install a nice six screw (or even two post) trem without massive surgery. The Edge and Lo Pro are also zamak, or something similar, but they have the hardened steel knife inserts, which make all the difference in the world, and why they're considered among the best double locking bridges.

The noob mistake I referred to above was adjusting the intonation and saddle height under string tension – not recommended! As you know, the slot head screw at the back of the bridge for moving the saddle back/forth passes through the t-nut, which has an additional threaded hole on top for locking the saddle down. It's also made of some kind of zinc alloy completely unsuited for the stress it is constantly under.

This bloke sells the t-nuts in cast bronze, which ought to be better (certainly cheaper than trying to find the inferior original part): Repro Guitar Parts. He also sells the hex bolts for locking the saddles to the t-nut

Additional info: trem arm socket is same as Edge/Lo Pro, so don't bother trying to find an original Pro Rock'r arm (stupid ££ when you do), just get the readily available part .

Your project sounds interesting though, keep us appraised (even from a purely techy-geeky point of view). There's often the odd person with an old Rocker trem in need. There would definitely be a market for the bolts and screws, which get stripped out from zeal and/or time.

Will you be making a brass block?