1980s Riverhead Phantom RPB-1000 (by Headway Japan) For Sale

The Phantom is one of Riverhead’s most distinctive bass designs from the period: compact and futuristic in appearance, but built as a serious full-scale instrument rather than simply a novelty design. The RPB-1000 features a 34\" scale, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, dual humbucking pickups and active electronics, giving it a surprisingly broad range of usable tones.

What makes this particular example especially appealing is how complete and carefully preserved it is. It has seen very little use since new and remains remarkably clean for an instrument of this age. There are only very light superficial signs of handling visible on close inspection of the high-gloss finish.

The bass remains unmodified, with no known alterations or replacement electronics. The controls and electronics have been checked and are functioning properly, and the stacked potentiometers have recently been carefully serviced so that they operate smoothly.

Included is the original Riverhead moulded hard case, as well as an older spare set of Fender 7250L bass strings. Even the silica gel originally kept in the case is still present — a small detail, but one that gives a good indication of how carefully the instrument has been stored over the years.

The RPB-1000 is not a model that appears for sale particularly often, and complete examples with their original case are harder still to find. Comparable surviving examples are typically described as uncommon or difficult to find, and surviving instruments often show considerably more wear or have had electronics or other parts altered over time.

It is a genuinely interesting piece of 1980s Japanese bass design: unusual enough to appeal to a collector, but still a very playable and versatile instrument in its own right.

The bass pictured is the exact instrument being sold. Please examine the photographs carefully for the precise cosmetic condition and included items.