The Fender 57 Road Worn Precision pickup!

[2cooltoolz]

Hi all.

Another dreaded "Road Worn" thread, but with a bit of a difference. For me, the 57 Road Worn P-bass is "The One That Got Away!" It was a great bass, but bad things happened in life and it was the one I was not yet sentimentally attached to.

So things are better, and I'm assembling a non-Worn Road Worn 57 Precision bass. All Fender, using a Nitro finished body and an actual Road Worn neck. Economics dictate that I buy parts slowly and I'm down to the electronics to complete.

My plan was to buy a Duncan SPB-1, and I've been watching eBay and saving my pennies, when a NEW Road Worn P-Bass pickup shows up, removed from a new RW bass. 25 Bucks! I'm not new to eBay and it seems legit. SNAP!... It hasn't arrived yet and even when it does, the bass isn't quite ready.

So, this begs the question: What IS the RW P pickup? Rather than be scolded for asking, I did the requisite TB research and found the definitive answer:

Exactly what is the difference with the RW pickups and any other MIM Precision that gives it a "magical sound"? You open the hood and look at the parts, what are you going to find?

Does anyone know what pickup, pots, and cap are in the Roadworn P?

You can go to Fender.com and look up the parts list and compare part numbers with other Fender basses and see if it matches up with another model. I have done that with other basses.
Rocky

Well, I’ve tried this, and unless someone has found a better link than I have, Fender doesn’t list parts beyond around 2005.

The specs on the Fender web site call it a "Vintage Split Single-Coil Precision Bass®" pickup.
Actually, I'm a bit surprised...it IS the same pup as on the AVRI 63' P.
Invalid Link Removed

The Classics, RW, HO, Special and pre-'12 American Standard Precisions all have the same 61276/7 pickup set, so there's not much between them there.

[QUOTE="Q";12643342]All the roadworns have the '62 RI pickup in them already. It's a great P pickup but it can be a little "soft" sounding if you prefer a more modern tone.[/QUOTE]

So there you have it. I loved the sound of my original Road Worn, and certainly intend to give this pickup a shot. As for how I can determine if it is actually a Fender Road Worn Precision pickup

By the way; A little time on my hands. I'm a furloughed federal employee

 

[petrus61]

The RW pickup can be whatever Fender decides to use. I have seen them with 62RI's (just once and it was stock), pre 2012 US Standard pickups and the more common 50's Classic pickup. Supposedly the pre 2012 US, 50's Classic and RW are all the same pickup, which is Alnico and wound around a plastic bobbin (Reissue pickups are wound on the fiber bobbin). Also note that if the poles are not beveled, it's not a 62 or "Original" pickup and probably something else.

 

[2cooltoolz]

Well, they came in. I'm pretty pleased. They are indeed Road Worn, a standard Fender 56003/56004 set, American Series pre 2008 and indeed apparently standard in the Classic 50s, Road Worns, Highway Ones, and others. These are currently MIM, I don't know if they have always been. Fender part # 005-6004-049 in non-Road Worn; I don't know if the RWs have a different #.

 

[Hans Gruber]

I swapped out these for some Aguilars tonight and honestly, these pickups are about as good, even a little hotter. I may have spent more money than I needed to on a nominal difference.