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Fender MIM road worn 60' J bass

#61
sean.1986 said:
No, I said I don't think anyone with a tattoo wants people to think it's there naturally. Some people with road worn basses undoubtedly will.
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And that's just it to me - the desire to *appear* as if you are a veteran player or at least have a *very* hip old bass... it seems so lame to me...

Now here's one for you: Can you not get a tat that looks 'pre faded' - a brand new tat that is all washed out so it looks like you got it when tats were *really* cool, not just popular?

That's the tat *I* want!
 
#62
BigOldHarry said:
And that's just it to me - the desire to *appear* as if you are a veteran player or at least have a *very* hip old bass... it seems so lame to me...

Now here's one for you: Can you not get a tat that looks 'pre faded' - a brand new tat that is all washed out so it looks like you got it when tats were *really* cool, not just popular?

That's the tat *I* want!
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Well I really doubt -- although I'm sure there are a few -- most people on TB with tats are in a bike gang or are sailors. So are they just fronting an image they want people to see?
 
#65
Not all people, but in the example you gave of sailors and bikers perhaps. Plus, there's a difference between trying to look cool and trying to deceive people or pretend.

Not that I'm taking sides, I just don't find the tattoo analogy particularly useful.
 
#66
sean.1986 said:
Tattoos on bikers and sailors are about tribalism and identity. I fail to see the analogy here.
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Many tats are about tribalism - and that's fine - - but we all know folks who get tats only to appear "cool" - and what would be cooler than an "old" tat?:cool:

In my case, I'm not a young guy - so if I get it tat, it will be a big, bright THING on my arm/chest/wherever, rather than a faded rock&roll/military/gang tat (and trust me, on my old meat, it should be faded!).

So, the way I see it, the guy who buys a "faux faded fender" would be much like the guy who gets a faux faded tat...:hiding:
 
#67
sean.1986 said:
Not all people, but in the example you gave of sailors and bikers perhaps. Plus, there's a difference between trying to look cool and trying to deceive people or pretend.

Not that I'm taking sides, I just don't find the tattoo analogy particularly useful.
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Even if they are trying to deceive people into thinking they have an old bass, that's a pretty harmless crime, no? How is this any different than a kid with tats trying to deceive people into thinking the kid is tribalistic or part of some group identity to which he is not? How many people are driving around in jacked up trucks and Jeeps who never go off road, are they posing as offroaders? Are you offended by that? What about breast augmentation and liposuction? Nothing natural about that. Tanning booths? Hey she is pretending she has time to sit in the sun all day, what a poser!
 
#68
sean.1986 said:
No, I said I don't think anyone with a tattoo wants people to think it's there naturally. Some people with road worn basses undoubtedly will.
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The analogy is that some people do things for personal reasons (like buy a bass they like or get a tattoo) and others do them for the image. You will never get 100% on anything and I think it's pretty much a whitewash of misunderstanding to color everyone with a tat or road worn bass with the same distain based on an assumption of the buyer with a healthy dose of judgmental personal opinion of the product.

Mike
 
#69
king_biscuit said:
Even if they are trying to deceive people into thinking they have an old bass, that's a pretty harmless crime, no?
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Heck, it isn't even a crime at all... but it strikes some folks as silly. Me, for example.

the really funny thing is that back when these basses would have looked like this, folks regularly re-finished them because they wanted them to look new... My, how the worm turns...

I can see some dude buying a "RW" fender, and in 10 years getting tired of it and sanding the finish off...:p
 
#70
Sparkdog said:
I had that "road worn" idea decades ago! Here's how it works: You buy a bass, you play it, A LOT, and it gets road worn all by itself!
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I disagree with this - because of the thick poly finishes on most Fenders now, you can't get this worn look if you played one for 30+ years IMO. You'd get cracks and dents, but old nitro wear is from sweat, mostly. Sweat doesn't do anything to a poly finish except make it sticky.

I think these basses are pretty cool, but definitely overpriced. When they drop to $500, I'd consider picking one up, maybe, but I'd sand off the finish that's over the "wear" marks and probably make a few of my own marks to make it mine - however they may come
 
#72
BigOldHarry said:
Heck, it isn't even a crime at all... but it strikes some folks as silly. Me, for example.

the really funny thing is that back when these basses would have looked like this, folks regularly re-finished them because they wanted them to look new... My, how the worm turns...

I can see some dude buying a "RW" fender, and in 10 years getting tired of it and sanding the finish off...:p
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Hey, I don't now, nor have I ever owned a pre reliced instrument. I like them shiny:) But if we follow the logic of this discussion, we need to be just as critical of people buying old naturally reliced basses. Whether the bass is pre reliced or naturally reliced, others are going to assume it was reliced by the new owner. So isn't that new owner posing either way? Now you may say, that in the case of the naturally reliced bass, the new owner purchased it because he loved it, not because he wanted to portray a particular image. However, you can't know that for certain, just as you can't know why people are buying the pre reliced basses. So let's treat them equally!
 
#73
Well, I know in my case, I absolutely love the look of an old, sunburst P-bass with the finish wearing off. I think they are sweet. But, I'm not shelling out thousands and thousands of dollars for a real late 50's/early 60's P-bass. Mostly because I don't have that kind of cash to blow on a bass. But, even if I did, I can't imagine I would ever gig a bass that was that old.

So, I am a good candidate for these Road Worn basses. I'm not going to pay $1250 for one, but I wouldn't mind getting one in a few years after they start hitting the used market. For me, I'm not trying to impress anyone and I don't care who knows whether or not its MIM. I just like the look and I know that any poly-finished P-bass will never look like those old, nitro-finished basses. At least not in my lifetime. The nitro-finished Road Worns aren't exactly like the old ones either, but they are as close as I will ever get.

If you don't like them, no one is asking you to. If you don't understand it, no one is trying to make you understand it. If you think its silly or stupid, you are entitled to think that way. Can we just move on from it? Why does everyone who doesn't like relic basses feel the need to populate every thread about them and tell us all how stupid it is to like them? That is what I don't get, and that is what I think is silly. Of course, everyone has a right to express their opinion and not all feedback will be positive, it just gets excessive sometimes.
 
#76
I haven't seen any RW basses yet, but I have seen a bunch of the guitars. Imo, the "cookie cutter" relic'ing is only a problem if you are actually trying to fool somebody with one of these; I don't think that's realistically the case. It makes perfect sense from a volume mfg point of view, which is one reason you can get these for much less $$$ than a Nash, Time Machine, etc. The RWs aren't the best relic'ing I've seen, but not the worst either; pretty low key, not overdone. And despite the cookie cutter approach, some look better than others.

But if the basses are anything like the guitars I've seen, you owe it to yourself to check one out with an open mind. There are quality control issues for sure, but in every batch of the guitars I've seen there are a few "really good" ones. The look great, they feel great, and they play and sound phenomenal. They are different, for whatever reason, than the standard MIM fare. In ways that go beyond just beating up the finish. I'd be surprised if the basses didn't follow a similar pattern.

/rick
 
#77
flogging%20dead%20horse.jpg
 
#78
What strikes me is that the OP noted that the bass was quite comfortable and sounded very good. Those are the ultimate qualities I look for in a bass regardless of the finish. So it seems Fender is making a high-quality bass that plays and sound good, but at a bit of an unreasonable price.

The idea of the relic process actually improving the comfort and playability seems a bit of a stretch at first glance, but who knows? I can't discount the possibility.

I've heard that the Jaco relic has some very nice playability qualities that may be somehow related to the relicing process. Hey, even Geddy plays one!
 
#79
NWB said:
What strikes me is that the OP noted that the bass was quite comfortable and sounded very good. Those are the ultimate qualities I look for in a bass regardless of the finish. So it seems Fender is making a high-quality bass that plays and sound good, but at a bit of an unreasonable price.

The idea of the relic process actually improving the comfort and playability seems a bit of a stretch at first glance, but who knows? I can't discount the possibility.

I've heard that the Jaco relic has some very nice playability qualities that may be somehow related to the relicing process. Hey, even Geddy plays one!
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Yeah, this is the mild irony of where this thread has gone: I actually *liked* this bass - not for $1200 nor for it's fake worn out finish - I liked how it played and sounded. And like I said - for $500, I might buy it. For $1200? Are you kidding?
 
#80
I think it's pretty well known that poly is WAY more durable than nitro. I don't think there is a way to play a bass that has a poly coat enough to make it look that "road worn." You may get some checking if you leave it out in the cold and bring it where it's warm over and over, but you just won't be able to wear through the finish.

I remember sanding through the finish on one of my first MIM basses. It took FOREVER to get down to the wood with SANDPAPER. I suppose if you started playing right now without stopping, you may be able to get through to the wood within the next 2 decades.
 

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