fender road worn p vs Nate Mendel model

[EDDIEDES]

i've noticed some similarities (reliced finish, light weight) vs. differences (different pick ups, different bridge, different neck) can anyone educate me and/or just give their honest opinions? i love the roadworn whats the difference between the two in neck feel; low, high tone; mids. thank you very much,

chris

 

[ChronicPyromaniac]

I've not played either, but the Nate Mendel P is thinner at the nut, has a SDQP pickup, and a badass II bridge. The roadworn P has a neck that's bigger at the nut, a vintage pickup and a vintage bridge. The Mendel is ash/rosewood, and the roadworn is alder/maple. Based on this, I'd say the Mendel is probably more aggressive than the roadworn.

 

[wvbass]

That's it. I have a Mendel P. It is far closer (but not quite) to a P with a J neck, whereas the roadworn P has a full sized vintage P neck. The top end is more "modern" with the quarter pounder than I find with most P pickups. I have heard reports of it being mid-scooped, but I don't find that to be the case at all. My band's guitar player toured as a bass player out of Nashville using a P and J of mine, and his first comment about my Mendel P was that he loved the mids.

Note that the new Mendel P's do not have a badass; they have the Fender variant of a badass. Same difference, but not a badass. Also, the "roadworn" on the Mendel P is limited to some headstock dings and a few chips and dings in the body. And, strangely, rust on the neck plate. I've never had or seen and old Fender where the "F" rusted, but the F on my Mendel P is rusty. I may replace it with the spare neck plate when I change strings.

 

[fettbass]

Is the quality similar between these two basses? I was interested in the Mendel, but have never played one. I've liked every Roadworn P I've played for what it's worth.

 

[20db pad]

I've tried both at GC over the past year or so. The NM sig is a nice MIM bass, as the Roadworn is. Both have nice build quality, but both would need some TLC and final setup to get to optimum spec. That said, they're both pretty close to that right out of the box. I'd happily play either one a lot, haven't gotten around to getting one yet.

 

[Tbone76]

The Nate Mendel P also has unique body contours, including a far deeper tummy cut, and a unique neck shape. It also comes with Schaller strap buttons. The relicing is also far less on the Roadworn 50's P. I love my NM P.

EDIT: According to the specs on Fender's site, the RW 50's P has a urethane finished neck, and the Nate Mendel P definitely has a nitro finished neck. The site could be wrong, though, and I seem to remember my old RW Jazz having a nitro finished neck. It was a first-year model, and changes may have been made since then. The quality on both was top notch, however. My NM sig also came with the BA II bridge. I bought it new last month, and it was a 2013 model.

 

[AMJBASS]

The Mendel also has an Ash body. IME they aren't generally as light weight as the Road Worn Precisions. The Mendel I had(which was a fantastic sounding bass) weighed about 10.5 lbs. All of the Road Worns I have had through my hands were under 9lbs.

 

[wvbass]

The Nate Mendel P also has unique body contours, including a far deeper tummy cut, and a unique neck shape. It also comes with Schaller strap buttons. The relicing is also far less on the Roadworn 50's P. I love my NM P.

EDIT: According to the specs on Fender's site, the RW 50's P has a urethane finished neck, and the Nate Mendel P definitely has a nitro finished neck. The site could be wrong, though, and I seem to remember my old RW Jazz having a nitro finished neck. It was a first-year model, and changes may have been made since then. The quality on both was top notch, however. My NM sig also came with the BA II bridge. I bought it new last month, and it was a 2013 model.

I believe they made the switch away from Badass in mid-2013. Check out Sweetwater. None of the ones in stock there have a Badass, and hey have/had 2013 and 2013 serial numbers.

The Mendel also has an Ash body. IME they aren't generally as light weight as the Road Worn Precisions. The Mendel I had(which was a fantastic sounding bass) weighed about 10.5 lbs. All of the Road Worns I have had through my hands were under 9lbs.

Your NM may have been on the heavy side. Mine is 8 pounds 6 ounces. However, my alder P is lighter, so you could be correct.

 

[ROOTSnFIFTHS]

I own a few Road Worn (P and 2 Js). I was testing out different amps at a GC and grabbed a Nate M without realizing what I grabbed off the rack. After a few minutes of studying amps I realized the bass in my hands was incredible. Looked at the tag and saw it was a Nate M sig.
Playing mostly Road Worn basses the first thing I noticed was how nice the neck felt. Like REALLY nice. Worn in almost. Not many basses in the shop felt that good. Of course the sound was as good as the neck, IMO. Don't remember exactly why it sounded so good nor can I describe its EQ curve, just knew it sounded better than most basses they had hanging on the wall that day. Impressive for sure and I would say if you re a fan of the Road Worn sound and feel, you will love the Nate. As far as the relicing goes, I would call it mild to the eye but Fender sure gave it that worn in feel the Road Worn series has.
I just bought a Nate M neck for a project I am working on and I can say for sure the finish is definitely nitrocellulose lacquer.
One of the best Precisions I have ever played next to my Road Worn P and a '61 I played recently.

 

[Tbone76]

I just bought a Nate M neck for a project I am working on and I can say for sure the finish is definitely nitrocellulose lacquer.

Yup, it definitely does (as does mine!). I was inquiring about the standard RW series, because its spec sheet shows "roadworn urethane" as the neck finish, but I seem to recall my old first-year RW Jazz having a nitro neck. I actually sanded my NM neck finish down a bit, as I found it a tad sticky when I first got it. I put a set of Rotosound swing 66 roundwounds on it, and it made it a crunchy, grindy monster! I also found the tone control to be very responsive.