• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Road Worn Series Basses

#42
Stee Flo said:
Since these roadworns aren't selling as good as expected by fender, maybe eventually they will sell them at blow out prices to get rid of them. I bet then that many of these same RW haters that are complaining about the bass now will change their tune and snatch one up :eyebrow:

I never understood this whole "pay your dues" mentality about bass wear. If you naturally played in all your dings and scratches on your bass good for you. Does it make you any better of a bassist than the guy who has a RW or other relic? Play what you like! Make some music and stop fretting about the trivial stuff. (pun intended)

I see 70's, 80's and 90's era basses that look pristine in comparison to a RW. Most fender basses that have that look naturally are usually pre CBS fenders that were finished in nitro. I would wager that a big part of the bass playing population doesn't have 6k to spend on vintage gear just to get "the look".

What about all these people that buy vintage gear and haven't "paid their dues" buy wearing in the bass themselves? Wouldn't that make them the same? Whether its 45 years of someone elses wear or a machine in 10 minutes, they didn't "pay their dues"

Just play music and leave the banter behind. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Well said. There's no dues paying required to buy a used bass from someone else, what's the difference?
 
#45
I really don't like the concept of RW basses. You just can't make mojo, a bass aquires it over time. Plus, like some users mentioned, I want my new bass to look new. I want to put the road worn marks into it. That's the bass' history.

My Modulus basses get played every day and I'm not kind to them after years of playing they still look pretty new. I remember my old 75 fender Jazz looked like absolutely worn out when I got rid of it. I wouldn't pay for that look. I also don't think it does the vintage market any favors.

I'm not saying anything about their sound or playability, just the aesthetics.
 
#46
The important thing to note is that poly finished basses will never age or sound like nitro.

the road worns are nitro. big sonic difference.

I could show you pictures of how my Poly finished Sterling has cracked like an egg shell. it will never age gracefully!!

...oh check out Sandbergs Heavily "aged" basses. they've been worked over by angry Germans and put the road worns to shame!! and by the way, just to add insult to injury, they sound Maervelous!!!!

Invalid Link Removed
 
#47
I think the RW are great. I finally got to play one a couple days ago and thought it was super nice. Just as good as any US Fender. This seems to be the case with the entire RW series. If there was a place around me selling one for $875 I would be all over it.
 
#48
So what you are saying a person who has paid there dues can own one? I will give you my story real fast and you tell me if I may have one. I am 35 started playing bass in 1984. Was in a band from 1986 to 1998. In those years I never used the same bass for more than a year. I still have some of the basses but never really stuck with one. Know during that time I got to travel this great country playing ever night for a few years. Got to hang with some really cool people and took about 10 years off my life chasing the dream. Got to open up for some big name bands and do a few recordings. Know I play on weekends with a few guys a gig here and there. I have 50 or so basses and yes I have a few reliced basses also that I love! Know I got some BC RICH basses that got enough road gigging abuse in them that they look like crap after a few years of gigging. I just dont want to play them. I also dont want to take some of my 60s fenders to gigs anymore because I am scared they will get stolen, broke or whatever. So I dont get the you have not paid your dues deal? If you like play um. If you dont, why judge me if you see that I got a reliced bass? Not trying to be a jerk, I guess what I am saying is, I am not going to play the same bass for 45 years. There are to many GAS problems out there for me!
 
#50
I like the RW series. I have some guitars that I've owned for 20 years that are in like new condition (some fret wear aside). That poly finish is some tough stuff. For me, the RW bass would be to replicate a real 60's era bass that I could never afford (nor would want to take out to clubs and risk it).

With a little work, you can buy them for a little under 8 bills - but that's still out of my comfort zone for a MIM bass. I can buy a used bass for a fraction of that, and set it up to play just as nice.
 
#51
Mulebagger said:
I really don't like the concept of RW basses. You just can't make mojo, a bass aquires it over time. Plus, like some users mentioned, I want my new bass to look new. I want to put the road worn marks into it. That's the bass' history.
Click to expand...

Neither you, nor the other people who said it, can buy a new MIM and play the heck out of it untill it looks road worn!

Every good relic thread needs a voice of reaon to bring up the thick poly (modern) finishes vs thin nitro (vintage)finishes.

You can buy a brand new bass and play it for a 200 years if you can live that long, and it will never look "worn in" like the sought after "vintage" basses that a Fender RW emulates.

So good luck everybody with you "relic it myself" plan.
:rollno:

;)
 
#52
...and another thing... you know what REALLY grinds my gears?

Seriously - one more point: Everybody acts like it's only guitar and bass companies that would do such a silly thing. It's not. Look into what they call "faux antique" or "distressed" finishes on furniture. Yes, they do manufacture antique styled furniture that is a copy of an actual antique piece, and then distress the finish to look authentic... and some of it can go for a pretty penny - more money than some cheaper "brand new looking" furniture.
 
#54
droskobass said:
The important thing to note is that poly finished basses will never age or sound like nitro.

the road worns are nitro. big sonic difference.

I could show you pictures of how my Poly finished Sterling has cracked like an egg shell. it will never age gracefully!!
Click to expand...

That's the only reason I like them, I wish you could still get a Nitro finish. I know the Highway 1 has it, but I wish I could of had a Nitro finish on my Geddy.
 
#55
chump stain said:
That's the only reason I like them, I wish you could still get a Nitro finish. I know the Highway 1 has it, but I wish I could of had a Nitro finish on my Geddy.
Click to expand...

I had a Geddy and the finish cracked in shipping. I feel for ya.

has any one checked out the sandburg site? they have 3 levels of "aging" and they state clearly that the "varnish" on a worn instrument is different.

as for the fact that the Fender Road worns are made in Mexico, that shouldn't make a difference. there have been excellent fenders coming out of Mexico for years, and I bet the guys wearing out the first few road worns were American luthiers from the Fender Custom shop showing the Mexican team how to do it. and how many workers at Fender USA are Mexican? or japanese or whatever? it shouldn't make a difference. MIM should just mean better value (due to lower costs).
 
#57
Stee Flo said:
Since these roadworns aren't selling as good as expected by fender, maybe eventually they will sell them at blow out prices to get rid of them. I bet then that many of these same RW haters that are complaining about the bass now will change their tune and snatch one up :eyebrow:

I never understood this whole "pay your dues" mentality about bass wear. If you naturally played in all your dings and scratches on your bass good for you. Does it make you any better of a bassist than the guy who has a RW or other relic? Play what you like! Make some music and stop fretting about the trivial stuff. (pun intended)

I see 70's, 80's and 90's era basses that look pristine in comparison to a RW. Most fender basses that have that look naturally are usually pre CBS fenders that were finished in nitro. I would wager that a big part of the bass playing population doesn't have 6k to spend on vintage gear just to get "the look".

What about all these people that buy vintage gear and haven't "paid their dues" buy wearing in the bass themselves? Wouldn't that make them the same? Whether its 45 years of someone elses wear or a machine in 10 minutes, they didn't "pay their dues"

Just play music and leave the banter behind. :bassist:
Click to expand...

I can appreciate your point of view. I don't think I was very clear in my comments and certainly didn't try to make this a "he doesn't deserve that bass" thing - it's not a matter of pride or snobbiness with me. The OP asked so I responded - probably without taking the time to put my thoughts down accurately. For that, I apologize.

As any bass gets played and used, it is going to become "road worn" to some extent (some definitely more than others!). Over time, it does indeed become a "relic" because it is from an earlier time. I'd love to own a 45-year old Fender Jazz Bass, for instance. I guess I just struggle with a manufacturer helping the process along - after all, it's a new bass. I guess that's MY problem (and evidently a lot of others' as well). Who knows, maybe in 10 years I'll have a different attitude and be looking for one of those RW basses because they were so cool. Not for now, though. At any rate, we're all entitled to our opinions here on TB, and that makes for lively discussion sometimes.
 
#60
I own a very rough looking 68 Jazzmaster. It was sort of rough when I bought it and it went through 10 years of sex, drugs, beer, cognac and da funk. It spent another couple of years inspiring little girls to take up music. Picture a guitar covered in peanut butter and jelly.

This guitar looks nothing like the so called road worn series. There are no clever disk sanding marks on it. Where the finish is missing, there are no graceful curves or straight lines.

The road worn series reminds me a lot of the distressed finish furniture my parents bought when I was a kid. When I added some personal distress to the finish and got my ass distressed with a good ass whipping.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back