• 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 Roadworn Jazz basses

#2
Made in Mexico by the Mexican workers trained by the custom shop. Found a red one for $675 used and a new 3tsb one for $850, IIRC. I now have both. They are the best basses for the money I have owned, and the best Jazzes I've owned. I play one of them pretty much all the time when I want a passive instrument.
 
#7
I found a 3TSB online from a sam ash store in Philly. I got it for $500... Best deal i ever found. I just used the bass on a new album that im doing.. It would up on about 8 or 10 songs of the 11 on the record.
Mine is slightly heavy at about 9 pounds.. but many that i have seen are about the 8 pound area.. Best bang for the buck
 
#13
soxhats said:
Only thing I haven't figured out about my Road Worn Jazz: Whether to wipe it down after a gig. :-)
Click to expand...

I must confess I don't. Though every now and then I do clean the bass up—but honestly don't feel self-conscious about how it looks. I simply trust the sound, which I might add is to me about the strings.

When they are dead, off they go. I have used DR LoRiders, Sadowsky Black Label Bright Nickels, and Fender Stock Nickel Plated 45-100 rounds. All of these work well. Just a great passive bass when played with any good strings—probably flats too. Jeez, I am such a fan-boy—and at my age it is just so shocking, LOL!!! :bassist:
 
#14
Dr Jim convinced me, through his enthusiastic and very thorough research, to buy one. Thanks Jim! You have some great posts on this site.
He is correct about this bass. I recently picked one up for $700ish and it is well worth the price.

Mine is an even 8 lbs and sounds remarkably retro, for lack of a better word. I can't put my finger on it but I think you need to hear one stock to understand. Of course you could change out the pickups and give it a more modern sound.

For now I am keeping mine stock. It came with some kind of half-round strings which are kind of dead but I like it! I was actually thinking of buying a 2nd and making a fretless out of it.

Cleaning: Good question. I saw a bunch of greasy fingerprints on mine (got it used) so I decided I should at least clean those off. Maybe a mistake on my part because the area where I polished off the prints left it looking kind of shiny and not as dull as the rest of the body. I think Fender may spray these with some sort of flat coating in their relicing process or something. I don't think I will clean it again! Any thoughts here?

But back to the original thought, I recommend this bass whole heartedly. Sound and feel, it is a winner. I own 7 Fender Jazz basses and as I would not say this is the best Fender I have ever played, it is worth a try for sure.
 
#15
Wow, thanks for those very kind words. I would love to hear about the other Jazzes you have compared your RW jazz to...is one of them a '62 AVRI stackpot? :cool:


rootsnfifths said:
Dr Jim convinced me, through his enthusiastic and very thorough research, to buy one. Thanks Jim! You have some great posts on this site.
He is correct about this bass. I recently picked one up for $700ish and it is well worth the price.

Mine is an even 8 lbs and sounds remarkably retro, for lack of a better word. I can't put my finger on it but I think you need to hear one stock to understand. Of course you could change out the pickups and give it a more modern sound.

For now I am keeping mine stock. It came with some kind of half-round strings which are kind of dead but I like it! I was actually thinking of buying a 2nd and making a fretless out of it.

Cleaning: Good question. I saw a bunch of greasy fingerprints on mine (got it used) so I decided I should at least clean those off. Maybe a mistake on my part because the area where I polished off the prints left it looking kind of shiny and not as dull as the rest of the body. I think Fender may spray these with some sort of flat coating in their relicing process or something. I don't think I will clean it again! Any thoughts here?

But back to the original thought, I recommend this bass whole heartedly. Sound and feel, it is a winner. I own 7 Fender Jazz basses and as I would not say this is the best Fender I have ever played, it is worth a try for sure.
Click to expand...
 
#16
I own both basses, and I like them equally.
After comparing them I realized that I liked the neck of my RW a little bit better then the AV RI neck but definitely preferred the sound of my '62 RI. (Consequently I replaced the pups in the RW with Bill Lawrence Wilde pups.)
 
#17
I used to have a 3tsb one. It was the first quality fender bass I bought, the next most expensive one I have being an ibanez atk. It was a revelation! I was always of the idea that good music doesn't require an expensive instrument and i never had a bass i paid more than 300euros for. This bass showed me otherwise; I can't put my finger on it, but it did actually feel better than all my other basses. I'm not sure it that is due to it's roadwornness or the pricesegment it belongs in, but the difference was noticable. The nitro felt comfortable to the touch, it was lightweight, sounded like boobies and the neck was unbelievable.

There were some niggles though: mine could not be intonated correctly withouth the intonationscrew on the g string being maxed out and falling out (i've been on my knees a few times in our rehearsalroom, cursing loudly and looking for that screw and the finnicky spring). The output was WAY too tight, I feared i'd break it everytime i pulled a cable out i had to pull that hard. Also, the roadworn finish didn't really vibe with me, i'd love it if they just painted them like new in nitro. But that point has been debated to death here, and is not the bass's fault. If i buy a roadworn bass, and i don't like the worn finish, it's on nobody but me :D

Other than that, it's a fine, fine bass. I had to sell it, but that was not due to the bass not being up to scratch.

Edit: I guess it's a two tone sunburst, not a threetone, right? My bad.
 
#18
Jim Carr said:
Wow, thanks for those very kind words. I would love to hear about the other Jazzes you have compared your RW jazz to...is one of them a '62 AVRI stackpot? :cool:
Click to expand...

Hi Jim and YES I do have a '62 AVRI stackpot (sunburst also!).
It is a close call between the RW and the AVRI for me.

*AVRI is heavier with a slightly better build quality.

*AVRI seems to have a meaner,more growly tone to it. Could be due to the AVRI pickups in combination with Rotosound roundwound nickels it wears.(mentioned above my RW wears half-roundish strings which I love)

*Necks: AVRI has a nice neck but the Road Worn's is better IMO. Why? For me, thinner is better and the RW's neck feels smaller and more comfortable. Partially due to the worn treatment Fender does to the back of the neck I assume.

I am mildly obsessed with this Road Worn right now but if I had to choose between the AVRI and the Road Worn? It's close but Road Worn wins...today at least. I really want to hear this RW with brighter roundwound strings.

Other basses compared to in the stable are: 2 Geddy Lee Jazzes,2012 American standard(on loan to me), Fender Jaco fretless Jazz,Fender Standard Fretless(sold),Squier VM fretless Jazz,Squier VM 70s natural Jazz and a Squier Affinity Jazz.
Kinda hard to compare the fretless instruments but the Jaco is a '62 RI sort of and I still like the RW a little better.
The 2012 AM Standard Jazzes are built well and sound nice with those CS 60's in them. Neck and sound of the RW wins there also IMO. The Geddy's seem to have a neck you either love or hate but I really like them. They are modern,bright and growly but the Road Worn I have has a fuller range, tone wise.

Another thing about this Road Worn is every note is strong and even which I don't see on my other basses. It to me is worth more than I paid.

The Road Worn sits in a tone class by itself here. It is just so unique sounding, full and round. Blown away by it for sure.
But like I have said in another post, some may like a more modern tone and may find this bass too vintage sounding. I still need to try other strings to see what this baby sounds like then. I just don't want to mess with the tone I have her singing out loud with now! Keep playing everybody!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Preventer
#19
St Drogo said:
The output was WAY too tight, I feared i'd break it everytime i pulled a cable out i had to pull that hard.
Click to expand...

Something I learned here and want to pass on- if you have a tight output jack, remove the control plate and simply (carefully) bend the spring on the jack back a bit so that it doesn't have a death grip on your cable. It's easy to do! I have a p bass that had a death grip on the cable, everytime I went to pull it out I could see the pickguard warp and pull upward- I was convinced it would pull out. Bent the spring back a touch and now it is a smooth in n out!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back