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Fender Roadworn Questions/Discussion Thread

#181
Just got my RW fiesta red Jazz back from Erik Anderson at Sky Guitar's in Denton, and played a rehearsal and a gig with it tonight at "Banter," a very cool bar/coffee house on the square downtown (dylan trib band).

I normally do all my own setups, but wow, Erik is a wizard. The instrument never felt or sounded better—though I had him heat-treat the neck, as it would not quite set up as I wished.

The instrument was made in 2008, and had a typical Fender pocket hump. Now it is amazingly even. I know others have had problems like this, and felt it was not acceptable.

Yet, for me, it seems normal for a non-graphite Fender neck, old or new. Few of them really setup well unless they are exceptional, or heat-treated. As this is not purely a Roadworn issue, I don't mean to derail, things—just wondering if anyone else has considered doing what I had done.

BTW, the cost of setup, strings, and straightening heat-treatment was under $150 US.
 
#183
maldy said:
Was thinking of having a pro set up myself. See the link below. Have been highly recommended this guy.


SGL Guitars - Wales' Premier Luthier

Wasn't really sure how badly my new RW needed it though. But have been told this guy is a wizard!

What is typical Fender pocket hump? So I know what to look out for.
Click to expand...

That is when the bass frets out around the 14th fret, not allowing for very low action. The strings pull the neck at an angle that starts directly after the neck -body joint. The part of the neck that is bolted down does not adhere to this angle (being bolted down) and therefore becomes the equivalent of a rise in the neck, which causes it to fret out at that point. Roger Sadowsky compensates for this by sanding more off of the fretboard in the high registers. My advice is to only buy Fenders that are already set up well. The only way to know if the bass has this problem is to try and get the action low, only to find out you can not. If the action is high, with heavy gauge strings, stay away from that bass. Another fix is to have the bass refretted and the fretboard planed, but that is really expensive.
 
#185
tdizzle said:
That is when the bass frets out around the 14th fret, not allowing for very low action. The strings pull the neck at an angle that starts directly after the neck -body joint. The part of the neck that is bolted down does not adhere to this angle (being bolted down) and therefore becomes the equivalent of a rise in the neck, which causes it to fret out at that point...
Click to expand...

+1

Here is a photo that (faintly) shows a pocket hump on my nephew's '66 P-bass. It is mild, so hard to see, but if you look at the line formed by the G string over the frets, you will see the string lays closer to the frets over the pocket than immediately above it. Subtle, and perhaps too hard to see unless you played and set up this bass. With the tension off, the neck looked great, as they often do! It set up OK, but would be a good candidate for heat-treatment, IMHO.

BTW, that fix is cheaper, faster, and ultimately less invasive than classic "de-humping," involving a partial defret, planing, sanding, refretting, etc. :cool:

P1060533A.jpg
 
#186
My old '60s Classic 2001—sold for $550 with a BAII and Lindy Fralin split-coils (that guy got such a great bass!) didn't have the CNC guide hole, either. I have seen MIA Standards WITH the hole!!! :eyebrow: :hmm: :eek::confused::mad::crying::spit::(:rollno:

BTW, looks very cool sans PG!

tdizzle said:
...I just got this RW Jazz and was pleasantly surprised to find no identification hole in the body, although there is the stamp (which doesn't really bother me). Are there certain years that don't have the hole, or is it completely random?

DSCN3590.jpg
Click to expand...
 
#187
MrRobert said:
Jim, I just read that you live in Denton! That's a cool little town. My sister and mother live in flower mound, and next time I'm up there I'll have to check out that guitar shop!
Click to expand...

He has a pretty good selection of Guitars and basses, plus a second repair shop down the street. Sky Guitars. Good place. I pretty much do all my business with them, if possible. Local is best!

PS. He has great prices on Roadworn basses!
 
#188
Have had a good play on the RW on the weekend and am absolutely loving it. I still haven't made any set up adjustments myself, but the bass seems to play surprisingly well straight out of the box. There is a little fret buzz, but the actions is supper low.

I really love the finger style sound played near the bridge, with just the back pickup. It is just so funky. Also the slap sound with both pickups on full is also extremely funky. The sounds are just what I've been looking for and I've been looking for them for a while!

One thing I noticed was that when I played slap bass I found the pickguard was very close to the strings. It didn't hinder too much, but I notice my fingers bashing it more than I have with other basses. But I've never played a bass with a pickguard, so I guess it is something I'm just not used too. I'm sure I will get used to it, but have toyed with the idea of just removing it. Has anyone else experienced this?

I own two Warwick basses (Thumb BO and Streamer $$) which are absolutely amazing instruments. The finish and setup are second to none. I feel these are more of a modern sounding instrument. I don't think I could sell these basses, but I'm finding all I want to play is the RW Jazz at the moment. In fact the RW has totally re-inspired my playing again. SO that is a huge thumbs up.

Out of interests how does the RW compare to the American Jazz Deluxe? That was the bass I originally thought might be my dream bass.
 
#189
The RW Jazz is very different, as it is a retro-style instrument as opposed to the active modern feature-equipped deluxe. The deluxe has 5-bolts on the neck, split-coil pickups, a rounded neck heel, poly finish, blocks and binding, high mass bridge, etc. Nice, but a very different type of tool, though it can run passive.

If you want to make your RW go active, get a tech21 SansAmp ParaDI pedal (same as the SansAmp RPM rack pre). Personally, the whole thing I love about the RW is how it sounds. It does vintage style sounds quite well—at least MY idea of vintage, LOL!

http://www.jamescarr.net/reggae/Bei_Mir_Bistu_Shein.3.mp3
 
#190
Jim Carr said:
Just got my RW fiesta red Jazz back from Erik Anderson at Sky Guitar's in Denton, and played a rehearsal and a gig with it tonight at "Banter," a very cool bar/coffee house on the square downtown (dylan trib band).

I normally do all my own setups, but wow, Erik is a wizard. The instrument never felt or sounded better—though I had him heat-treat the neck, as it would not quite set up as I wished.

The instrument was made in 2008, and had a typical Fender pocket hump. Now it is amazingly even. I know others have had problems like this, and felt it was not acceptable.

Yet, for me, it seems normal for a non-graphite Fender neck, old or new. Few of them really setup well unless they are exceptional, or heat-treated. As this is not purely a Roadworn issue, I don't mean to derail, things—just wondering if anyone else has considered doing what I had done.

BTW, the cost of setup, strings, and straightening heat-treatment was under $150 US.
Click to expand...

did he do a fret level on the upper register? ive never encountered straightening a neck doing anything for a ski jump. but, a fret level in that area can often make it a non issue if its not severe. was the truss rod not able to completely straighten the neck prior to the heat treatment? ive also found that the amount of relief that the average player likes can often exacerbate the playability issues the flip causes.
 
#192
narud said:
Did he do a fret level on the upper register?

I've never encountered straightening a neck doing anything for a ski jump. But, a fret level in that area can often make it a non-issue if it's not severe.

Was the truss rod not able to completely straighten the neck prior to the heat treatment?...
Click to expand...

Great questions!

The frets were not dressed or leveled, as they didn't need it—I even asked for it, but Erik said it was unnecessary. One fret, the 6th, was not quite perfectly seated, but he re-seated it—though it was not actually causing any issues.

The truss rod had no significant effect on the upper 7 frets of the neck. IME, this is typical of Fender Jazz and P necks. The heat treatment straightened the whole neck, and has rendered the setup as perfect as any Fender Jazz I've played, new or old. I have had Erik heat treat an MTD 5er (passive non-USA) and a Fender Telecaster. The results were excellent and have held up well. Another instrument I have had extensive neck work on is my '71 P. Its '69 neck had a refret, refin, planing, etc., so that is a whole 'nuther story.

The problem my RW Jazz neck had was a typical Fender hump starting just before the pocket. It was not severe, just a small rise. To avoid "choking" above the 14th fret it was necessary to have the action set a bit higher than what it could have been if that upper fret area had no hump. It is now fixed, and really plays and sounds better, IMHO. :D

The work I had done on my RW Jazz was a birthday present from my wife. I picked the instrument up at 6pm and played it from 6:30 until about midnight (rehearsal and then a gig). It felt flawless—though needless to say my playing wasn't! :D :D :D
 
#196
I remember my drummer and I having a talk last practice about ripped jeans which led to Road Worn guitars.
We pictured factory workers accidentally dropping the guitars and messing em up then slapping a road worn sticker on em.

And yes, we know that's not how it's done, it was just for kicks.
 
#199
jbiscuti said:
Just wanted to say that the honeymoon period is well over, and I literally can't bring myself to bring out any of my other basses anymore. I am absolutely in love with my Roadworn P!
Click to expand...

I understand this. My other basses got totally forgotten in favor of my RW Jazz, except when I HAD to have a 5er or a fretless. Things are a little more normal now. It only took about 18 months! :p
 
#200
Jim Carr said:
I understand this. My other basses got totally forgotten in favor of my RW Jazz, except when I HAD to have a 5er or a fretless. Things are a little more normal now. It only took about 18 months! :p
Click to expand...

It’s funny; I thought the addition of a good Precision would give me a really great arsenal to choose from. Instead, my Classic Stingray, Fullerton Jazz, 4003, and Hofner are collecting dust while the P comes out to play week after week after week. :)
 

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