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Fender Roadworn Questions/Discussion Thread

#245
JimmyM said:
8 is a lightweight Jazz to me for sure. Mine weighed close to 10. That's why i had to sell it. Loved it otherwise, though.

Wow, no black Road Worn? That sucks. Just when I was getting semi-interested in them.
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Black is louder, remember! So get pink one and add a cab? :D ;)
 
#246
svtb15 said:
Does anyone know how to decipher the Serial Number son the road Worn Jazz basses to determine manufacturing date?
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I think those that start MZ8 are from '08, MZ9 are '09, and MX10 is 2010, etc. IIRC...as always I could be wrong...:D
 
#249
svtb15 said:
Mine does not have the CNC hole.. But it has the ROADWORN stamped into the body under the PG
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They all have that stamp. I presume to discourage misrepresentation, forgery of vintage basses, casual appraisal mistakes, etc.

BTW, I just picked up a second RW Jazz as a spare. It's a 3tsb 2009. I'll check under the pickguard tonight. This one is even more resonant than my Fiesta Red RW Jazz. :bassist:
 
#250
Was that the one at GC in NT
Jim Carr said:
They all have that stamp. I presume to discourage misrepresentation, forgery of vintage basses, casual appraisal mistakes, etc.

BTW, I just picked up a second RW Jazz as a spare. It's a 3tsb 2009. I'll check under the pickguard tonight. This one is even more resonant than my Fiesta Red RW Jazz. :bassist:
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#251
svtb15 said:
Was that the one at GC in NT
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No, it was at Sky Guitars in Denton. It had been in stock since 2009. I have compared it to my '08 RW Jazz, and it is definitely more resonant, and though they sound very similar—the G string is livelier on the "new" one. Price was $899 with Fender gig bag and setup. :hyper:

Will be rehearsing later today with reggae band and will maybe have more to report.

My advice is: if you play one and like it, get it. The strings can make a big difference—but I like the DR lo-riders, and probably shockingly, the stock Fender Electric Bass Guitar Nickel-plated Steel "Super Electric Bass Long Scale 34," .045, .065, .080, .100, 7250ML on these basses. :eek: :D
 
#255
deeptubes said:
RWs are eeeeeeeeeee-vil.

*sprinkling holy water* "The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!..." :p
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Since I am fairly certain you mean you've played one, I'm wondering if you liked it, and if it was a P or a Jazz? :cool:
 
#258
ok,let me start from here :D
biosfer said:
hi guys,
i have two nice basses at home,one of is 62 avri and sadowsky pj hybrid but i have a gas for road worn jazz bass,i went to guitar shop last week and played 60's road worn bass,i couldnt stop play then :D after 20 min. i thought that maybe i was wrong and i should try another nice fender USA standart jazz bass..yes it was really nice but not was like the road worn jazz bass,60's rw was warmer and feels good..
now i am askin you all,should i trust to my feelings or usa standarts are better than it? i couldnt decide.. (btw sorry for my english... )
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#259
You're presenting a pretty reasonable question here. And you definitely have a couple of great basses that are a good benchmark of quality. Your instincts from your test drive of the two instruments are likely to serve you well.

I've got a roadworn 60's Jazz bass, and I simply love playing mine. All of the relicing aside, it plays really well and it sounds great. I know there are a lot of people who don't like the concept of a relic'd instrument. If they were to play a roadworn blindfolded, and only had the sound and playability to go by, I suspect their impressions might be far different.

All of that aside, I know how my roadworn plays, and it's great for gigging. I've also been looking for a second Jazz bass over the past several months, because I'd like to have a second solidbody 4-string that I can keep strung with flatwounds. One of the instruments that came to mind was an American Standard Jazz. As much as I love my roadworn, I wanted to go for a different finish. Notably, a black body (tort guard) with a rosewood board. My options along those lines are a little limited, and I wanted to keep my budget for this instrument manageable.

So, I checked out an American Standard Jazz bass. I had one from the 90's, but the tone left me....uninspired. Would this new version, circa 2011, change my opinion? When I tried it out, it was okay. Good enough craftsmanship, solid neck joint, clean fretwork. But tonally? It didn't really compare with my roadworn. And now, my roadworn Jazz is my own benchmark for a good sounding Jazz bass. I really suspect that the difference is because of a few things.

First, the wood for the roadworn instruments seems to be of a select grade. AND, it seems to be kiln dried which seems to help the resonance of the wood. Then there's the finish. The poly finish of the American Standard is pretty good for preserving the instrument. But I really do suspect that it chokes the tone a bit. Whereas the nitro finish of the roadworn instruments allows the wood to breathe more. It's that difference in finishes that generally distinguishes vintage instruments from modern ones. And it should definitely be noted that your American Vintage Jazz bass has the nitro finish.

If you can try out the roadworn Jazz alongside your American Vintage Jazz, I think you'll find that there's something familiar there.
 
#260
ShoeManiac said:
You're presenting a pretty reasonable question here. And you definitely have a couple of great basses that are a good benchmark of quality. Your instincts from your test drive of the two instruments are likely to serve you well.

I've got a roadworn 60's Jazz bass, and I simply love playing mine. All of the relicing aside, it plays really well and it sounds great. I know there are a lot of people who don't like the concept of a relic'd instrument. If they were to play a roadworn blindfolded, and only had the sound and playability to go by, I suspect their impressions might be far different.

All of that aside, I know how my roadworn plays, and it's great for gigging. I've also been looking for a second Jazz bass over the past several months, because I'd like to have a second solidbody 4-string that I can keep strung with flatwounds. One of the instruments that came to mind was an American Standard Jazz. As much as I love my roadworn, I wanted to go for a different finish. Notably, a black body (tort guard) with a rosewood board. My options along those lines are a little limited, and I wanted to keep my budget for this instrument manageable.

So, I checked out an American Standard Jazz bass. I had one from the 90's, but the tone left me....uninspired. Would this new version, circa 2011, change my opinion? When I tried it out, it was okay. Good enough craftsmanship, solid neck joint, clean fretwork. But tonally? It didn't really compare with my roadworn. And now, my roadworn Jazz is my own benchmark for a good sounding Jazz bass. I really suspect that the difference is because of a few things.

First, the wood for the roadworn instruments seems to be of a select grade. AND, it seems to be kiln dried which seems to help the resonance of the wood. Then there's the finish. The poly finish of the American Standard is pretty good for preserving the instrument. But I really do suspect that it chokes the tone a bit. Whereas the nitro finish of the roadworn instruments allows the wood to breathe more. It's that difference in finishes that generally distinguishes vintage instruments from modern ones. And it should definitely be noted that your American Vintage Jazz bass has the nitro finish.

If you can try out the roadworn Jazz alongside your American Vintage Jazz, I think you'll find that there's something familiar there.
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dear shoemaniac,thanks for your explanation,it really helped to my decisions..here many of my bass player friends are getting have fun with my decision,and i told them pls go and test that bass..i know it is MIM but its like a custom fender bass..has a nice growl sounded..i like the sound and relic look
 

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