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New Fender Vintera II Road Worn Basses
- Thread starter Lammchop93
- Start date
The previous Road Worn basses were only released in two colors. The 50’s Precision bass was offered in Fiesta Red and 2 tone sunburst, and the 60’s Jazz bass came in either Fiesta Red or 3 tone sunburst.
There were some exceptions for the signature models and some special anniversaries. But otherwise it was just the two options.
There were some exceptions for the signature models and some special anniversaries. But otherwise it was just the two options.
It’s been my experience that a savvy shopper can get exactly what they want by sourcing parts and building a partscaster. MJT nitro painted bodies are a great start. This is assuming you can do the assembly and setup work yourself, or have a friend that can do it. A drawer full of miscellaneous parts doesn’t hurt either lol.
I have a weird theory that has proven to be correct in my experience. Cheaper basses are always better with one piece maple necks. Once you start to get the complexity of adding rosewood involved, the geometry / fit / finish can become compromised. It's harder to get right. Once piece maple out of CNC should always be pretty much perfect.I return mine ( VII 60s P Oly White ) after compare to my Vintera 1 50s P .....
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I have tried and tried to pice together a bass from parts that ‘checks all the boxes’ but I’ve found that it’s extremely difficult to get certain specs for certain parts (like a 7.25 radius with super dark rosewood and nitro finish in a tinted amber shade) and on top of that, when you order something you just have to cross your fingers and hope it ends up being something you like. With the Fender stuff, you have at least a few options at various price ranges that ‘check all the boxes’ and you can probably actually get your hands on one or a few of them to try before buying. Add to all that, the total cost of a parts build will often be close to, or just a little less expensive than the actual Fender equivalent, it’s not worth the time and stress to me to go that route. And obviously if you ever have or want to move on from that build, the resale value can be pretty horrendous. I know some people reallllllly enjoy that whole process, but it turns out I am not one of them
I would be surprised if they did more than a couple of colors per model… but the ad for the Charcaol Frost looks like is has legit Fender ad copy that states:
“Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera® II Road Worn® '60s Precision Bass® recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic.”
A variety would seem to be more than just 2, but we all know how reliable Fender ad copy usually is ha ha
I stumbled on this by accident. Looks like a few sites and sellers on reverb have a vintera II road worn P bass listed. I see a fiesta red one on reverb, and a charcoal frost on gear tree. Maybe these are new and got listed ahead of schedule? Looks to be a good Pino and Sean Hurley alternative given the color options...
Fender Vintera II Road Worn '60s Precision Bass 4-String Limited Edition Bass Guitar, Rosewood Fingerboard, Charcoal Frost Metallic | GearTree
Revive the timeless sound of the '60s with the Vintera® II Road Worn® '60s Precision Bass® and experience the iconic looks, inspiring feel and incomparable tone that only a Fender® can deliver. Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the...www.geartree.com
https://reverb.com/item/91910623-fe...recision-bass-rosewood-fingerboard-fiesta-red
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Funny, I don't see these on Fender's website.
They apparently get released officially September 15th. I think they are being leaked early.
That’s fair. You have to enjoy the build process, as well as the hunt for parts… and like I said originally, it helps if you’re a savvy shopper with a drawer full of spare parts and a buddy that solders (if you can’t do it yourself).I have tried and tried to pice together a bass from parts that ‘checks all the boxes’ but I’ve found that it’s extremely difficult to get certain specs for certain parts (like a 7.25 radius with super dark rosewood and nitro finish in a tinted amber shade) and on top of that, when you order something you just have to cross your fingers and hope it ends up being something you like. With the Fender stuff, you have at least a few options at various price ranges that ‘check all the boxes’ and you can probably actually get your hands on one or a few of them to try before buying. Add to all that, the total cost of a parts build will often be close to, or just a little less expensive than the actual Fender equivalent, it’s not worth the time and stress to me to go that route. And obviously if you ever have or want to move on from that build, the resale value can be pretty horrendous. I know some people reallllllly enjoy that whole process, but it turns out I am not one of them
The LPB jazz bass and the shoreline gold P bass are both MJT nitro lacquer on alder bodies. Allparts neck on the jazz. 2003 Fender Highway One neck on the precision.
The Olympic White P bass is a 1988 MIJ Fender 62’ reissue.
I mean, those both look fantastic, particularly the jazz bass! Did you have somebody paint the headstock for you? Again, I’d have no problem putting something like this together if only I could get a vintage spec neck to my liking. MJT makes great bodies… I have a partscaster strat with an mjt body and a classic 60s Lacquer strat neck that’s pretty sweet.
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The high end stuff coming out of the Mexican plant is generally very nice. I had a 2017 Road Worn Fiesta P bass that was VERY close to vintage/CS territory. As a Nitro fanboy, I'd be all over the Charcoal Frost If I bought new basses.
That Strat is beautiful! You have a great point on the neck thing… the only thing I don’t love about the blue jazz bass is the chunky profile along with the 10” radius. Doesn’t feel bad, but doesn’t feel “right” either. I would have already swapped it, but the headstock was custom painted, and the age-ing on the back of the neck is perfect.
Yeah the early in the week release dates are always weird. Maybe it’s to give the stores time to get them in stock and ready for the following weekend? Who knows? Either way, I’m pretty sure my local guitar centers won’t have any of them anyway. They seem to mostly traffic in Squiers and a few player series. They never get the funky stuff. Orange County, Ca seems to mostly be a wasteland for bass players which seems strange to me as we have a pretty large population and tons of bands. I guess they figure we can just make the trek up to LA if we really want something.
MJT did the nitro finish on my American Deluxe Precision 5 build project. And coincidentally in Charcoal Frost!
The charcoal on Reverb went live again. Besides that, nada.
