Tattoos are image statements just like reliced instruments are to some. Neither occurred naturally.
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Road Worn basses...why not cabs?
- Thread starter themacinator
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Tattoos are image statements just like reliced instruments are to some. Neither occurred naturally.
I don't have a RW bass, but I've played a few, and they flat out kill! They are lighter than most American Fender, have a lacquer finish instead of hard plastic, are more resonant, and are made generally to 50s/60s Fender specs. The play and sound like American Reissues, for 2/3s of the cost. Also, you don't have to worry about scratching a brand new bass when you play a RW!
ive played them as well, and i do agree they are lighter than american P basses, but ive never really noticed a tonal difference. and maybe its again because im not a P bass guy, but id assume that their big selling point is that they look old and beat up. if it werent for that, theyd just make this type of P bass like a standard P bass without all the finish wear.
thats a pretty broad stroke tho. an image statement could be a custom paint job or a different finish or anything on top of the wood or even done to the wood. red laquer on a wooden bass is not natural, it was added on. over time that red laquer will fade, and that fading is natural.
reliced basses essentially fake the fading that naturally occurs over time, which is why i made the point that nobody (that i know of lol) would get a reliced tattoo that would look faded as if it were done long ago.
I would not buy any new amps or cabs with a fake weathered and worn look. Gigging them for awhile takes care of that business. I've seen enough of actual vintage worn tweed covered amps to last me a life time already, while the charm is still there, I admit, when I see an old amp with honest wear . Ripped and battered tolex doesn't do it for me, and I won't go into the issues with the rat fur stuff. I'm also a guy who will glue up rips and tears, and hit my gear with vinyl cleaner every so often. I guess I like my stuff to look nice and in fairly good condition as far it's possible to do so.
The act of getting a tattoo could be considered art or fake image -- what difference does it make, though. Clearly it does not make the human body feel better, and provides no tangible/objective benefit to the human body. At least there is an argument to be made that relicing a bass makes it feel better (worn) to play.
A reliced bass could be likened to a worked in baseball glove. When I played little league, we all took out new gloves and worked them in (not all that naturally either) to loosen them up and make them play better. I'll bet many people buy reliced basses for the same reason.
The previous poster said it right in the post you quoted!! Because the road-worn Fenders have different components, neck dimensions, pick-up placements, etc than the new ones. They mimic the dimensions/components etc on the older Fenders. The finish is worn, not new, changing the way the neck feels. So they thus feel and play differently, possibly better in some people's opinions.
I can understand that, makes some sense actually.
But that does not apply to cabinets, now does it? You don't hold the cab in your hands, except when you're moving it. As for older components in a bass cabinet, that's one area where it seems technology's inexorable march into the future has only benefited the player in all dimensions. I mean, are the old Ampeg 8x10 fridges, with old ragged out speakers, better than a fresh new 8x10 fridge? (Maybe so, and if so I am interested to hear why.)
I think if you want to talk about reliced basses, you should probably start your own thread.
The OP's thread is about reliced amps and cabinets and this is taking it off topic.
because i dont see any reason for them to relic a bass if the intention is that theyre built so much better with better components, dimensions, pickups, etc. again, i dont understand why they wouldnt just release this bass without the relic option (and if they have please let me know).
and me saying theyre lame is just my opinion. ive been on this board enough to know that tons of different basses get slammed by tons of people (the rickenbacker hatred from some always make me laugh on here lol). its not an insult, just my opinion.
this is true, so to avoid further derailment:
i dont think relic amps/cabs have any point at all outside of them looking different. unless they somehow made some new cabs that were way better built and sounded phenomenal that just happened to be reliced (although just from talking about the basses, it seems people are claiming the relic aspect of these P basses is an afterthought for some).
Fender has several options that have similar specs to the reliced instruments in a non-reliced finish. The Classic 50s P, the Classic 60s J, the American Vintage basses, and the Custom Shop models.
Road worn is a badge of honor. Don't buy it, earn it I've got a bass I bought new about 11 years ago. It's just starting to get wear on the fret board and body from playing (not abuse!) At first I was bummed, but then I realized it's a thing of beauty that I've earned over the years.
I've got a bass I bought new about 11 years ago. It's just starting to get wear on the fret board and body from playing (not abuse!) At first I was bummed, but then I realized it's a thing of beauty that I've earned over the years.Or you could split the difference and get a Highway1, clean off the line, but still has that broken in feel, and shows your wear and tear more readily than a standard finish.
I think if Orange or Ampeg made relic'd cabs, that'd be pretty sweet. Especially Orange, they could let the tolex sit out in the sun all day at the plant and get all faded - almost yellow.
I'd "just buy an old one" but I don't recall them making a ported 15" cab as sweet sounding as the OBC 15. So to me, a beat up version of that particular cab (or the 4x10) would be really cool IMO. Heads too...
I'd "just buy an old one" but I don't recall them making a ported 15" cab as sweet sounding as the OBC 15. So to me, a beat up version of that particular cab (or the 4x10) would be really cool IMO. Heads too...
- Dec 18, 2000
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Orange OBC 15: a TL606 plan with a standard Eminence Kappa driver. Not hard to come up with beat-to-hell TL606 builds going back many decades, and load in an Em Kappa 15. Won't be faded orange of course.
Really? What about ones that have a meaning? Like remembering a fallen loved one? Is that an image? What about hidden ones that only the wearer and a lover would see? For the image also?
relic =/= tattoos. Awful analogy.
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