Road Worn basses...why not cabs?

[greenboy]

Send me your cabs and I will spill, burn, rip and beat them for 50% of what Fender will do it for. And I'll offer a non-conditional non-guarantee. An extra Franklin gets them tumbled down a full flight of stairs with metal edge runners.

 

[greenboy]

I don't have a forklift to drive through the sides with, but I can assure you your packages will all be treated with due consideration during the shipping and handling phase.

 

[king_biscuit]

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.

There are many tattoos that are not hidden or meant to honor loved ones -- clearly there are many people who are getting them for the image. So what? I couldn't care less, I'm just making a point. I don't own any pre-reliced basses, but for some TBers to constantly rail on in every thread in which it can be shoehorned, that reliced basses are lame and only posers would have them is offensive to many people on the forum.

 

[king_biscuit]

Then why do people argue that they don't play them for the finish?

I think some people like the way the reliced finishes feel, and some people like the way they look. What do you care? Paint is fake too, the wood certainly didn't come from the forest with that three tone sunburst!

 

[Fuzzbass]

I don't own any pre-reliced basses, but for some TBers to constantly rail on in every thread in which it can be shoehorned, that reliced basses are lame and only posers would have them is offensive to many people on the forum.

+1

The original question was: would you buy a road-worn cab? So, a simple "no" is sufficient. Rants about the validity of road-wear are irrelevant at best, and a violation of forum rules at worst. This stupid complaint comes up time and time again. Fact is, some people like the broken-in look and feel, and are willing to pay extra. It's not only true for instruments, but for other items such as clothing, furniture.

As you said above... paint is fake. One could argue that transparent varnish is fake. Carving the instrument into a shape is fake... why not leave it 'au naturel'?? THIS bass is "keeping it real", and anyone who plays a carved painted bass is a poseur!!

 

[Burlington]

I think some people like the way the reliced finishes feel, and some people like the way they look. What do you care? Paint is fake too, the wood certainly didn't come from the forest with that three tone sunburst!

Agreed. I could care less what anyone plays, they should get what makes them happy.

 

[georgestrings]

chill man, im not attacking or doing anything wrong, im stating my opinion that i think theyre lame. you clearly feel different, and thats totally fine, but quit acting like im doing something thats so wrong. since when is stating an opinion wrong? lol cmon dude.

+1...


- georgestrings

 

[tjh]

could you elaborate on this? why IYO would somebody buy a relic P bass if not for the look?

Absolutely, I would be happy to ... for starters, I dont play a P, have owned several, but they all went to homes where there was more love for them, so I will comment on the Jazz ... I owned a 66' Jazz, oval tuners, no blocks, no binding in 70-72 ... sold it when I went into the service in 73 ... every bass I owned after that, was compared to the 66' ... well, I can now not afford $6-10K to replace what I foolishly parted with, so I have tried to replicate as closely as possible ... I went through several, and settled on a Classic Series 60's Jazz, in fact I had a few of them, and picked the best, and sold the rest ... to make a long story short, I now have came close to the original, with a 7 1/4 FB radius, and vintage frets, reverse tuners, and tinted neck, etc ... it even LOOKS like the 66' ... but, now Fender is offering a bass that has a nitro finish (as the 66' did), the same body thickness (about 1/8-3/16 thinner) ... add to that the fact that the neck now also has a more 'rolled edge' and extra dressing done to fret wire ends, these are a couple more of the ingredients missing for me to replicate the 66' ... about the only thing that will be missing, would be the oval tuners I had on the 66', and I have found a source, if I choose to pursue it ...

so, there you go .. in fact I intend to attempt to 'repair' as much of the 'factory road-wear' as possible, but what ever I end up with visually doesn't matter, it will be more like the 66' in every aspect than anything else available on the market, at a price of about 1/6 or less of me trying to replace with the 'real thing' ... now add to that the the RW Jazz's have been reported in the 8 lb range, which is a full 1+ pound less than I am currently using, on my surgically reconstructed shoulder ... I havent found another Jazz that light, that even comes close combined with the other important factors mentioned above ...

Good question, most assume it is the damage inflicted which attracts ... thats a bit superficial to presume ... I dont like red basses, and probably wouldn't own one unless it snuck up on me and I couldnt put it down, but if someone happens to like the color, or perhaps just the way a red bass feels, that is good enough for me not to need to question (or judge) their taste ... JMHO

 

[BurningSkies]

Judging the finish choices and aesthetic values of other players is lame.

And presumptuous.

 

[BongoBoyLA]

...again, i dont understand why they wouldnt just release this bass without the relic option (and if they have please let me know)...

They have. Fender occasionally releases re-issues -- instruments built to the exact spec of their vintage counterparts. They're spendy though.

I own a RW J-bass, and here's my story:

The coolest bass I've ever played was a vintage, 1964 J-Bass that was worn in all the right places -- the nitro finish was faded under the playing hand and MOST IMPORTANTLY, on the back of the neck, allowing for a velvety-smooth slide along the thumb. It just played like a broken-in baseball glove -- smooth, easy and perfect. It was like I'd been playing it for years. It was just so smooth.

The catch?

She cost $7,000.

So, to my surprise, I'm browsing around my local guitar boutique and see what to my non-expert eyes looked like another vintage 1964 J-bass -- same sunburst finish, same tort pickguard, same wear in all the right places, same reverse tuners, it was all there. I stroll over and pick it up, play it and it plays nearly as well as that other '64. I check the price tag and my jaw drops when I realized that it's not vintage. It was a brand-new road worn.

It was hanging on my wall at home, shortly thereafter.

Granted, the wood hasn't aged like the '64, so the body resonance isn't as intense as it was on that vintage instrument, but she plays almost as well, and she's MINE!

Some day I'll own a real '64, but until then, my RW J will have a home with me.

 

[Chef]

Howdy Kids:

This is the amps forum. Not the relic'd basses forum.

This thread has run it's course: closed.