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Show us your Road Worn Fender Basses...!!!

#221
Slim Louis said:
Is there something about the term road worn that I'm not graspoing. Is this a thread about those new basses that look old and, well, road worn?:confused:
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The second one. Fender is offering a new line of instruments, called Fender Road Worn, which are various classic styles and “relliced” artificially to make them feel worn in.

I’m interested in hearing more about them and seeing some pictures.

Beautiful bass you have there by the way.
 
#225
dinsdal3 said:
how do you like ur pickups in them, would you change them for anything like the fender custom shops or antiquity's? i love mine but i am just curious if anyone has done this and their opinion on it. thanks
.
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While I don't own a new Road Worn Fender, I HAVE played a few.

The pickup sounds fantastic. Just like a good Precision should. Has a very authentic "Vintage" Precision type tone. There is no need to upgrade the pickup in the RW unless you are after a more modern tone.
 
#226
During the week, I visted my local mom-n-pop store and they had a RW Jazz sitting next to a CS Relic Jazz. The relicing on the MIM bass was pretty darn good...much better than any Nash I've ever seen. And the one thing the RW has is the imprints of the chrome covers into the finish, where the CS bass didn't have the imprints, even the magnet poles were darkened and the correct flat-top maget poles, where the CS Jazz had incorrect tapered magnet poles. So kudos to the MIM bass on a more convincing look, I was very impressed.
 
#227
Theo-cantor- said:
It's all in the wood. Body inline with the neck.
Compression-deadspots-tonewood you name it....
Jaco had a crappy bridge, so it's not the hardware.....??!!
So it is the way the neck transfers the frequencies towards the body in a way that the two parts are in resonance.
Also think about the small vintage fretwire just like the 62 RI and the CS 64 Jazz; I have a custom build 55 P with a maple neck/alder body with maple top and small fretwire: less contact=warm tone.
One thing I don't understand is why the guitar-line is relatively heavy compared to the basses which are very, very, light.
Lucky for us bassplayers Fender choose a pile of fantastic lightweight alder to make the RW basses.
This must be the reason. I just can't think of another....
Forget the pickups....:):)
Always think woodwise....................

This makes sense doesn't it????


Cheers,
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:crying:
 
#228
Caca de Kick said:
During the week, I visted my local mom-n-pop store and they had a RW Jazz sitting next to a CS Relic Jazz. The relicing on the MIM bass was pretty darn good...much better than any Nash I've ever seen. And the one thing the RW has is the imprints of the chrome covers into the finish, where the CS bass didn't have the imprints, even the magnet poles were darkened and the correct flat-top maget poles, where the CS Jazz had incorrect tapered magnet poles. So kudos to the MIM bass on a more convincing look, I was very impressed.
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I agree.

The CS relics I've played have been awful. The RWs have it all over them.
 
#229
Theo-cantor- said:
Jaco had a crappy bridge, so it's not the hardware.....??!!
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I disagree about the bridge being crappy. I've tried many bridges, BAs, Gotohs, various Brass, and single string bridges on my DIYs, but I still go back to the '62 RI Fender thin plate "screw" saddle bridge or the single groove saddle version. To me the thin plate bridge imparts more complexity to the tone compared to other bridges on the same instrument.
 
#230
Caca de Kick said:
During the week, I visted my local mom-n-pop store and they had a RW Jazz sitting next to a CS Relic Jazz. The relicing on the MIM bass was pretty darn good...much better than any Nash I've ever seen. And the one thing the RW has is the imprints of the chrome covers into the finish, where the CS bass didn't have the imprints, even the magnet poles were darkened and the correct flat-top maget poles, where the CS Jazz had incorrect tapered magnet poles. So kudos to the MIM bass on a more convincing look, I was very impressed.
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Any comments on playing them "back to back?" :bassist: :bassist:
 
#231
p.s.s. the mexican fenders now 09 are NOT the same as the mexican fenders from 5 years ago. the price has went up due to inflation AND quality craftmanship. they are competing with higher brands now with the same style basses, but they are NOT the same anymore. read that 25 times if you have to. the lines have all shifted up in terms of quality. you are not paying $1000 for the same mexican bass that was $500 2 years ago. please keep this in mind when talking about the prices of Fenders going up.[/QUOTE]

I'm just curious what evidence you have to support this. So far the reports have been hit and miss on Fender's recent quality, just like it always has. Where did this idea about improved QC come from?
I have played a NEW 09 MIM JAZZ and the thing must have weighed close to 12 pounds. As for the 50's MIM series, I own one from 06 and have played one as new as 08, and you can not convince me that there is anything improved in workmanship, fit and finish, hardware etc.

I would even go so far as to speculate that Fender is no longer equiping their MIM 50's series basses with American Std. Pickups...being that their website no longer advertises this fact.(Which to me would be a good selling point)

As far as the RW goes, what one is apparently paying for is a select body, nitro finish and a bad relic job...they play no differently than a standard MIM 50's, other than maybe the actual smoothness of the back of the neck.
 
#233
I'll weigh in on this one.

I played a really nice Fiesta Red one a couple of times in a local shop. It was really light, probably about 7 lbs. or so. This one felt and played so nice.

Today I was across town at another shop. They had 2, one Fiesta Red and the other a Burst (both had the same relic markings including a cigarette burn near the E tuner).

However, both were significantly heavier, probably closer to 9 lbs. They both were no where near the 7 pounder in feel and resonance.

I believe, as always with Fenders, you need to play a bunch to make sure you get what you are looking for.
 
#234
Well as promised in my earlier posts I've done the mod that I bought my Road Worn for. Here it is in the flesh with the Seymour Duncan vintage added, I also added a Hipshot D Tuner for the full on custom bass. My favourite sound is neck p/up full on, bridge at about 95% (about 30 degrees off full turn) which just adds that little bit of definition. Full on it's a Jazzish bass sound, but with more balls, just what I wanted. I'll still mainly use it with just the neck p/up, but when I need that extra zing I've got it there.

Ez1.gif

Ez3.gif

Ez4.gif
Hmm that D tuner is a bit shiny by comparison.
 
#237
I think I'd go Highway One over Road Worn.

When I was messing with guitars, I got an Edwards Relic Les Paul clone.....not because I wanted a relic, it just had all the right specs. I ended up regretting it, the relic thing kinda bugged me after awhile.
 
#240
Musicman20 said:
They do look used, the only thing Im not 100% on is the holes but personally I like the style. The colour is great as well.
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Yes the colour is awsome! even better live :) If I'm not wrong it costs 1499.00€, and I read 60's on the lable so I thought it was a brutal vintage :P its a dissapoint, but would still want it :D
 

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