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

#61
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????
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;) Everything that you've written there makes complete sense to me and are exactly the same reasons that I've given, time and time again, as to why I like Fender's CS and Vintage reissue basses above most other brands/designs that I've tried (although that's certainly not all of them, I admit ;)).

You just know that these Fenders are gonna sound good, when you sit down with an unamplified one and feel the vibrations running smoothly through the entire bass with every note that you play :smug:. Wonderful feeling!
 
#63
Perhaps the mods are just trying to allow a very wide range of discussion.

I think that maybe some of the folks spouting "Relic's are dishonest and stupid and ugly--so if you want one, just let me relic your bass behind my truck," are just having an honest reaction to something they don't like, don't trust, and in some cases, don't understand.

Faux Mojo relics feel threatening to some of us, so also the mods are just letting the steam out of a turd, IMHO.
 
#67
I finally got to try a RW J last week and it was a disappointment in the feel dept. and only average in tone. The profile of the neck was very fat and un-J-like. Compared to the almost 9 lb RW P (that I tried previously and is still at the store) the J was heavier.

I'd sure like to find even one of these light Road Worn basses everybody is raving about.
 
#68
So Fender is using crappy woods for the home-market and only the best basses are going to us overhere in Europe???!:eyebrow:

I will give anybody 100$ who can tell the difference (blindfold) between my RW Fiesta Red Jazz Bass and my CS 1964 Time Machine Closet Classic Jazz Bass...........!!!!!
Same feel, same sound, same price...??????:crying:

Owners of these two basses just won't speak out about this cause it's true!!:crying:

Cheers,

Theo
 
#69
Theo-cantor- said:
So Fender is using crappy woods for the home-market and only the best basses are going to us overhere in Europe???!:eyebrow:

I will give anybody 100$ who can tell the difference (blindfold) between my RW Fiesta Red Jazz Bass and my CS 1964 Time Machine Closet Classic Jazz Bass...........!!!!!
Same feel, same sound, same price...??????:crying:

Owners of these two basses just won't speak out about this cause it's true!!:crying:

Cheers,

Theo
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My local Guitar Center got a few of these, Theo, and I played them. Personally I agree with you that they've done a really nice job of mass-producing the relic look. The cracked finish on the Jazz was especially well done. The feel and tone of the P-bass I played was very good too. With the price of a CS relic bass now over $3,500 these are nice alternatives for people who really want this look, and they play and sound nice too IMO. They aren't for everyone, but for the market group they target, they do what they're supposed to.:bassist:
 
#71
Mastermold said:
My local Guitar Center got a few of these, Theo, and I played them. Personally I agree with you that they've done a really nice job of mass-producing the relic look. The cracked finish on the Jazz was especially well done. The feel and tone of the P-bass I played was very good too. With the price of a CS relic bass now over $3,500 these are nice alternatives for people who really want this look, and they play and sound nice too IMO. They aren't for everyone, but for the market group they target, they do what they're supposed to.:bassist:
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What surprises me is the fact there's so much difference in weight of the American and European RW basses, don't you agree??

Cheers,

Theo


PS please say hi for me the the guys at OCC (LOL)
RW Basses are quiet sold out overhere......
 
#73
Theo-cantor- said:
What surprises me is the fact there's so much difference in weight of the American and European RW basses, don't you agree??

Cheers,

Theo


PS please say hi for me the the guys at OCC (LOL)
RW Basses are quiet sold out overhere......
Click to expand...

Well, I can't say what they're shipping to you guys because I've only experienced what's here but here I know the Precision and Jazz basses I tried seemed as light as my CS and AV basses. I know you've got just about every Fender bass made so you'd probably know better than me whether the wood quality is similar to the AV or CS stock.
 
#74
Jordasch said:
BURN!

I personally love them, and would pay the money for them. Hopefully my Geddy will look relic'd a=in a few years!
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It won't the poly finish is too thick...:crying:

I've been playing mine almost every day for 3 years straight and I got nothing but some buckle scratches on the back and some dings on the headstock...certainly no "wear"...

I love the Road Worn basses too - Fiesta Red for me please - except I'd throw a Stack-knob setup on her
 
#75
It won't the poly finish is too thick...

I've been playing mine almost every day for 3 years straight and I got nothing but some buckle scratches on the back and some dings on the headstock...certainly no "wear"...

I love the Road Worn basses too - Fiesta Red for me please - except I'd throw a Stack-knob setup on her
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It won't wear out like nitro wich yellows and flakes in unusual places from normal use, but it'll wear out. A friend of mine has an Ibanez he bought used in the late 90's (I think it's pre 90's by a slim margin). After getting it, he promptly gouged a huge piece of finish/wood in the back of the guitar (strap failed and it hit a mic stand). The poly in this area is slowly but surely flaking off and peeling away because of his belt buckle.

Same thing for the face of the guitar near the pickups. The finish is starting to check because of rigorous abuse (guitar left in the car for days in winter, etc.). Most if not all the hardware is corroded because of his sweat and his smoking ways. The only part of the bass that looks relatively new is the neck, but it still has it's fair share of dings, scars and gouges.

It doesn't look reliced in the way the early 60's basses look now, but it certainly screams "player" from 50 yards away.
 
#77
Spinal Tapper said:
It won't the poly finish is too thick...:crying:

I've been playing mine almost every day for 3 years straight and I got nothing but some buckle scratches on the back and some dings on the headstock...certainly no "wear"...

I love the Road Worn basses too - Fiesta Red for me please - except I'd throw a Stack-knob setup on her
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Poly will definilty wear through. It just takes LOT's of playing.

I've seen plenty of poly finished basses that had been gigged extensively that had worn through the paint.

No, three years of playing in your bedroom, or light gigging probably won't age a bass like that, but many years of constant gigging certainly can.
 
#79
Im sick of this debate tbh...

Firstly, if someone came on this site showering there new custom shop 64relic with all the dents and the 4K price tag everyone would be like WOO!! ... yet when fender come up with a great idea to offer an image to those that like that for working mans money for a failry decent piece of kit people are just like "oh thats pointless why not just buy a new bass and wear it out"

well thats well in good if your in a touring band.. played a few gigs a week bass gets fkd into the back of the van thrown into the corner.. but what about joe soap who just plays at home, does he HAVE TO HAVE A SHINY BASS?? which is just an obvious sign of him being a none gigging man?? no..

nor does he need to buy a beat up "looking" bass to say "hey look at me i gig".. its personnal taste.. my work boots look better dirty.. my jeans look better clean.. personnal preference.. for the record i have a 91 MIJ jazz which looks brand new and a 06 75 CIJ which is my main bass and is beat to feck! takes fair abuse..

for the record also i love reliced guitars..i have brett making me one as i write this... my Poly finished basses will never look how i want them to in 40yrs.. but in 40yrs time will a Road worn bass be considered cool by the haters?? you tell me.. for those that have bought the RW series basses, fair play.. they look gorgeous and i cant wait to play one and will prob consider one after i get a go!

Aurin
 
#80
I played a Road Worn P and J at My local Guitar center. Both basses weighed in around 9 lbs. Not heavy or light but about average I'd say. The P bass played great but sounded Choked,after about 15 minutes of trying to get a decent tone out of an SVT and fridge I gave up and put the P back. Relic aside I would not buy that bass for any amount of money(I'm a P bass guy). The jazz bass was in bad need of a set up but was a much more lively sounding bass unplugged in and plugged in. With Fenders seems like you have to play a few to find a good one. As for the relic job I found them a bit cheesy and wish fender would take the extra time spent on the relic and put it into the fretwork. Nitro or Poly some guitars just sound better than other guitars and yes you can wear a poly finish down by Playing it!

Road worn Poly.
 

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