SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!

[Bigbri]

Ok, glad @mouthmw (from Croatia - welcome!) just posted his Flee bass as I wanted to post something about them. Earlier this evening, I was killing time in a music store here in SF (Haight Street Music) and saw a Flee J on the rack. I wanted to play one ever since hearing the glowing reviews of them. I was plugged into a medium sized Fender combo amp and kept the volume low. I'm not one to try and impress everyone in the store - smacks of desperation IMO. Anyway, I found it to be exactly as I've heard - it sounded great. For all those J -dis'ers, this one sounds like what a J should sound like - and it sounds damn good. It feels good too. Just as people say - it feels comfy, like a nice old pair of slippers. It's decidedly not shiny, and that's ok with me. I've got shiny basses just waiting to be dinged. (and stupidly fussed over) This is a players bass, which is why players love them. I would have bought it but I have many great basses including J's. (more than a few) But dig this, the store is having a 2 day "store-wide" sale, and the price on this bass was (wait for it) $999.99. (new usually around $1250) So here's the funny part - this 'road-worn' bass seemed... used. (!) How could I tell? - a couple of ways; first the matte/flat sheen pg had many scratches below the G string. (not 'factory' wear) Yes I know, it was in the rack and probably played by a number of wankers attempting to display their awesome slapping talents to everyone in the store. But the more glaring aspect was the wear on the back. Just below the body bevel, there was a series of cross-hatched scars which looked totally unnatural as far as "player wear". I think I've seen pics of the back of these and these marks were not on it. So... (and I didn't mention this to the salesman who actually was pretty nice/helpful) here's an interesting conundrum concerning these 'factory worn' basses. And don't get me wrong - as you all know I'm an advocate of distressed finishes and as far as these Fender "road-worn" basses - I see them only as a finish option, much like shiny or matte or whatever, and I don't get hung up over the macho "I create my own wear" bs. It's a look, a style whatever - and if you don't like it, just don't buy it. (seriously) Thank you (everyone) who visits my thread and keeps such out of the conversation. So getting back to my point - when these basses get resold - how will anyone know if they are NOS or used? This bass was used and (this is funny) 'abused'. Now, as the price was right, and if I actually needed another J - I would have bought it because the extra 'wear' was on the back and yah know, get all anal about more scratches on a road-worn bass? That would be anal!

If someone could post a pic of the rear of their Flee J, it will confirm my theory. These basses create an interesting resale consideration and that's the point I'm making.

I don't know if you know but apparently he doesn't use it much anymore. His tech said it wasn't working for him and didn't fit into the sound of the band. It's not really a slap bass like his others.
I think it's mexican? I'm not sure but for a non US guitar it's pricey. Most Mexi's I saw last year were under 500.
relic your own bass by playing it. To me all but the best of relic jobs look completely fake. Take a look at this strat.

 

[Bigbri]

I don't know if you know but apparently he doesn't use it much anymore. His tech said it wasn't working for him and didn't fit into the sound of the band. It's not really a slap bass like his others.
I think it's mexican? I'm not sure but for a non US guitar it's pricey. Most Mexi's I saw last year were under 500.
relic your own bass by playing it. To me all but the best of relic jobs look completely fake. Take a look at this strat. View attachment 2790037

Take the neck of and toss the body around outside for a bit. Put it in the freezer and crack the finish, flake it off. Drop it on the sidewalk. Slide it down your driveway. Very light rub the back of the neck with some steel wool to get most of the way through and then play it alot. Rub your hand up and down the neck while watching tv. Don't use sand paper on the body whatever you do.

 

[Bigbri]

If you want to yellow up your white plastic soak it in strong coffee. If you smoke blow some smoke on it.

 

[mouthmw]

I don't know if you know but apparently he doesn't use it much anymore. His tech said it wasn't working for him and didn't fit into the sound of the band. It's not really a slap bass like his others.
I think it's mexican? I'm not sure but for a non US guitar it's pricey. Most Mexi's I saw last year were under 500. View attachment 2790037

He's been using his jazz for studio recordings since Stadium Arcadium. Live he's been on single H basses most of the time (Stingray, Modulus and now his Fender CS).
Yes it' Mexican, like all of the Road Worn series.

 

[mouthmw]

Ok, glad @mouthmw (from Croatia - welcome!) just posted his Flee bass as I wanted to post something about them. Earlier this evening, I was killing time in a music store here in SF (Haight Street Music) and saw a Flee J on the rack. I wanted to play one ever since hearing the glowing reviews of them. I was plugged into a medium sized Fender combo amp and kept the volume low. I'm not one to try and impress everyone in the store - smacks of desperation IMO. Anyway, I found it to be exactly as I've heard - it sounded great. For all those J -dis'ers, this one sounds like what a J should sound like - and it sounds damn good. It feels good too. Just as people say - it feels comfy, like a nice old pair of slippers. It's decidedly not shiny, and that's ok with me. I've got shiny basses just waiting to be dinged. (and stupidly fussed over) This is a players bass, which is why players love them. I would have bought it but I have many great basses including J's. (more than a few) But dig this, the store is having a 2 day "store-wide" sale, and the price on this bass was (wait for it) $999.99. (new usually around $1250) So here's the funny part - this 'road-worn' bass seemed... used. (!) How could I tell? - a couple of ways; first the matte/flat sheen pg had many scratches below the G string. (not 'factory' wear) Yes I know, it was in the rack and probably played by a number of wankers attempting to display their awesome slapping talents to everyone in the store. But the more glaring aspect was the wear on the back. Just below the body bevel, there was a series of cross-hatched scars which looked totally unnatural as far as "player wear". I think I've seen pics of the back of these and these marks were not on it. So... (and I didn't mention this to the salesman who actually was pretty nice/helpful) here's an interesting conundrum concerning these 'factory worn' basses. And don't get me wrong - as you all know I'm an advocate of distressed finishes and as far as these Fender "road-worn" basses - I see them only as a finish option, much like shiny or matte or whatever, and I don't get hung up over the macho "I create my own wear" bs. It's a look, a style whatever - and if you don't like it, just don't buy it. (seriously) Thank you (everyone) who visits my thread and keeps such out of the conversation. So getting back to my point - when these basses get resold - how will anyone know if they are NOS or used? This bass was used and (this is funny) 'abused'. Now, as the price was right, and if I actually needed another J - I would have bought it because the extra 'wear' was on the back and yah know, get all anal about more scratches on a road-worn bass? That would be anal!

If someone could post a pic of the rear of their Flee J, it will confirm my theory. These basses create an interesting resale consideration and that's the point I'm making.

The back of the bass is really scratched from the relic job. Even the pickguard was relic'd and has scratches and patina wear. I'll snap a photo of the back of mine. Mind you, I had 3 of em at home and relic job differs slightly. They all share the shame template, but I've noticed the quality of the relic job varies (which is why I chose the best looking one IMO).

 

[mouthmw]

Here's some photos of my Flea. Pickguard and rear.

Some close ups of the rear:
Smiley face:

This is all factory wear.
Anyhoo, on a closely related note, my P got another battle scar at a gig last night..
The mic stand that I was using got loose during the gig, and the mic just slammed on the body of my P.
Here's the aftermath:

A nasty bump.
I guess luckily I like worn basses? Still, it hurt a bit. Hard to escape that "ouch" feeling.

It still has ways to go before really reaching a road worn status lol. It's been with me for only 2 and a half years (I swear I don't abuse my stuff and I'm actually pretty anal about keeping my gear safe and handle it very carefully. Everyone in my bands knows I'm the most anal about those things). This one was just very heavily gigged.

 

[JIO]

I don't know if you know but apparently he doesn't use it much anymore. His tech said it wasn't working for him and didn't fit into the sound of the band. It's not really a slap bass like his others.
I think it's mexican? I'm not sure but for a non US guitar it's pricey. Most Mexi's I saw last year were under 500.
relic your own bass by playing it. To me all but the best of relic jobs look completely fake. Take a look at this strat. View attachment 2790037

I agree - in this regard I strictly judge it on it's own merits and the SRV is not a good relic finish. Yes yes, relic it the old fashioned way by playing it - I get it, but as a finish option it's not the point. And all the "toss it on the ground/drag it from a car" is what I want to avoid on my thread here. Maybe some inexperienced DIY'r will do such but it will not be done by a legitimate finisher who chooses to effect a distressed "look" on an instrument. It may be your low opinion of 'relic-ing' but I would appreciate refraining from expressing it here. I started this thread as a library of examples and do not want the beating-of-a dead-horse debate about "real wear" vs a guitar finish 'look' option. I guess I could say the opposite and go on about someones pristine shiny bass and say that they probably bought it to look at it in the corner of their bedroom. The point being the way it looks is totally subjective to the player. If someone plays in 3 bands and uses said bass 7 days a week to rehearse but keeps it in 'like new' condition - it will look like that instrument sitting in the bedroom corner. I do not judge that bass or player in terms of how much or how little it is used - I just look at it and that is all, and I do the same for any relic'd or distressed finish bass. We have now 80 pages and I want to keep this going w/o unsolicited dead-end debate for those like me who appreciate and like to look at distressed finishes.

 

[JIO]

Here's some photos of my Flea. Pickguard and rear. This is all factory wear.
View attachment 2790098
This is all factory wear.

Ok, I guess it is. I find that section unrealistic - unless someone left their bass out with their 4 yr old and a fork! - thanks for posting these pics.

And FTR, on page one of this thread I requested that the Road-Worn basses not be re-posted over and over. Showing this Flee sig is ok as I was curious myself about it after playing one. The obvious reason is that they all will look the same - which is the point of the 'model'. So another Flee bass or RW J or P or Mustang will be redundant. There probably is a Flee J (and Fender RW basses) thread out there and that's where they should be posted. Thanks for your understanding.

 

[JIO]

View attachment 2790100
A nasty bump.

Perfection is overrated and frankly unrealistic I find such dings/imperfections a footnote to a life lived.

 

[cacio]

My 69 p

 

[ICM]

Not a bass (sorry!) but I wanted to share this with you all:




My franken-strat, the nitro finish was barely relic'd when I got it and I've been subtlety picking away at it as somewhat of a study on wear and an experimentation of nitro finish.

 

[JIO]

Not a bass (sorry!) but I wanted to share this with you all:




My franken-strat, the nitro finish was barely relic'd when I got it and I've been subtlety picking away at it as somewhat of a study on wear and an experimentation of nitro finish.

Cool Ivan - I'm sure many guitarists would agree with you regardless of the Fender-bashers out there. And your relic-ing looks authentic so far - good work! Back to the Flee sig J, upon studying it last night I know that if I were to have purchased it I would 'rot-rod' the distressing. (take it further and make it look more authentic) One aspect that stops short is the exposed wood sections. The surrounding 'banks' of the wear area do not graduate. It was probably done using a mask over the bare wood areas when spraying and the edges are thin but (too) crisp. I would use a fine emory cloth and taper the edges until smoothly transitioned. Also, I couldn't tell if the shell pink had a primer under it. Like on yours, you see traces of the white primer under the top colour. So the transition is top-coat/primer/wood - all leveled smooth. I would have also added traces of the original mute screws and wear. In fact, the Flee trib doesn't even have holes for a bridge cover, and the neck cover and tug-bar holes are not drilled into the body. (they are on the pg) Silly details, but this is what I'm talking about when saying a relic'd finish can be skillfully done - meaning it alludes to real and logical player wear (not just a randomly scratched up finish) by someone who has studied pictures or a real distressed instrument. I have created a few more artistic versions so far but am very tempted to do a serious distressed finish. I would use my very player-worn '66 P-bass as a reference and painstakingly recreate it's beautiful look. Needless to say, no dragging it on the street will be involved.

 

[SJLee]

It’s always great to see when a reliced finish is thought out. I love this video of Guy Pratt playing his BMM jazz. You can see exactly how the wear is created.

I would love to see a Guy Pratt signature bass from Fender.

 

[JIO]

So this is my '65 Teisco Del Rey - to focus in on the real wear and it's detail, these 'chips' are on the lower control-cavity side of the bass. They were caused by being dropped which separated the brittle layer of paint from the wood. (mahogany) So the edges are crisp because nothing rubbed against it over time to taper it.

These on the back are similar, and you can see traces of the grey primer in the grain. Hard to say what caused the chipping - but it's over 50 yrs old and when lacquer gets old it is more brittle.

Now this is on the lower elbow bout side so you start to see the tapered wear I spoke of (showing the grey primer) from the players elbow in constant contact with that area. The wood is also shiny there from inadvertently being "buffed" when being interfaced with over time.

 

[JIO]

It’s always great to see when a reliced finish is thought out. I love this video of Guy Pratt playing his BMM jazz. You can see exactly how the wear is created.

I would love to see a Guy Pratt dig bass from Fender.

Exactly - and I think it's a definite possibility as the Fender RW basses are very popular with players and because of that are making Fender a lot of money. The new Mustang Justin Meldal-Johnsen’s trib is yet another in their line. It looks great and they really worked hard to nail the authentic details for that bass in look, feel and sound. To me that results in an elevated version of a production Fender bass - I mean, it's nearly a FCS bass for a lot less $. Real late 60's - 70's Mustangs go for thousands of dollars now - and the new trib is $999. So the "it's made in Mexico so it's not worth as much" line has more to do with a biased presumption about quality (which is not based in fact) than the fact these basses are going to the next level in a very buyer-friendly way.

 

[SJLee]

Agreed. I think Fender has done a lot to improve in MIM status starting with the Road Worn series and now with the tributes that are coming out that also have those great broken in necks.

 

[winterburn69]

Here's some photos of my Flea. Pickguard and rear.

View attachment 2790096
Some close ups of the rear:
View attachment 2790098
This is all factory wear.

I played a Flea Jazz in a shop awhile ago. Lovely playing and sounding bass, but the back was reliced like this (maybe even more) and the front was certainly reliced more than yours. I like a reliced finish but the Flea is way too much for me. I also don't care for faded Shell Pink. Yeah I could always refinish it but to refin a brand new $1700ish bass just seems silly.

That being said I will be getting the JMJ Mustang. From what I've seen it doesn't look too road worn and I like everything I've seen and heard about it.

It’s always great to see when a reliced finish is thought out. I love this video of Guy Pratt playing his BMM jazz. You can see exactly how the wear is created.

I would love to see a Guy Pratt signature bass from Fender.

I would also love to see a Guy Pratt signature Jazz. Quite unlikely though IMO, seems all he does is play with David Gilmour, although with that new Live at Pompeii Blu-Ray/album recently out now would be the best time for Fender to capitalize on that.

 

[mouthmw]

I played a Flea Jazz in a shop awhile ago. Lovely playing and sounding bass, but the back was reliced like this (maybe even more) and the front was certainly reliced more than yours. I like a reliced finish but the Flea is way too much for me. I also don't care for faded Shell Pink. Yeah I could always refinish it but to refin a brand new $1700ish bass just seems silly.

That being said I will be getting the JMJ Mustang. From what I've seen it doesn't look too road worn and I like everything I've seen and heard about it.



I would also love to see a Guy Pratt signature Jazz. Quite unlikely though IMO, seems all he does is play with David Gilmour, although with that new Live at Pompeii Blu-Ray/album recently out now would be the best time for Fender to capitalize on that.

Yeah, it's quite a heavy relic, but it is based on a real wear, so who knows how those dings, scratches and marks really happened. I really doubt they are random selection that Fender did. I've seen quite a few of them live, and the relic quality job differs, but all of them had heavier relic on the front when compared to mine (but the template is obviously the same). And more crude job, mine has that smoother transition (and the greyed out wood area on the arm rest). I really dig the color (I love off white colors, this one doesn't scream pink to me at all, I wouldn't have it otherwise hahah) and the concentric knobs. Oh and it sounds and plays great.

Love the JMJ Mustang too! +1 on the Guy Pratt sig.

 

[SJLee]

I would also love to see a Guy Pratt signature Jazz. Quite unlikely though IMO, seems all he does is play with David Gilmour, although with that new Live at Pompeii Blu-Ray/album recently out now would be the best time for Fender to capitalize on that.

As much as I love that he plays with Pink Floyd, I love it far more that he has played with The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen. Let’s not forget he’s also played with the likes of David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Gary Moore, among others.

 

[JIO]

That being said I will be getting the JMJ Mustang. From what I've seen it doesn't look too road worn and I like everything I've seen and heard about it.

I think if I were to get one of the recent RW basses - the Mustang would be the one. I currently don't have anything like it and from what JMJ says in the Fender promo about it, it has great ability to sit in a dense mix from an engineers point of reference.