Thoughts on Fender Road Worn Precision Basses?

[tortburst]

I sold my '14 MIA P-Bass because I simply wasn't happy with it. I figured I'd sell it and buy something else instead of wasting time/money putting upgrades into it. Anyways, as I've been looking through the TB forums and the Fender forums, I read posts about people saying great things about the Road Worn P-Basses.

While I think that they look cool, and from what I read they have a great tone/sound, I can't help but wonder if the pre-worn look is a "pretender" thing to do (I know, that seems like a minor thing). Major question is, with them already being aged, will they hold up for many years?

If anybody has experiences with them, please let me know what you think. What do you like? What don't you like? Ultimately, are they worth the price tag?

Thanks everybody!

I have an 09 road worn p and am considering selling it only bc I bought a 63 p and I'm not sure if I want two p basses.

Anyway to answer the questions you asked ....

Major question will they hold up?
Yes. These basses aren't aged , they have a cosmetic worn finish to the wood and metal parts. Nothing that would affect the instruments construction near or long term. My RW p bass is a nice two piece body and one piece maple neck, under 9 lbs, solidly built, plays and sounds Like a good p bass should.

I like more things than I don't and I simultaneously like and dislike certain things about the finish.

I like the way it's built , the way it plays, the way it sounds.
I like that mine weighs about 8.5 lbs and has very nice looking wood and a two piece body.

I like the worn neck with rolled edges.

I don't like how fender wore the neck in , then applied a poly coat over the wear. That didn't make any sense to me. So I had my luthier do a little sanding and steel wool job on it and now it feels like it looks which is very very smooth and comfy.

The cigarette burn isn't needed.

The relicing is a little too much for my taste. I personally would like something along the lines of fender custom shop closet classic or journeyman finish. The chrome parts are patina'd, the finish dulled down. But not all chipped up. Guess we'd have to pay custom shop prices for that so I'm not really complaining.

What I like about it is the finish is dulled and I do not have to worry about propping it up in the corner. Any minor cosmetic damage does not matter at all and that is a comforting thought.

Is it worth the price?
It's worth the average used price I believe.

*edit
Oh and 2 tone sunburst with a gold anodized pickguard and maple neck looks damn cool imo

 

[bbbenji]

I love my Road Worn P Bass. Much prefer it to my MIA Standard. Not sure if I just happened to stumble on a great one, or if they're all like this, but the neck on mine is straight as a bullet, rarely needs adjustment, great intonation up the neck, the stock pup sounds fantastic, and the finish wears in nicely after use and doesn't look as fake. Pop on a set of flats and you're good to go!

 

[Rumbles]

I passed on a red Fender Precision bass that was going for a good (read cheap), price. Even though it was knocked around it felt good, sort of a worn in feel if that makes sense. Anyway I didn't buy it, and I regret it now.

 

[lfmn16]

I would feel like a poser wearing one of those basses. They look cool, but when someone automatically thinks you're a longtime working pro, and you have no stories to those scratches... It's just disappointing. My two cents.

So when you buy a used bass you have it refinished so that you have a story for each scratch?

These relic threads sure wear on my thread pruning shears....

My full comments on the subject were posted earlier (thanks guys). To reiterate in small, simple sentences as many of you still don't comprehend them....
If you don't like relics, don't post in relic threads.
If you don't understand why someone would pay for a relic, don't post in relic threads.
If you want to suggest people play their basses for decades for a reliced finish that may never happen, don't post in relic threads.
If you question the integrity or "fakery" of relic owners/sellers/refinishers, don't post in relic threads.
If you want bash relics or their owners but think you can hide it behind a bad joke we've all read a thousand times........you guessed it- don't post in relic threads.

There are literally over a million threads on TalkBass. Find a different thread to contribute to rather than trying to piss in people's Corn Flakes. Relic owners/lovers have heard it all; this is exactly like the extended range bashing we got in the early 2000s.. It's tired and I'm tired of seeing it. Most of the time I delete such comments without infractions except for the egregious posts. That's going to change soon if you guys can't control yourselves.

 

[Gaolee]

I think fake wear is silly. I bought a RW Precision anyway. It felt that good. That was five years ago. I usually play a Thunderbird these days, but the P gets played. After five years of use and abuse, it's not fake any more. The finish seems to be pretty thin, and it wears away. Or maybe my hands are having some kind of chemical reaction to the finish. Either way, there are more bumps, holes, and worn spots now. I couldn't tell you how the new wear all got there, though. So much for stories.

I figured if I was going to be a poser, the bass should have ashtrays and a tug bar. So it does. Flats make it the perfect Precision as far as I'm concerned. I have no further Fender GAS.

 

[twinjet]

So when you buy a used bass you have it refinished so that you have a story for each scratch?

Haha well no, but then again I don't search for worn basses. I like mine looking phresh.

 

[gidbass]

If my wife would sign off i'd buy one...

A good P is a great tool in you arsenal. Aesthetics aside, I have read that the road word series play/feel great. If that is true (having never played one) then I'd give it a whirl as dropping in an EMG GZR P would be cake and that bad boy would rock!

Good Luck!

 

[mpdd]

didn't have a roadworn p, but i had a midnight wine highway one p and the nitro on that got super dark and glossy just from contact with my right forearm, some lacquered necks can be super sticky like gibson grabbers and early L2000s, but those are extreme cases probably due in part to bar cigarette smoke, anyway i'd really like to try a roadworn, but i just don't seem to see them in LA for some reason

 

[flatfender]

I have 2 RW Jazz basses and they're wonderful instruments but with 2 small flaws IMHO.

I don't know if these apply to the RW precisions

1. The fret marker dots on the side of the necks are very tiny and hard to see on a dimly lit stage.
2. The output signal of the stock pickups seem to be about 15% - 20% lower than on any of my regular MIA/MIM jazzes.

Not huge issues, mind you. The necks are fast and the bodies are comfortable. They seem like old friends.

 

[MovingPitchers]

I have a Classic 50s Precision with an aftermarket body from Craigslist. The neck width and thickness is the same as the roadworn model.

 

[1bassplayinfool]

Looks aside... if you can deal with a 1.75 neck width, these are some of the nicest P-basses out there.
Felt real familiar to my '66 P. my .02

 

[SasquatchDude]

FWIW, keep in mind the Classic Lacquer model, which is truly a Road Worn without the relicing for a couple hundred bucks less. Not to be confused with the poly finished Classic Series, which will not age the same way as the other two.

 

[bopeuph]

I actually just happened across one yesterday at Guitar Center. I always thought the RW line was a bit weird...kinda like the people who buy jeans with the holes in them.

But I must say, that bass was great. Played well, sounded great (I didn't have my '57 RI P with me to try out the amp I was buying, and that was the closest to the quality of it), and the relicing was very tasteful. If I was in the market for a new P-Bass, I'd consider that.

Edit: The only thing I didn't like is how Fenders come standard with roundwound strings. I mean, everyone has their choices, but I think (and especially if we're going to reissue basses from 50 years ago) that a P-Bass needs flats. So it was a bit difficult to imagine how it would sound with some LaBella 0760M's on it!

 

[foolforthecity]

Nothing that fully answered my questions. A lot of what I found was "technical" in nature, where I'm also looking for opinions on the looks and the "idea" of the finish. Didn't mean to sound like a jerk there.

Is there anything I can specifically answer? The finish is Nitro-based, thinly-coated, and can be fairly easily marked or scratched as compared to a poly coating. The neck on mine had a light clear coat finish, which made it just a little bit sticky to my feel, so I took very fine steel wool to it and now it's super-smooth. The neck is wide, 1.75" at nut, but feels thin front to rear. Skunk-stripe on backside of neck. Frets are standard medium-jumbo. Came with a very smooth edge rounding on the fretboard to neck area as if worn from years of use, which adds greatly to the smooth and fast neck action. Old-school style long-stem machine heads exhibit a patina as if exposed to years of sweat, atmosphere, etc., but are nice and tight, not sloppy or prone to detuning, holding a rock-solid tune. Standard P bridge. I've seen and/or played close to a dozen of the P's over the past few years, and the build quality and finish is very consistent, up to and including a bogus cigarette burn simulation on the headstock as if a player let their cig burn down on the "E" tuner while playing. Generally great Mexican craftsmanship, nice tight tolerances throughout. As P's go, I have several American Standards, several American Specials, and this RW, and this one is the smoothest playing of the bunch in my opinion, and all of mine are smooth players. It's also the lightest of all of them, at just over 8 lbs. The pick guard is the gold anodized aluminum variety like those used in past years on some models of the period it simulates, which also has a worn-in look. Split-P pickups give up a nice fat sound with a tone control knob allowing tonal changes from a dull thudding bass-only sound up to a sharper, snappier presence and articulation when finger-plucking or slapping. Pre-drilled holes for thumb rest, bridge cover, and pickup covers are in place and correctly positioned for no-hassle add of an ashtray set if desired. I did so on mine and aged them as well using a bullet brass tumbler.

Regarding price, the additional charge for custom hand work on the instrument is valid. It wasn't simply mass-produced, quickly polished, and boxed up. There's obvious additional time and manual labor involved, and the resulting enhanced playability is where this up-charge hits the mark. Also consider that Nitro is not supposed to be sprayed in the US these days, so from what I understand, the bodies are shipped back and forth to/from Mexico for the spray work. All this adds up. It's comparing apples to oranges when comparing these to standard production models. One last word on aging for those that find it distasteful or phony... please take off your stone-washed aged blue jeans and go buy basic dark blue Wranglers so you won't feel so fake walking around at the mall looking for Eddie Bauer clothing in the middle of the big city.

 

[jacolyte]

in my opinion, "reliced" (it's a verb now!) instruments are for collectors, people who buy instruments for display. i've happily bought used basses with some miles on them, but the phoniness of "aged" instruments is a huge turn-off for me, especially when they cost more than normal, new ones.

 

[Seth Miller]

I love my Road Worn P Bass. Much prefer it to my MIA Standard. Not sure if I just happened to stumble on a great one, or if they're all like this, but the neck on mine is straight as a bullet, rarely needs adjustment, great intonation up the neck, the stock pup sounds fantastic, and the finish wears in nicely after use and doesn't look as fake. Pop on a set of flats and you're good to go!

I love mine to. i had read good reviews snd went from there. didnt buy because ofthe road worn, although it seems to be well done.
feels great, soundd and plays like a real instrument. i recommend them. and mine is light

 

[mr.mow]

I had one and I had 2 fender custom shop 59 P basses.
An honest back to back comparison?

The road worn was about 9/10ths of the way to the custom shops in feel and tone. Really impressive. But about 1/3 the price.

 

[SirMjac28]

 

[SirMjac28]

View attachment 741121 View attachment 741122 View attachment 741117
Is there anything I can specifically answer? The finish is Nitro-based, thinly-coated, and can be fairly easily marked or scratched as compared to a poly coating. The neck on mine had a light clear coat finish, which made it just a little bit sticky to my feel, so I took very fine steel wool to it and now it's super-smooth. The neck is wide, 1.75" at nut, but feels thin front to rear. Skunk-stripe on backside of neck. Frets are standard medium-jumbo. Came with a very smooth edge rounding on the fretboard to neck area as if worn from years of use, which adds greatly to the smooth and fast neck action. Old-school style long-stem machine heads exhibit a patina as if exposed to years of sweat, atmosphere, etc., but are nice and tight, not sloppy or prone to detuning, holding a rock-solid tune. Standard P bridge. I've seen and/or played close to a dozen of the P's over the past few years, and the build quality and finish is very consistent, up to and including a bogus cigarette burn simulation on the headstock as if a player let their cig burn down on the "E" tuner while playing. Generally great Mexican craftsmanship, nice tight tolerances throughout. As P's go, I have several American Standards, several American Specials, and this RW, and this one is the smoothest playing of the bunch in my opinion, and all of mine are smooth players. It's also the lightest of all of them, at just over 8 lbs. The pick guard is the gold anodized aluminum variety like those used in past years on some models of the period it simulates, which also has a worn-in look. Split-P pickups give up a nice fat sound with a tone control knob allowing tonal changes from a dull thudding bass-only sound up to a sharper, snappier presence and articulation when finger-plucking or slapping. Pre-drilled holes for thumb rest, bridge cover, and pickup covers are in place and correctly positioned for no-hassle add of an ashtray set if desired. I did so on mine and aged them as well using a bullet brass tumbler.

Regarding price, the additional charge for custom hand work on the instrument is valid. It wasn't simply mass-produced, quickly polished, and boxed up. There's obvious additional time and manual labor involved, and the resulting enhanced playability is where this up-charge hits the mark. Also consider that Nitro is not supposed to be sprayed in the US these days, so from what I understand, the bodies are shipped back and forth to/from Mexico for the spray work. All this adds up. It's comparing apples to oranges when comparing these to standard production models. One last word on aging for those that find it distasteful or phony... please take off your stone-washed aged blue jeans and go buy basic dark blue Wranglers so you won't feel so fake walking around at the mall looking for Eddie Bauer clothing in the middle of the big city.

+100000000 I'm not some twenty or thirty year old and at my age I'll be dust long before a new bass of mine shows any legitimate signs of wear so I like the look of road worn basses. To the OP if you're worried about being a "pretender" look elsewhere this is not the bass for you I would consider a G&L or Lakland.

 

[Deaky]

I bought a Nate Mendel Precision bass which is a road worn model albeit with a Duncan pickup and the new Fender bridge and it's a seriously good bass.

I quite like the small chips in the lacquer and slightly tarnished metal work and overall the feel of the neck and the way it plays feels really nice. It feels like I've owned it for years.

If you can try one for yourself.