My Road Worn Ps excellence helped me get over my general dislike for relicing in this case.
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Thoughts on Fender Road Worn Precision Basses?
- Thread starter lea56
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- fender precision bass
I have owned several American P basses and I never care for them, good quality but for some reason I never fall in love with them.
I have owned two RW that I really enjoyed, they were light and sounded great, I sold them because I needed cash.
I have owned a AVRI P that was great but the flash coat finish was so fragile that the bass will get a ding just by looking at it.
I have owned a Nate Mendel bass, very good bass but I don't like SD QP pickups, I replaced the pickups with EMG GZR and the bass became a beast
I traded it for a Bongo just because I always wanted a Bongo.
I have owned a Classic 50's Lacquer and love it, to me is the classic is the same as the RW but without the RW look. I am really happy with this bass.
To me the RW and Classic series are on the same level than the AVRI but without the price tag. I would recommend any of these.
I have owned two RW that I really enjoyed, they were light and sounded great, I sold them because I needed cash.
I have owned a AVRI P that was great but the flash coat finish was so fragile that the bass will get a ding just by looking at it.
I have owned a Nate Mendel bass, very good bass but I don't like SD QP pickups, I replaced the pickups with EMG GZR and the bass became a beast
I traded it for a Bongo just because I always wanted a Bongo.I have owned a Classic 50's Lacquer and love it, to me is the classic is the same as the RW but without the RW look. I am really happy with this bass.
To me the RW and Classic series are on the same level than the AVRI but without the price tag. I would recommend any of these.
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I have to admit I'm prejudiced about relic'd instruments, if I found one cheap though, I'd probably jump on it.
I just remember seeing some popular artist on SNL, that was about 22 with a beat to hell Strat, thinking what a poser. Getting closer to 40 years old, I could probably convince a few that I earned the look, lol. OTOH, I remember the days when dinging up a guitar was a huge anxiety issue for me.
I just remember seeing some popular artist on SNL, that was about 22 with a beat to hell Strat, thinking what a poser. Getting closer to 40 years old, I could probably convince a few that I earned the look, lol. OTOH, I remember the days when dinging up a guitar was a huge anxiety issue for me.
Ignore the self-appointed "keepers of the lore" this place seems to attract. They tend to forget a forum is a place for discussions. It's not meant to be a reference book. Especially when roughly 85% of what you'll find here are just differing opinions about something.
I want any ware on my bass, put there by me and not some factory employee. I tried a used H4 Dimension bass in pristine shape at our local GC yesterday and, if I didn't already have so many basses, would have pulled the trigger. Who ever owned this bass, took care of it and, it both sounded and played great, though I wish it had a finished neck but, maybe it's good that it didn't, because I would be playing it now instead of writing about it.
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Aloha
I owned a RW P-bass for a spell. It, like many other RWs I played, was very light and played and sounded great. They're probably some of the best production instruments that Fender makes, up to and including the AVRI series. The wear is fake, yeah, and its the same as every other Road Worn from the factory. The wear on the body (especially the back) looks like someone buffed out the finish on the contours. There is a fake cigarette burn on the headstock. The chips look pretty realistic as well as the overall patina. The finish however is pretty thin, so if you want that individual worn in look, you'll get it if you actually play the bass.
I think this was the fourth bass ever that I had gotten that was reliced. I had a Nash P-bass, a Ben Lindsey Jazz, and some other builder's take on a 58 P-bass prior to getting the Roadworn. It looked more real than the Nash, less legit than the Lindsey.
Why don't I own this bass anymore? Well I've owned a ton of P-basses and I currently own four of them. I think I sold this to help pay for my Custom Shop P-bass, but I could be wrong. My CS P-bass, which is also a relic, isn't worlds better but it is a better bass with a nicer finish and fretwork. The roadworn actually had better aged hardware in my opinion.
Would I own a Road Worn again? Probably not. I have enough P-basses that are at a higher price point and my one "beater P" isn't going anywhere anytime soon even if the RW is a better bass. The neck feel of the RW basses are to die for though. I'm always looking for a parted out neck in my price range when I have extra cash. I'm sometimes tempted to buy a whole RW bass just for the neck and sell the rest of it.
Lastly, for what its worth, one of my basses is an old 64 P-bass that my girlfriend gave me. Its pretty worn looking since she played this thing with stud belts and spiked bracelets and all the other punk accoutrements from the 90s. It looks well loved. It plays very nice although it seems I'm always doing minor adjustments to keep it in top playing condition. All that 'honest wear and tear' seems just as fake to me as the relic finish because I wasn't the one who played through down to the wood. In either case, its not my story.
I owned a RW P-bass for a spell. It, like many other RWs I played, was very light and played and sounded great. They're probably some of the best production instruments that Fender makes, up to and including the AVRI series. The wear is fake, yeah, and its the same as every other Road Worn from the factory. The wear on the body (especially the back) looks like someone buffed out the finish on the contours. There is a fake cigarette burn on the headstock. The chips look pretty realistic as well as the overall patina. The finish however is pretty thin, so if you want that individual worn in look, you'll get it if you actually play the bass.
I think this was the fourth bass ever that I had gotten that was reliced. I had a Nash P-bass, a Ben Lindsey Jazz, and some other builder's take on a 58 P-bass prior to getting the Roadworn. It looked more real than the Nash, less legit than the Lindsey.
Why don't I own this bass anymore? Well I've owned a ton of P-basses and I currently own four of them. I think I sold this to help pay for my Custom Shop P-bass, but I could be wrong. My CS P-bass, which is also a relic, isn't worlds better but it is a better bass with a nicer finish and fretwork. The roadworn actually had better aged hardware in my opinion.
Would I own a Road Worn again? Probably not. I have enough P-basses that are at a higher price point and my one "beater P" isn't going anywhere anytime soon even if the RW is a better bass. The neck feel of the RW basses are to die for though. I'm always looking for a parted out neck in my price range when I have extra cash. I'm sometimes tempted to buy a whole RW bass just for the neck and sell the rest of it.
Lastly, for what its worth, one of my basses is an old 64 P-bass that my girlfriend gave me. Its pretty worn looking since she played this thing with stud belts and spiked bracelets and all the other punk accoutrements from the 90s. It looks well loved. It plays very nice although it seems I'm always doing minor adjustments to keep it in top playing condition. All that 'honest wear and tear' seems just as fake to me as the relic finish because I wasn't the one who played through down to the wood. In either case, its not my story.
I own the sunburst rw p. The thing is my favorite bass, it sounds incredible and feels great, one thing I don't understand is they shoot the neck after they sand it but it's not that big of a problem. I've had it for a month now and got it new as a gift. 1000 bucks for mim I was a little skeptical at first but after playing it I realized the actual build of this bass is above top notch.rw doesn't bother me at all. poly basses are great and stay looking new for a long time but I like the worn look. I don't think it makes anyone look like a poser or anything. I'd suggest finding a shop that has the rw and the 50's p that is poly shot and playing them. You'd be super surprised at how the quality and sound are spot on.
OP, Over the past 5 years I have purchased the same MIA Standard P-bass twice and sold them both. I've also owned two boutique P-basses in that time period. I just sold the last boutique bass and it was a hard decision at it was a very special bass that I got pretty attached to. But alas I ordered a custom bass and had to make the last installment and that bass paid that installment and then some.
Before I go on I admit that I am not one to get hung up on whining about nut width, fret size, depth of the neck front to back, blah blah blah. As long as it is under about 9.5 pounds I can adapt to the rest.
So in that time I found myself without a bass (sort of). I bought a used RW P-bass in new condition off the boards here for a fair price and you know what... I love it. I think I can do a pretty decent set up but I will say I took my bass to a luthier and had him set it up which took it from a good bass to a great bass. In reality it did not need it but that is just me. And also I did change the p/g because I do not care for the aluminum p/g that comes with it but try and try as I might I cannot find any reason to upgrade anything about it (I did my own relic on the new one and it looks good). It's simply a great bass as many have said, I've gone back forth with my feelings about the "relic" look but at the end of the day I'm secure with who I am as a person and a player. If somebody calls me a poser for doing the same thing as most rock stars then so be it - who gives a crap. Go out play the crap out of it and smile.
At the end of the day the bass plays and sounds better than it should for the cost. As has been stated so many times in so many threads we are in a really great period of time for both price and value of instruments and I personally would rather own a Mexican made Fender then most instruments from any non-Japanese region of Asia. The fit and finish is every bit as good as the two MIA Standard P-basses I've had in a relic sort of way.
So yeah I'm all for the RW Series.
Before I go on I admit that I am not one to get hung up on whining about nut width, fret size, depth of the neck front to back, blah blah blah. As long as it is under about 9.5 pounds I can adapt to the rest.
So in that time I found myself without a bass (sort of). I bought a used RW P-bass in new condition off the boards here for a fair price and you know what... I love it. I think I can do a pretty decent set up but I will say I took my bass to a luthier and had him set it up which took it from a good bass to a great bass. In reality it did not need it but that is just me. And also I did change the p/g because I do not care for the aluminum p/g that comes with it but try and try as I might I cannot find any reason to upgrade anything about it (I did my own relic on the new one and it looks good). It's simply a great bass as many have said, I've gone back forth with my feelings about the "relic" look but at the end of the day I'm secure with who I am as a person and a player. If somebody calls me a poser for doing the same thing as most rock stars then so be it - who gives a crap. Go out play the crap out of it and smile.
At the end of the day the bass plays and sounds better than it should for the cost. As has been stated so many times in so many threads we are in a really great period of time for both price and value of instruments and I personally would rather own a Mexican made Fender then most instruments from any non-Japanese region of Asia. The fit and finish is every bit as good as the two MIA Standard P-basses I've had in a relic sort of way.
So yeah I'm all for the RW Series.
I had one for a while. A great bass overall but I could not deal with the wide neck (i.e. 1.75" at the nut). If the neck is comfortable for you then it's a winner.
I've got 2 of them. I've owned scores of instruments, but personally, I ended up loving my Road Worns the best, more than my MIAs, even more than a lot of boutiques. The lightness and resonance is just to die for.
My jazz bass has a bit of ski jumping, but it's setup well. My main basses are now Road Worns.
The look? They look great! If someone asks, I just tell the truth and no big deal.
A handful of working pros I know also rave about them and say how close they are to real vintage Fenders, at least ball park and for the money. I play my J more than my P, but the P is actually the better instrument, at least specimen-wise.
My jazz bass has a bit of ski jumping, but it's setup well. My main basses are now Road Worns.
The look? They look great! If someone asks, I just tell the truth and no big deal.
A handful of working pros I know also rave about them and say how close they are to real vintage Fenders, at least ball park and for the money. I play my J more than my P, but the P is actually the better instrument, at least specimen-wise.
IMHO, buying an instrument and playing it until it becomes road worn for real is super cool. But, I probably wouldn't buy an instrument that was road worn from factory unless it was a really great deal or sounded incredible.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Being from that era, I'd have to guess not many if any. Most of us could only dream of owning a pristine spankin' new bass with no nicks or dings. Visible damage was a sign the instrument had not been treated well, and reduced the price rather than the other way around. If you told anybody you deliberately scuffed up a finish to make it look older, people would have wondered what you were high on when you did it.
Maybe since the millennium when "vintage" and faux became "the thing" it is. But back in the day (i.e. 1950-1979) it was very unlikely. "Old"didn't carry much cachet back then. And visible wear and damage didn't carry any.
How times have changed, huh? Must be yet another one of those "generational" things.
I doubt there is anybody playing a roadworn who's trying to trick people into thinking he or she has rocked that thing for 30 or 40 years. People play them because they are great playing and sounding instruments. Some people like the look, and some hate it. I just don't understand the urge to call people 'posers' once one is past the age of 18, when everybody is a poser anyway.
Agreed. I'm 25, would it be that outrageous to think that I bought an old bass? You don't need to buy a new bass and have it wear. People buy old basses all the time! The more I think about it, who cares what other people think. The real benefit (it sounds like) to the RW basses is that they sound phenomenal. Looks are second place when compared to sound.
i bought a relic'd Fender CS pbass because it played amazingly. it took a year to save for. during that time i had to resist buying a RW pbass because it was almost as amazing. the biggest difference was who & where it was built. there are smaller differences if you know what to look for, though.
but the price of the Road Worn makes it a steal, imo.
here's a challenge to the cosmetic criticism crowd
but the price of the Road Worn makes it a steal, imo.
here's a challenge to the cosmetic criticism crowd
- go to a large dealer and play as many different basses in every price range.
- next , play a Fender RW bass.
- then, report back.
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Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
One of the reasons I ended up with a RW instead of a '50s MIM Precision was the stickiness of the poly finish on the non-MIM neck. My hands get along with most finishes reasonably well, but that was one that was bad news. It's probably just body chemistry.
I couldn't tell you whether the '50s or Highway One sound different, because I haven't played them, let alone played them back to back. They didn't make '50s Precisions with a nitro finish when I got my RW or I may have gone that way. Or not, depending on how it felt and played.
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