Thoughts on Fender Road Worn Precision Basses?

[Jim Carr]

I'm more going for a sound than a look to be honest. I play a lot of blues, classic rock, country-rock (old stuff like Gram Parsons and the Byrds' Sweathart of the Rodeo). My '51 P-Bass is great but I would like a very solid secondary (or 1A) bass...

I think you will love a RW P-bass. The tone is spot on for the Gram Parsons, etc. stuff, and for blues, there is nothing better. There are a lot of threads about these instruments, and most of those who called names and acted like MIM RW bass was some kind of fraud have been called out (or shown the door).

They are all quite similar in appearance new, but wear very quickly. I have two road worn Jazzes, and a CS Jazz relic. The CS relic is a little better, but cost 4 times as much. BTW, have you ever noticed how similar new 3tsb Jazzes or P-basses all look hanging on the music shop wall. Jeez, they are practically identical!

Simply put, it is a finish, not a political statement or an attempt to look more authentic, etc. IMHO and IME (I'm over 65), no one in the audience notices or cares if your instrument looks new or old. They don't listen with their eyes, though attractive young people are always enjoyable for what they are.

Get the RW P-bass, but don't pay over $800.

 

[jnewmark]

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.

My RW Jazz is like this as far as the pups go, too. Also, the tone control is not quite the same as a stock Jazz control in that, it seem like you almost have to turn it up all the way before any treble starts to kick in. Not a big deal to me, and I really liked the feel and weight right off the bat.

 

[MVE]

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 don't know, I bring it up as the wear on the neck of my Fender, which I know for absolute certainty is "honest" wear, is an odd pattern that follows where parts of my hand touch the neck and then stops abruptly at around the 9th fret, where my hand would stop when sliding up to the E on the A-string.

Many of the real pre-cbs vintage fenders I have seen have no finish all the way from the body to the headstock.... seems suspicious to me.

Also, good 50's and early 60's Fenders have been considered more valuable than "new" Fenders all the way back to the early 70's.

 

[Jim Carr]

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

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 seems to be about 15% - 20% lower than on any of my regular MIA/MIM jazzes....

Raise the pickups?

 

[40Hz]

I don't know, I bring it up as the wear on the neck of my Fender, which I know for absolute certainty is "honest" wear, is an odd pattern that follows where parts of my hand touch the neck and then stops abruptly at around the 9th fret, where my hand would stop when sliding up to the E on the A-string.

Many of the real pre-cbs vintage fenders I have seen have no finish all the way from the body to the headstock.... seems suspicious to me.

Also, good 50's and early 60's Fenders have been considered more valuable than "new" Fenders all the way back to the early 70's.

Agree that the older ones were considered "better." Sometimes for real reasons. Sometimes not. But a beat to hell finish wasn't ever considered a plus. At least not with the crowd I rolled with.

The neck being finish-free also doesn't tell me much. Many of us were steel wooling or lightly sanding them even back then. Especially if the wear pattern made parts of the neck slick and the still finished parts feel sticky. I sanded down one of mine once for precisely that reason. But that was done for playability reasons. Not to make it look older. I also did intend to refinish it originally. But I never quite got around to it- and discovered I liked it better without a finish along the way. So it stayed sanded.

Dunno. If a "reliced" finish is your thing, or you just like them, by all means go for it. I'll still think you're a nice person. But it just doesn't work for me. So I'm happy I can still get a nice shiny one.

 

[chaosMK]

A good bass is a good bass. The wear has little value to me. For the same coin I'd rather buy a good condition USA Cirrus.

 

[MoeTown1986]

I've played a couple in guitar shops. They feel nice. Like it's already broken in. I just don't know if i'd pay extra for that. Just buy one used and broken in for less money.

 

[nerkoids]

I wish they had RW (or their intact versions) available for us lefties. The 60s Jazzes, especially...

 

[Gaolee]

Simply put, it is a finish, not a political statement or an attempt to look more authentic, etc. IMHO and IME (I'm over 65), no one in the audience notices or cares if your instrument looks new or old. They don't listen with their eyes, though attractive young people are always enjoyable for what they are.

All truth. Chances are the audience doesn't know or care what you are doing, let alone what you play. They only care if you don't play bass or screw it up. Otherwise, bass is the power behind the throne. Concerns about posing, being authentic, or whatever, are a little like worrying about whether you have the right tuning pegs. If you are happy and it sounds good, nobody else will notice or care about anything else.

Playing to an enthusiastic, energetic younger audience is always good. I'm not over 65, but I know this very well.

 

[mellowinman]

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.

If you can't make up good stories, you do not belong in the entertainment biz. My five cents.

 

[Poke]

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

2. The output signal of the stock pickups seem to be about 15% - 20% lower than on any of my regular MIA/MIM jazzes.

This statement applies to my RW Precision when compared to my AVRI '57. The output/tone is just slightly more subdued. It's not bad, just different.

 

[mellowinman]

Updated 11-24-11 : Basses Forum Rules PLEASE READ

Since artificially aging an instrument (i.e. relicing) is, at least visually, no different than artificially coloring an instrument (i.e. painting) any posts or threads insulting such procedures are hereby banned under the "no insulting ugly instruments" rule that has been the long-standing policy here at talkbass. You're welcome to give your own personal reasons why you don't like the look of worn instruments, however they ended up in that condition, but slagging the instruments or the players who play them is going to jeopardize your posting abilities here.

Make a note of this. If you don't approve of someone else's finish choice, keep it to yourself, or if you absolutely -must- vent your opinion, tell them privately.

 

[jamro217]

Just hire a clumsy roadie and replace the flight case with a gig bag. Within a few years (or months depending on the type of venue you play) you'll have a bona fide relic. After 5 years you'll have to start over because the bass will be trashed. Beneath the surface the road worn series is a P bass.

 

[Desertfish]

I bought my Roadworn P november last year and I've been in love with it ever since! In fact, I'm currently selling all my other basses (including a MIA jazz and a MIM P) to keep the RW as my main bass. The feel of the neck is incredible (despite being a bit wider, which took me 1-2 months of getting used to) and it is one of the lightest basses I've owned in my 15 years of playing. I've had the factory strings replaced by TI flats, which give me a more useful range of tones than roundwounds. I wasn't sure about the "roadworn" look when considering this bass, but once I saw one in real life, I was convinced this was the bass for me. Also added an ashtray and a thumbrest.

If you like the "roadworn" look (and all the other nice features), go for it and don't let other people's opinions influence your decision (try one out first). I'm rather surprised by the fair amount of issues with the "roadworn" thing here on TB: at gigs, jam sessions and in shops I've only noticed a lot of love for roadworn basses in general. But thumbs up for different tastes.

 

[Gaolee]

Just hire a clumsy roadie and replace the flight case with a gig bag. Within a few years (or months depending on the type of venue you play) you'll have a bona fide relic. After 5 years you'll have to start over because the bass will be trashed. Beneath the surface the road worn series is a P bass.

Or just drag it around without a gig back or case. Make sure the band van has a rusty floor with no carpet. That ought to do it in a few weeks.

 

[stringthrough]

I own and have owned 3 - 60's J, 50's P and Dirnt P. I think they're terrific. Very good hardware and assembly and they sound and play great. While I get why some don't like the relicing process, it has the advantage of making you less upset when these basses inevitably get worn(er) and dinged.

 

[jamro217]

Or just drag it around without a gig back or case. Make sure the band van has a rusty floor with no carpet. That ought to do it in a few weeks.

Exactly. At least they start off with a P bass. Avoid trying to relic a hollowbody that way. Very messy. Splinters.

 

[RickC]

I should know better than to reply to yet another Roadworn thread. Some things I'll never learn...

I've owned both P and J models and gigged them extensively. They're great; best off-the-shelf-new Fenders I've ever played. The relic thing? A non-issue. Nobody cares. The minimal relic'ing on these is barely even visible under stage lights. No one is going to ask you to make up stories about your fake dings and scratches - it never happens; except maybe in the overactive imaginations of internet posters. If the look bugs *you*, then okay you should avoid it. But not because of any poseur concerns.

I don't play Roadworns anymore, because I've got access to some real vintage Fenders and decided life is too short not to spend it playing them as much as possible. The Roadworns are close, but they still don't match a good vintage bass imo.

/rick

 

[Mark Wilson]

Can we cut the whole "Drag it behind a car" crap?

Disclaimer: This is a rhetorical question.

 

[Gaolee]

Can we cut the whole "Drag it behind a car" crap?

Disclaimer: This is a rhetorical question.

I wasn't suggesting dragging it behind a car. No need. If you had seen my old van, you would know that it was an incredible relicing machine. Everything that went into it came out with a patina. Going straight to hell in a Waring blender was more pleasant than that van. I kinda miss it.

I got the Precision several years before replacing that van with a newer one that was more civilized. I never let the bass ride around in it without a gig bag. But, I'm pretty sure that just being around that old van caused some finish damage anyway. Just because.