Thoughts on Roadworn Fenders

[AMJBASS]

You have been misinformed. The Road Worns are not "blems and factory 2nds." The wood in the Road Worn basses is generally lighter and more resonant than many other Fender products. These basses are about as close to vintage basses as you can get without paying the price for a vintage bass or a hand-made reproduction.

I've owned Fender basses from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. I have been playing since 1963. IMHO, you will find few new basses that nail the sound and feel of a vintage Fender bass as well as a new Road Worn does—and none compete at that price!

It has nothing to do with the look.

Agreed. I have also owned many vintage Fenders(and American Vintage, Custom Shop, etc). The Road Worns are consistantly high quality and generally lighter weight and more resonant. I don't know why so many people hear with their eyes, but you really need to pick one of these up and play it to see. If you don't like the look of it, don't buy one!

 

[Stranger Danger]

The RW series are blems and factory 2nds. You have some scratches(that have been accentuated by the production team), so they give you hardware and parts that are typical on the more expensive Fender's, to make up for it. It's not a bad deal, but they are 2nds.

I was tempted to pile on but . . .

I think you should get a pass on this because you are new. Most of us learn after an experience like this to fact check statements that purport to be anything other than opinion. If not, you have a lot of folks who are knowledgeable on gear and will let you know when you have messed up.

Welcome to Talkbass!

 

[SoVeryTired]

I was tempted to pile on but . . .

I think you should get a pass on this because you are new. Most of us learn after an experience like this to fact check statements that purport to be anything other than opinion. If not, you have a lot of folks who are knowledgeable on gear and will let you know when you have messed up.

Welcome to Talkbass!

Banned already - I think the welcome may fall on deaf ears!

 

[Stranger Danger]

Banned already - I think the welcome may fall on deaf ears!

Wow, that was quick. Haha!

 

[Stewthebassman]

. Tomorrow is my birthday though and we're going shopping for a tuner pedal that she's buying for me. I'll have to take it off the rack in front of her and play it and use my best Oscar winning puppy dog eyes; there's always a chance.

Happy Birthday!

Did the puppy dog eyes work??

 

[96tbird]

Freakin bass was sold! Gah.

 

[Stewthebassman]

Freakin bass was sold! Gah.

I guess then, that it was meant to be! You'll just have to deal with your other beautiful bass!

 

[JIO]

That is a groovy road-word fender if I ever saw one!

 

[JIO]

Trout Mask Replica - score

 

[ShoeManiac]

Not a fan of the RW series. They just look fake to me. If they play and sound so great, why beat them up? I'll answer that: So that people think it's something else. It's essentially false advertising, kind of like putting a Fender decal on a Squier.

Mojo must be earned, not factory installed.

"MOJO" in a vintage instrument, as some are so fond of calling it, is in actuality the physical wear on an instrument's finish and perspiration (aka SWEAT) that has been absorbed over the course of time.

While I have played some amazing vintage Fenders, it's always in the back of my mind (on a really worn instrument) that a previous owner's sweat must have been really acidic. And all of that bodily funk is indelibly infused into the instrument. Know that vintage case smell? It's not must. It's funk, and not the good kind. Call me crazy, but the thought of playing an instrument that has been washed over by gallons of sweat over the past 40+ years is kind of nasty.

It's been said in this thread before, and bears repeating: a big part of a vintage Fender's resonance has to do with the nitrocellulose finish and the drying of the wood over time. The roadworn instruments have very specifically been finished in nitro, and the woods are reported to be kiln dried to replicate the drying out of neck & body wood over time. That, combined with a production team that's been trained by the Fender Custom Shop has resulted in some amazing instruments.

 

[Not yet]

I bought a RW 60's Jazz neck for my Jaco build, and it looks and feels perfect.

I was lurking on MF and taking a look at the RW P Bass in Sunburst.

Am I being a snob by saying that I would be less than pleased if I recieved a $1,000 bass with this many seams in the body?

Have a B00 Musicman like that and never got over the seams. Still bugs me, but guess personal preference. Does influence buying decisions here

 

[Jack Butler]

Yeah, on paper it seems logical to just pay a little extra and get a MIA.

But I'm telling you, you have got to play one of those frickin' RWs to really get it. They are simply fantastic playing and sounding instruments.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the Relic'd thing personally, and really could not care less to get into another discussion about it. That is beside the point.

It's a ridiculously great playing instrument and that's the point that deserves to be kept in perspective and not lost in RW discussions.

To the OP, try a few out, the one I am lusting after in my local shop, if it had a seam it was very unoticable.

I pretty much agree, it's just when even used they go for $750+, it makes you think twice when if you keep an eye out you can score an MIA for the same price.

 

[The Bass Clef]

^^Its called the classic series.

 

[96tbird]

Or, since we're doing WEAK analogies,

You can make a sows ear out a silk purse and only some will want it.

Or

You can take the lipstick off a pig but its still lipstick.

Or

A guy that likes something, that someone else doesn't like, and his money are soon parted. Only the other guy is a fool if he doesn't shut up.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Have fun wearing your rigid dark blue Levis and stiff leather jacket.

Weathering/relicing/distressing is an accepted design feature across multiple mediums, including but not limited to: clothing, home furnishings, antique reproductions, flooring, and YES, musical instruments. Don't like it? That's your prerogative. But plenty of people like a number of the things they use in their everyday life to look rustic.

You don't. So what?

Nailed it

 

[djg714]

I like the relics to a point. Some are just beat.
Stuff like broken pickguards don't fly with me.
Anyways buy what you like.

 

[The Bass Clef]

Have fun wearing your rigid dark blue Levis and stiff leather jacket.

The perfect response, lol.

 

[Tonegasm]

The perfect response, lol.

Indeed. Brilliant.

 

[Session1969]

I find it curious that the beat up ones, which require more labor and therefore more money to produce, cost less than the pristine ones. Hmmmm.

Roadworns are more than Classics.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I think Fender cares. I keep seeing requests from Fender Lounge members coming true, in latest designs.

They care. They just don't care what he thinks.