Thoughts on Roadworn Fenders

[68Goldfish]

If I could get a roadworn J neck to put on my roadworn P body I'd be happy.

 

[bassgod76]

If I could get a roadworn J neck to put on my roadworn P body I'd be happy.

You can get one at stratosphere on ebay

 

[shoot-r]

I don't like the RWs because of the seemingly identical forearm wear from one instrument to the other.

My R.W. Jazz must be the one "odd man out"!
I've not seen any other R.W. Jazzes with the same forearm wear marks as mine has.
I've also noted some have checkering in the finish, some don't.
Mine has the belt-buckle marks on the back, some don't.

 

[meatwad]

My R.W. Jazz must be the one "odd man out"!
I've not seen any other R.W. Jazzes with the same forearm wear marks as mine has.
I've also noted some have checkering in the finish, some don't.
Mine has the belt-buckle marks on the back, some don't.

That's cool, I was just making an observation based on the few I've seen. I played a couple of various RW basses and guitars at GC one day, and noticed how very similar they all looked in that respect. Then the few I have seen online reminded me of them, as well.

That said, I'm glad to hear (and not terribly surprised) that there is some variation to the faux wear. It was hard to imagine a machine doing all the dirty work on an assembly line, so I figured there was probably some human inconsistancy out there somewhere.

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

Wow. Gorgeous bass. Love the cabs, too! Are they Mesa?

May I ask who built the tort pickguard for you?

The pickguard is a regular Fender 62 RI Tortoise Pickguard, fits perfect.
The cabs are made by myself to the plans of a TL806 of Electro-Voice. The speakers are Eminence basslights S2012. Each Cab weights just 13kg and the sound is great ....
More pictures Invalid Link Removed, just click on the picture ....

 

[MisterUglyPants]

My thought is: I think I would like to have one, or two.

 

[bassmastan]

That's cool, I was just making an observation based on the few I've seen. I played a couple of various RW basses and guitars at GC one day, and noticed how very similar they all looked in that respect. Then the few I have seen online reminded me of them, as well.

That said, I'm glad to hear (and not terribly surprised) that there is some variation to the faux wear. It was hard to imagine a machine doing all the dirty work on an assembly line, so I figured there was probably some human inconsistancy out there somewhere.

I guess it just depends on who does the relicing, last week I saw one , that looked like it had a cigarette burn on the headstick, and one on the body. Either that or a discoloration in the wood that made it look pretty damn cool. It played pretty nice, I defenately liked the neck, not a huge fan of the pups tho, not bad but not great

 

[bassmastan]

The only issue I have with the RW series is that there is no 60's Precision Bass.

If they do a 60's P, they better do a 70's J

 

[Johnny Alien]

If they do a 60's P, they better do a 70's J

Is that a threat?

 

[bassmastan]

More like a promise...

 

[Jim Carr]

The pickguard is a regular Fender 62 RI Tortoise Pickguard, fits perfect.
The cabs are made by myself to the plans of a TL806 of Electro-Voice. The speakers are Eminence basslights S2012. Each Cab weights just 13kg and the sound is great ....
More pictures Invalid Link Removed, just click on the picture ....

Thank you for that information about the '62 pickguard. Now I have one less excuse for not spending money!

Your firm's web pages are most remarkable and actually quite beautiful.

In particular for me, the cabinets are sculptural and graphic documents having a wonderfully fun "industrial safety/serious tool" theme. Amazing works of Art. Certainly the most appealing cabinets I have ever see. You are an artist.

My sincere thanks to you for posting this! It is inspiring.

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

Thank you for the compliments!
It was a lot of work, believe me ... But the sound is worth every hour!

 

[pudgychef]

Thank you for the compliments!
It was a lot of work, believe me ... But the sound is worth every hour!

the DO look awesome! Just lovely!

very nice looking set-up top to bottom imho

 

[MrRobert]

I think it's unfair to compare a RW P and an American Standard P because they are very different basses. What people seldom mention on these RW threads is that the RW Ps have vintage frets and a different neck radius than a standard P. To me, those differences plus the 1.75 neck are why I love my RW, and would never even consider buying a recent model Standard P. Those reasons plus the fact that the neck has such a great broken in feel compared to my also fantastic 50s classic P make the RW a superior bass, to me personally. I've also played a 57 RI, and it didn't seem any different than my RW, for what it's worth.

 

[Bass of Ace]

There is...Nice '39 Ford:

This is an actual road worn car - what about fake road worn, like these fenders? If you like them, that's great - it's not my style, though.

 

[Jim Carr]

Per TB's UGLY BASS RULES - "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"

I don't like the RWs because of the seemingly identical forearm wear from one instrument to the other. If I ended up with one, I would feel obligated to make it look less factory-fresh "RW". My God, I would be fake relicing a fake relic to make it look less fake?

Screw that. I'm sticking to my shiny AMSTD.

Similarity is a good reason! Perhaps you haven't noticed how similar all American Standards look hanging there on the wall? LOL!

Not that there is anything wrong with that...
Perhaps I am just restating something I said...

...The relic finishes are nearly identical on each one, but they wear very quickly on the back of the neck, the right arm body contour, and around the bridge pickup where fingers often contact the top—creating an individual character at the same rate a pre-CBS Fender bass does.

BTW, the three-tone sunburst finish on every MIA '62 AVRI bass is pretty identical from one to the next, too—and we consider that a good thing.

I am wondering how many RW owners intentionally "relic" their relics?

 

[Jim Carr]

This is an actual road worn car - what about fake road worn, like these fenders? If you like them, that's great - it's not my style, though.

These aren't fake? Dang.

 

[shoot-r]

I am wondering how many RW owners intentionally "relic" their relics?

It's possible...

As per post #163 of mine, I was at the G.C. when mine was unboxed, brand new. It came out of the box with belt buckle rash and a larger worn arm rest markings than I've seen on other R.W.'s.
It has markings on it that I've not seen on any of the other R.W. Jazzes I've auditioned.
I've noticed checkering in some R.W. finishes that I've not seen in others.
Recently I saw two, in the music store, R.W. "P's". One had the belt buckel rash, one didn't!
Maybe store employees are makin' the changes???

 

[Jim Carr]

How come there's no market for "road worn" cars?

There is.

1929 Ford Rat Rod | Ford Rat Rod | Ford Rat Rod for Sale

Rusty Rat Rods for Sale - Rat Rod Picture Rat Rods Pic of Hot Rod.

Nice '39 Ford:

This is an actual road worn car - what about fake road worn, like these fenders? If you like them, that's great - it's not my style, though.

I think that '39 is probably a rat rod, but the point is whether or not there was a market for "road worn" cars. But isn't this getting silly? At least it is to me. All this tit-for-tat.

Let's just all agree that you don't like Road Worn basses, and that they look fake, and that you would never buy one, and that anyone who likes them or buys one is doing something you don't like. Fair?

I tolerate your opinion and protect your right to it, though I don't share it. What a great country.

 

[Jim Carr]

It's possible...

As per post #163 of mine, I was at the G.C. when mine was unboxed, brand new. It came out of the box with belt buckle rash and a larger worn arm rest markings than I've seen on other R.W.'s.
It has markings on it that I've not seen on any of the other R.W. Jazzes I've auditioned.

I've noticed checking in some R.W. finishes that I've not seen in others.
Recently I saw two, in the music store, R.W. "P's". One had the belt buckle rash, one didn't! Maybe store employees are makin' the changes???

I kinda doubt that the GC managers give the workers enough free time to do that, LOL!

In any case, a friend of mine actually "rubbed out" the nitro on his Fiesta Red P-bass with rubbing compound. It looks great. I think some of the early RW had slightly different "factory faux mojo," at least based on some NAMM photos I saw.

Also, I wonder about the extreme 10th-15th fret fingerboard rolling on a Jazz that was posted recently on another thread. It looks NOTHING like mine, which has mildly rolled edges in the 1st-5th fret area.

Very weird...was gonna quote that extreme fingerboard, but the posts were deleted—sorry.

I noticed that the first RW I played had more wear on the back of the neck than mine did when I got it, but the finish is wearing off pretty quickly now.