discreet Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) [b]NBD - Fender Road Worn Precision Bass, Fiesta Red[/b] I'm sure everyone is familiar with these basses by now. I was intrigued when they first appeared - around 2009 or thereabouts, when the 'relic' controversy was in full flow. I revisited some speculative threads from that time on TalkBass and elsewhere - posted before the Road Worn Series was widely known - and was amused by the outraged view that mass-produced 'wear' could even be [i]considered [/i]- after all, if you haven't put every ding and scrape on your bass yourself then your story is false and you are a poser, right..? As if any punter could care less, or be remotely interested in your 'story'! Another cause for apoplexy was the price - HOW MUCH for a Mexican Fender? A higher price for actually DAMAGING a perfectly good new bass?? This was before most people had even [i]seen [/i]a Road Worn, let alone played one. But the 'relic/roadworn' issue turned out to be a red herring which drew attention away from the main point, which is this: Road Worn basses are excellent and represent good value, regardless of their 'finish' and regardless of the geographical location of their assembly. in my view the added value is less about the road wear and more about the selection of components for the series. You only have to play a RW to realise that it is quite unlike a regular Mexican Fender. The neck in particular is excellent - one-piece maple, skunk stripe, truss-rod adjustment at heel, walnut cavity plug, vintage frets, 1.75" (44.45mm) nut width, 7.25" radius, rolled edges. It's also very straight and a low action is possible with flats. The only adjustment I needed to make, if you can call it that, was to 'Scotchbrite' the back of the neck to a satiny smoothness. I do this to all my basses, so it's not a Road Worn issue. Essentially, it's like a played-in US neck. But the whole bass is lovely and instantly feels great in the hand, like a [insert name of beloved, well-worn comfy object]. I'm not sure about the arm contour 'wear' and the faux headstock fag-burn - these features appear identically on every Road Worn - but the rest of the 'wear' is sensitively executed and very plausible. The ageing of the hardware in particular is excellent. Reverse-vintage tuners, threaded saddles and a period 51-61 spaghetti 'F' decal complete the look, along with a slightly 'worn' 1957-type gold anodized pickguard. There are screw-holes for a tug bar and ashtrays, but these are not supplied. I want to say it plays like butter - however I'd like to keep a little credibility, so I won't. No fret buzz, no rattles, intonation spot-on all the way up. This is a really good neck, folks. And the bass has 'that' warm, round yet punchy articulate P-Bass tone that everyone's after. Possibly aided by the La Bella 760FS flats I strung it with as soon as it got through the door. The output seems slightly low compared with my other basses, but that's not a problem - my thought is that the pickup is probably not overwound, which may explain the vintage tone. Nevertheless, turning your amp up slightly is a small price to pay for a bass that sounds this good. I sold my Limelight Dakota Red P and regretted it immediately. Limelight put together very good P basses in my humble opinion, but this Road Worn has a nicer maple neck than the LL examples I've seen. It's light, it's very resonant acoustically, it sounds great, it plays like a popular dairy product and the overall impression it gives is that of a venerable MIA Precision. It feels right. What more could you want? Given the choice between a new Limelight and a new Road Worn, I'd choose a Limelight every time - you get a LOT of Limelight for new RW money. But if the choice were between a Limelight and a second-hand Road Worn then some hard thinking would be required. I suspected Road Worns were good and always had underlying GAS for one, but now I actually have one I can say for sure they are great basses and at used prices, almost unbeatable - you can get everything you would expect from a venerated USA P for the price of a new standard MIM. Love it and love everything about it. I have two gigs over the weekend and am very much looking forward to using the RW for both. So I'm a happy bunny... for five minutes. Edited July 15, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 #jealous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Always wanted one of these in sunburst... One day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 What pickups do they use in these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Oh that is nice. That [i]is[/i] nice. That is [i]nice[/i]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1466677748' post='3077788'] What pickups do they use in these? [/quote] The spec on the Fender site says 'Vintage Split Single-Coil Precision Bass', so your guess is as good as mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 [quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1466677543' post='3077787'] Always wanted one of these in sunburst... One day... [/quote] Yes I'm rather fond of the sunburst as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Yeah...two tone sunburst. But Fiesta Red is nice too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) I don't much care for sunburst. So there. For a wild moment I did consider a refin in aged white... but the wisdom of a refin on a roadworn?? In any case I'm quickly warming to the colour as the band don't like it, saying it's 'pink'... ...No, it's fiesta red. It's pink. No, it's fiesta red. Repeat until fade... Edited June 23, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggy Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Lovely, worth sitting in the hall for most of the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 The usual high standard of reviewing, great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 They should offer a rosewood board version...a 60's Burst/Rosewood/Tort....but I have heard VERY good things about these basses. Shame the retail has gone from a 'kinda acceptable but expensive' £900 is to what it is now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanew Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) i love these basses. I play a 2009 Road worn PB In Fiesta Red, they look really great. With Flats you get the old classic sound as the stock pick up can be compared to the best PUs As i dig so much this bass, i bought last year a 63' American Reissue rosewood neck. Maple or Rosewood, it gives a wider range, 2 PB in 1 With a reissue white tolex case. It deserves it [url="http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=407983IMG8744.jpg"][/url] With a tortoise pick and a rosewood neck [url="http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=423679IMG8770.jpg"][/url] [url="http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=482818IMG8790.jpg"][/url] Edited June 23, 2016 by Emanew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Great review Mark and superb pictures. Glad you are liking the bass. A laugh a minute as ever dealing with you. It will certainly be put to better use in your hands rather than mine. Cheers bud, enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 [quote name='Emanew' timestamp='1466680656' post='3077822'] As i dig so much this bass, i bought last year a 63' American Reissue rosewood neck. Maple or Rosewood, it gives a wider range, 2 PB in 1 [/quote] That's quite a commitment to the Road Worn cause. Impressive. [quote name='Emanew' timestamp='1466680656' post='3077822'] With a reissue white tolex case. It deserves it [/quote] I like that idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highfox Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Good review of this bass. I'm still loving my RW and it's one bass I won't be moving on. Awesome chunky neck that seems to give it an extra kick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1466691774' post='3077935'] Great review Mark and superb pictures. Glad you are liking the bass. A laugh a minute as ever dealing with you. It will certainly be put to better use in your hands rather than mine. Cheers bud, enjoy [/quote] I'm glad Mark took it... because it was tempting me too much! But now I'm envious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_Guardian Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I do like pink basses! Joking of course, it's a cracker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 [quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1466691774' post='3077935'] Great review Mark and superb pictures. Glad you are liking the bass. [/quote] Thanks Karl, I certainly am - it's a peach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1466677748' post='3077788'] What pickups do they use in these? [/quote] [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1466678089' post='3077792'] The spec on the Fender site says 'Vintage Split Single-Coil Precision Bass', so your guess is as good as mine. [/quote] Yet another bass I was leching at before Karl put the CAR Japanese P up for sale. The ad described the pickup as US Vintage - could well be the same unit, as mine too is somewhat lower in output. If anyone has in-depth knowledge of CIJ bass pickups, please weigh in - without derailing the thread of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Sorry but that looks pink to me, fiesta red is more coral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1466791059' post='3078922'] Sorry but that looks pink to me, fiesta red is more coral. [/quote] My camera isn't the best, nor is my computer monitor. I'd say it's too purple if anything. Fiesta red has more red/orange in it in the real world. Coral is a good description. I've checked the colour balance and re-uploaded the pics. Edited July 3, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 (edited) UPDATE: two things: The volume pot became a little iffy, so I took the bass to KiOgon (John) of this parish for sympathetic replacement of the electrics, which included CTS pots, Switchcraft Jack, vintage wiring and a spiffy orange Sprague Pacer 0.1uF cap. Great job by John, as per usual... The other thing is, I gigged the bass again last night. Frantic gig as there were lots of other bands on the bill, so to save on arse pain I went through the PA (using my Diamond BCP-1). The monitoring wasn't all that, so I played some of the set 'blind' so to speak, but in certain numbers I could hear enough to please me. I was told afterwards (by someone I trust) that the FOH bass sound was excellent, so all good. Needless to say it played incredibly well - very light, very easy low action with flats - and I avoided the usual 'immobility of fretting hand due to humidity and sweat' because I previously sanded the neck to the wood and applied several coats of Tru-Oil, thus making an already-great neck super-slick and satiny-smooth. I'm going to put my head on the block and say it's definitely a keeper. I may find a better P Bass than this, but it will need to be something very special indeed before I would even consider moving this one on. If you've not played a Road Worn P and you're after a 'vintage' sound and feel, I strongly suggest you get out there and try one. Edited July 3, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I'm not a huge fan of relicing/road worn... but this bass could change my mind. Just love Fiesta Red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 [quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1467547301' post='3084413'] I'm not a huge fan of relicing/road worn... but this bass could change my mind. Just love Fiesta Red. [/quote] It's a fantastic bass by any standards. Don't let the 'Road Worn' thing put you off. Like I said in the OP, it's a red herring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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