mashup Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I was after a lightweight P Bass & ended up buying this Road Worn 50's after comparing it to other P's, all of which were more expensive. This is by far the most comfortable bass i have ever played! So here is my mini review:- This bass guitar is lightweight! Mine is about 7.7lbs. I think the body is made of specially selected lightweight Alder which is extremely resonant. Pluck a string & this thing vibrates like nothing i've ever experienced before - amazing resonance which really gives it a lovely sound & feel when played acoustically (practice time). The neck is a thing of wonder! It is a 1 piece Maple neck with a larger fretboard width than i have been used to, which i thought would put me off straight away, but as soon as i picked her up & started playing it all made perfect sense & felt so, so right. The neck has a slim profile, which makes navigating the wider fretboard a breeze & this is the easiest playing neck i have ever layed my hands on - Allowing for very fast playing if required. The 1 thing that really stands out about this wider neck is that it gives massive sustain to notes - I could play an open E, put the bass on it's stand, go & make a cup of tea, wait for it to cool down, drink it then come back to the bass & it would still be ringing....Well, not quite, but you get the picture - MASSIVE sustain! Not only that but the notes take on a more authorative & powerfully decisive timbre because of this added girth. This bass means business. This is everything that a real bass should be. It fits like a glove too & is the first bass i've owned that truly feels like an extension of me - It is ludicrously playable & in being so, coaxes out the very best from my playing. Ok, so this thing sounds fantastic unplugged, but when plugged in, i am blown away by the quality of tones on offer. Ok, it's a P Bass so you know what kind of tones to expect - Well this Beauty has them in bucketloads. The variation in the tonal control is awesome going from a deep dubby sound to a more defined, but no less ballsy sound. I used to have a G & L L2000 that was an absolute tone machine (most tones i personally didnt use in my band setting) so i know about tonal variation within a bass & i can honestly say that for no matter what style of music i'll be playing in the future, i will never need another bass - there is more than enough tonal variation & versatility on offer here to have me covered forever (btw, im not a slapper). With just 1 volume dial & 1 tone dial, i have more usable sounds in 1 bass than i've ever had before - The search is over. This is how a bass should sound. I happen to think that this is the coolest looking bass that i have ever laid my eyes on & i personally love the relicing. The components & hardware are all top drawer - The pickup is Fat & The Nitro finish is so player friendly - Nice & slick (Not sticky in heat) Im over the moon with my new bass Sorry that i have left out a few bits - i am hurrying out of the door to get to work, so this is a bit of a rushed review, however, if you have any questions about this bass, fire away & i will try to answer later. For now, here's some pics:- [attachment=86176:DSC03018.JPG] [attachment=86184:DSC03027.JPG] [attachment=86178:DSC03022.JPG] [attachment=86181:DSC03020.JPG] [attachment=86183:DSC03029.JPG] [attachment=86177:DSC03019.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 MIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Oteil Burbridge is playing one of these with Derek Trucks in the Tedeschi Trucks band. Pretty good endorsement right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashup Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1325503' date='Aug 3 2011, 12:15 PM']MIM?[/quote] It is indeed MIM - & Proud of it! These really are high quality instruments. I could have walked out with any precision that day - I tried lots of them, mostly high end MIA's, but the RW 50's really impressed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) Great review of a great bass. I`ve tried one of these, and it was sooooo comfortable, like that battered old sofa, or comfy pair of joggers that are your favourite, even though they look knackered beyond belief. If I were buying another bass, I`m fairly sure this would be where my money would go. Edited August 3, 2011 by Lozz196 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh2 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 They are superb basses! Gassing for one over the RW burst Jazz as I already have a 62. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbass555 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I have a roadworn jazz and a roadworn precision and both basses as fantastic. They are just so comfortable to play. would never part with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 I've probably bored the pants off everyone talking about my RW Precision, basically saying the same things as the OP. The Precision came along after buying a RW Jazz from OutToPlayJazz (where is he these days ?) That Jazz turned out to be one of the finest Fender Jazzes I've ever played, but I still didn't have a sunburst RW. A cheeky bid on e - bay for the RW sunburst sorted that one out ! now there are two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 [quote name='essexbasscat' post='1327728' date='Aug 4 2011, 08:16 PM']A cheeky bid on e - bay for the RW sunburst sorted that one out ! now there are two [/quote] How cheeky, as a matter of interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 [quote name='Bigwan' post='1328212' date='Aug 5 2011, 07:57 AM']How cheeky, as a matter of interest?[/quote] I put in a bid on the off chance it may win, but really expecting it to be well and truly outbid. Felt like Christmas when I won it !! Let's just say it was under £500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 [quote name='essexbasscat' post='1328391' date='Aug 5 2011, 10:31 AM']I put in a bid on the off chance it may win, but really expecting it to be well and truly outbid. Felt like Christmas when I won it !! Let's just say it was under £500 [/quote] Bugger! Bargain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Thats a good price. Cheapest I can get online for a Roadworn Jazz is £925...ouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 If you're ready to pounce quick, they can be found 2nd hand for around £650 (ish), usually closer to £700. There was one on BC for a number of weeks at around £725 a few months ago. The e-bay deal I had was just a lucky chance bid that came off. I paid almost twice the e-bay deal for my other one, which was still worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaasa Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 i just got track of mine now, so i've been spending the evening with red wine and my new p-bass! its the red wine playing!! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLozt2t12YA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLozt2t12YA[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragglefart Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 (edited) Stunning bass, congrats, going to have to try one soon... Edited September 1, 2011 by fragglefart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Ive found these online a little cheaper than everywhere else...£779 for the P which, in todays money, isnt THAT bad...and the J is £879. Roughly anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxx Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Besides the finish, are these any different to the classic series 57? I have the classic series 57, changed the cap for a .1uF vintage PIO type and put a set of fender original pickups in plus roto flats, and it's absolutely perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 As far as I know, it`s only the finish thats the difference between the RW and the Classic 50s. I had a Classic 50s for a while - really great basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Lord Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I played one of these in MB Music in Bognor Regis today. I liked it a lot. Great sound. The neck was very different to my two 1999 USA P basses. It was thinner and wider. Good P Bass burble of a sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I'm not sure but I thought the RW jazz was the same bass as the MIM classic 70s jazz except for the finish. Can anyone confirm if that's correct? Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 just compared the specs of the p basses (classic vs RW) and they're all the same so it is just the looks thats different. These RW basses do seem to sound killer although i cant buy one as the dakota red custom shop i tried has made everything iv played since slightly less enjoyable than they should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 These P's are very nice indeed, I tried one in GAK and had a hard time leaving it in the store. I'd never normally buy a relic guitar (unless it's natural wear of course!) but I'd make an exception for one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1317596556' post='1392285'] I'm not sure but I thought the RW jazz was the same bass as the MIM classic 70s jazz except for the finish. Can anyone confirm if that's correct? Frank. [/quote] The MIM Classic has a hard poly finish. The road worn is a thinner nitro finish so supposedly gives more resonance. Not sure whether that's correct, but the road worns do play and feel amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 [quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1317664484' post='1392981'] The MIM Classic has a hard poly finish. The road worn is a thinner nitro finish so supposedly gives more resonance. Not sure whether that's correct, but the road worns do play and feel amazing. [/quote] Thanks Simon, I doubt that my hearing would notice the difference in sound due to the finish, still, I'd love to try the RW series. They get praise from everyone who tries them, so there must be something in it. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notable9 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1315130742' post='1361622'] As far as I know, it`s only the finish thats the difference between the RW and the Classic 50s. I had a Classic 50s for a while - really great basses. [/quote] Hi all I think its a bit more than that. My RW jazz has a thinner body than any of the production line USA, MIM, or Jap J basses and the headstock is a lot thinner too. The bass feels much more user friendly and if you like, more serious as an instrument compared to the above and I have owned a few over the years.... They are very fine basses indeed once you get past the crummy relicing thing, which looks nothing like the mojo on my vintage P bass. One thing Ive done to improve matters is to polish the whole lot to a shine..looks much better I think. And I may even de-relic the thing one day...we'll see. Edited October 8, 2011 by notable9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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