Fender Road Worn Jazz

[OutToPlayJazz]

If ever there was an instrument series that divided opinion, it was this one. Some love the distressed look, some think it pointless & others think of it as downright dishonest! Whatever you think of the looks and the politics of the relic job, these basses are certainly making their mark.

It was the Fiesta Red Jazz that made my ears prick up at launch. I've always loved the colour and you can only get it on a couple of other Fender basses at the moment, unless you want to pay FCS (Custom Shop) money.



Last week I eventually made it to my friend's store to try one of these. I A/B'd it against a new Mexican Standard Jazz, a Japanese Marcus Miller signature model & a new American Standard. To my surprise (well, not so much - My brother Nick DOTB had warned me these were very very good & not far off the custom shop offerings!) the RW bass trounced all three of it's siblings. We all know the current Am.Std is a great bass. I've had one myself and they really are the best evolution of the jazz so far, but the Road Worn shows primarily how these basses [i]used[/i] to be, as opposed to any modern incarnation. I particularly like the thinner but taller vintage reverse tuning keys and the authentic bridge with ridged saddles and screw heads for action height adjustment, as opposed to the usual hex key bolts.

The RW bass has a certain charm to it. Yes, there are the worn sections to the body & the dings/scratches and faded chrome bits, but it's more than that. They actually have huge character to play and really do sound a league above the rest. Perhaps one part of it is the nitro-cellulose finish? When you play this bass against it's poly-gloss siblings, the nitro RW sings out like an Italian Tenor, whereas the poly-gloss instruments sound almost strangled by comparison. I've found the same with the nitro finish American Vintage Precision I'm picking up in a couple of days - The sound just seems to sing out with this finish.



When I got the bass home, after putting on a set of new 40-100 DR FatBeams the bass now really sings. A slight lowering of the action & tweak of the trussrod later and all is splendid and perfect to play. I'm sure these basses have a significant pickup upgrade as well. I think they're the American Vintage pickups. Not quite noiseless like the new Am.Std, but certainly hot in output terms.



Now it's well documented around these parts that I'm no fan of relic-ing instruments and that I much prefer shiny and new basses. Well, I actually bought the bass in the pictures. Yes, I'm not a fan of the dents and scratches, but I do have to admit there is a certain charm to the finish. Mine even has the marks in the finish where a bridge cover might once have been & screw holes for a tug bar, classic chrome pickup and bridge covers. Whatever your thoughts on the relic debate, you have to admit that these have been very well done. I took the bass as a backup at a musical I was playing in last week & one of the pianists (also a keen bass player & Fodera owner) thought it was a thirty plus year old bass! Yes, of course I came clean



So all in all, yes these are expensive for a Mexican made Fender instrument, but who cares? When a jazz plays as well as these do, I can't see any reason to argue over where it's made. Whatever voodoo magic Fender weaved when creating the Road Worn instruments, they would be well advised to do more of the same with the rest of the range. My verdict? An excellent all-round Jazz bass with a seriously soulful yet sparkly sound with some added injected character that you won't mind getting chipped or scratched. See? There is a practical plus side to the relic argument!

Edited April 19, 2010 by OutToPlayJazz

[essexbasscat]

That should come with a GAS warning

T

[ezbass]

Nice balanced review and another RW convert. I'm glad to see that your J doesn't seem to have the ciggie burn on the headstock as this is probably the cheesiest of the relic work done on the range. I'm not normally a fan of fiesta red, but with the relicing it really works.

[gary mac]

Excellent review and a good set of pics. Thanks a most enjoyable and informative read.

[Cat Burrito]

Out of interest I take it those holes on it for the ashtray covers come with the bass or were they added after purchase?

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='810902' date='Apr 18 2010, 11:18 PM']Out of interest I take it those holes on it for the ashtray covers come with the bass or were they added after purchase?[/quote]

They're all like that, Burrito. The pattern of wear on the finish varies from bass to bass, but the drilled holes for tug bar and pickup covers are present on all of the Road Worn Jazzes.

[Golchen]

Good review, especially coming from something of a non-believer from the relicing point of view. Actually, ALL the roadworn series of instruments seem to have got very good reviews in the press, I can only imagine that something in the process of giving the worn look tweaks playability somewhat?

I'd be very keen myself, but I only play 5 string basses and I only play 22 or 24 fret guitars.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='810692' date='Apr 18 2010, 08:36 PM']That should come with a GAS warning

T[/quote]

Hehe! I held off buying one for as long as I could

[gjones]

Ooooh....

Y'know, I know I shouldn't. I've got a very nice Jazz Bass already. And anyway I've always hated all that fake relic business. And I've already set my mind on buying a Ray 34 next month.

But.......

It would look awfully nice sitting next to my Bassman.

Get behind me satan.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='gjones' post='811957' date='Apr 19 2010, 09:49 PM']Ooooh....

Y'know, I know I shouldn't. I've got a very nice Jazz Bass already. And anyway I've always hated all that fake relic business. And I've already set my mind on buying a Ray 34 next month.

But.......

It would look awfully nice sitting next to my Bassman.

Get behind me satan.[/quote]

Ooh, I see you've got the TV 15 listed in your gear. What's it like? I don't need one, but they are uber-cool!

[gjones]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='811964' date='Apr 19 2010, 09:53 PM']Ooh, I see you've got the TV 15 listed in your gear. What's it like? I don't need one, but they are uber-cool! [/quote]

Well, I've only recently had it delivered and have only been able to play it live at a decent volume a couple of times with a band. The EQ is very different to what I've been used to and I'm still learning which settings work and which don't - the Ed Freidland video explains that quite well [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A93b2V7ymf8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A93b2V7ymf8[/url] . It has a very vintage, rootsy, bluesy, Motown-ish sound which personally I really like but which may not appeal to others who may like a more versatile type of amp. I'll post a review at some point when I get to know it a bit better. The downside is, it's VERY heavy.......with just one handle.

But the upside is..........IT'S COVERED IN TWEED!!!!!! (and makes a very nice bedside table).

[maldy]

Does anyone mind if I add some of my own personal experiences with this bass to this thread (wasn't fully sure what the etiquette was with this review section)?

[gjones]

[quote name='maldy' timestamp='1346248295' post='1786978']
Does anyone mind if I add some of my own personal experiences with this bass to this thread (wasn't fully sure what the etiquette was with this review section)?
[/quote]

That's what it's there for

[maldy]

When I first bought the Road Worn I added some thoughts on talkbass. Hopefully these will be useful for anyone else thinking about one of these basses. I will add some up to date thoughts here after my experience of owning the bass for some six months. But for now here is the first part:




[color=#696969][i]"I'm new here, but have been enjoying all the posts about the RW basses, so thought I would add some thoughts as I have just purchased a RW Jazz![/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]For a while I have been eyeing up a Jazz bass. I kind of fancied the all singing and dancing American Deluxe. However, I have never been able to play one, as the music shops I visited have never stocked them. I have tried a standard MIM and thought it was quite nice, but the tone didn't jump out at me. On another occasion I went in a shop and they only had the RW Jazz. I was immediately put off by the relic look (and price) and didn't even play it.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]That was a while ago. Last week I happened to be in a city that I had never been to before and stumbled across a music shop. So I thought I see if they had any Jazz basses. They didn't have the deluxe, but they did have the RW. This time I didn't immediately reject it and decided to test drive it. I must be honest, at first I hated the beaten up effect, all the chips and screw holes. I have a couple of Warwicks and I keep them in perfect condition, so this felt very alien to me. I also wasn't sure whether I liked the idea of making something look old when it wasn't. It seemed a bit fake and not the sort of think that attracted me.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]However, as soon as it was on my lap, it kind of felt comfortable. It just seemed real nice to play. The finish (apart from all the dings and scratches) also felt good (at the time I didn't know it was a nitro finish, or even what that was!). It just seemed really easy to get around and the more I played the more I liked the tones. I started discovering more tones and started really liking this bass. I was really surprised as I had absolutely no intention of buying this beforehand and now was gradually thinking that I needed it![/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]Needless to say I didn't buy it there and then, as I still thought the price was too high and the shop assistant wouldn't lower the price of £999. He informed me that their website had just updated the price to £1048 and they hadn't updated the physical tag (this was true). I knew I wouldn't be back at this shop and city, as it was a one off and too far from my home, but they said they would ship if I wanted to order later.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]I left and did some research on the internet - which is good and bad. Lots of people were saying this was a great bass, but then you get all the stories and stigma about Mexican basses. [/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]So now I have it and am please. Although I think the set up is not quite as nice as the one I tried, but I think this will be easy for me to sort myself (intonation on G string is a bit off). Strangely, I kind of now like the RW effect. For something I was dead against, I now don't really notice. It also feels quite liberating not having to worry about the first bump or scratch. It remarkably does feel like and old bass, an old friend. I never thought I'd like this as I have previously been all for the shiny new style of bass.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]Due to work I haven't been able to give the bass a good and thorough testing. I'm still trying to be objective before my cooling off period (chance to return the bass) expires. There's is definitely something about this bass and I'm hoping that my initial love for it, was just new bass syndrome!"[/i][/color]

Edited March 21, 2013 by maldy

[maldy]

And here is the second post I added at talkbass:

[color=#696969][i]"Had a good testing of the bass last night and am feeling very pleased with it. I still can't get over how much I like the look and feel of the bass. I can't stress this enough, especially since I previously hated the look. I can't explain why I changed my mind. I think it is because the bass plays so well, you just kind of fall in love with it.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]And the sound - well the old school funky honky sound just sounds incredible. It was what I was looking for and not really been able to find in other instruments I have tried. I am no expert on Jazz basses, so am in no position to compare this with others. If other Jazz basses sound and feel better than this, then wow![/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]With regards to the MIM aspect - well I can't really fault it (apart from some slightly off intonation on the G string). To be fair some aspects of quality are hard to judge when the bass looks so beaten up.[/i][/color]

[color=#696969][i]Like I've previously said, I never thought I'd buy this bass, but now it feels so right (for me at least)."[/i][/color]

[maldy]

And here are some photos!

[Lozz196]

Nice objective review there. I was the same, really didn`t like the fake relicing, but the RW Precision I tried was just a great instrument - it felt so comfortable, and both played and sounded like a dream. Still haven`t bought one yet, as really don`t need one, but I`d go along with the view of letting your hands and ears make the decision on these basses - it`s unlikely they will find anything they don`t like.

[maldy]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1346411178' post='1788874']
Nice objective review there. I was the same, really didn`t like the fake relicing, but the RW Precision I tried was just a great instrument - it felt so comfortable, and both played and sounded like a dream. Still haven`t bought one yet, as really don`t need one, but I`d go along with the view of letting your hands and ears make the decision on these basses - it`s unlikely they will find anything they don`t like.
[/quote]

Thank you. I felt the need to post something because I believe that a really great bass is being overlooked by a lot of people, purely because of this relic business. This is totally understandable because I was previously like that. When I was researching this there seemed to be a lot of negative opinion about it from people who had never even tried it. Again, I can see where this comes from. However, with this bass I would urge anyone to try and keep and open mind, try it and maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Lozz196]

Yes, I tried out the RW as was with a mate on a visit to a music shop. Had always disliked the fake relicing, but thought would give it a go whilst he was buying his guitar, purely as it was there, no other reason. Pre-conceptions out of the window, one of the best basses I`ve ever played.

[essexbasscat]

Agree with the praise for these things. Then I suppose I would, considering I bought the one at the top of the page from OTPJ !

[Scrubnut]

I have one of these, also Fiesta Red. The one thing I hated right from the start was the tortoise guard. I know it's authentic but I don't like it....so I got a mint green one from the USA. It's vintage so it has the tug bar holes drilled. Looks right now to my eyes.