Road Worn Jazz Bass

Micahb · 07-23-2009, 12:53 PM

Has anybody played one? What were your thoughts?

I played one Tuesday night at a jam I go to every week and was really blown away. I didn't know what year it was or the model or anything at all, picked it up and was stunned by the way it played and sounded. Then after when I asked and what it was, I was told that it was a 2009 Mexican!

They go for about a grand and a bit, but I haven't played a Mexican that has been built in the last few years - have the Mexican basses really stepped up their game?
I looked at the specs online, and the only differences are the pickups and the radius (well, and the distressing, of course.)
If I was to pick up a Jazz Standard, should it play as nicely as this one did?

funkStrat_97 · 07-24-2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micahb

Has anybody played one? What were your thoughts?

I played one Tuesday night at a jam I go to every week and was really blown away. I didn't know what year it was or the model or anything at all, picked it up and was stunned by the way it played and sounded. Then after when I asked and what it was, I was told that it was a 2009 Mexican!

They go for about a grand and a bit, but I haven't played a Mexican that has been built in the last few years - have the Mexican basses really stepped up their game?
I looked at the specs online, and the only differences are the pickups and the radius (well, and the distressing, of course.)
If I was to pick up a Jazz Standard, should it play as nicely as this one did?

The Road Worn series (Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass) is new for 2009. They are essentially the MIM version of the Custom Shop Relics and appear to be based on the Classic series. I have not played a lot of MIM's, but my limited expereicne with them has been good (I do own a Dlx. Active Jazz V). And with the new "high-end" Squiers out there, the MIM's should be a step up. BTW (and a little off topic), Fender has finally released an upgraded MIM Standard Jazz V. It has a 4 + 1 headstock (vs. the old 5 in a row) and some other changes, but I wish they offered them in more colors and gave you a maple neck option like they do on the new Standard IV.

Fender® Road Worn Series

AlphaSigma · 07-25-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funkStrat_97

The Road Worn series (Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass) is new for 2009. They are essentially the MIM version of the Custom Shop Relics and appear to be based on the Classic series. I have not played a lot of MIM's, but my limited expereicne with them has been good (I do own a Dlx. Active Jazz V). And with the new "high-end" Squiers out there, the MIM's should be a step up. BTW (and a little off topic), Fender has finally released an upgraded MIM Standard Jazz V. It has a 4 + 1 headstock (vs. the old 5 in a row) and some other changes, but I wish they offered them in more colors and gave you a maple neck option like they do on the new Standard IV.

Fender® Road Worn Series

I"ve played a Jazz Standard and I was really impressed but have not heard of a Road Worn Jazz Bass, are they easy to find? Albeit, I have not been out looking at guitars in a while.

RedsFan75 · 07-27-2009, 07:18 AM

I played a Road Worn P and compared to my MIM P it was much better, most noticably in the fret work. I really liked the more vintage frets on the road worn, more than my P.

Lizooki · 07-27-2009, 07:23 PM

I'm not a big Fender fan .....
I mean I try, they're everywhere ya know? So I've tried many different ones and only played one Fender of any sort that I thought sounded good.
And I prefer to relic my own the old fashioned way.

Play it, Play it, Play it!

Matt

OK - I gotta add .... If you like it play it. You'll play a bass you like better than one ya don't. It's totally gonna be up to your taste and what you wanna sound like and how it feels in YOUR hands. But still, a bass that looks that bad for that price, I mean , c'mon!

LWatford · 07-28-2009, 01:05 PM

haven't gotten to play a road worn jazz yet, but the other road worn series is very nice. The first few I played were in dire need of a setup, but the recent ones have been great.

The P has a great neck (on the thin depth side), and it feels nice to the touch. I'd imagine that the jazz would feel similar, don't know what the size is like though.

Micahb · 07-28-2009, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaSigma

are they easy to find?

Should be! I haven't been out to a store in a while, but I just called around to three places in my city and they all had them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lizooki

But still, a bass that looks that bad for that price, I mean , c'mon!

It's not really that bad of a price. The one I played sounded and felt almost as good as recent Americans, which go for slightly over $100 more then these do.

LWatford · 07-28-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micahb

It's not really that bad of a price. The one I played sounded and felt almost as good as recent Americans, which go for slightly over $100 more then these do.

that's what gets me...at current prices, you can get a us model for not much more than the road worn series. You could probably find a used '08 for less than a new road worn.

Micahb · 07-28-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LWatford

You could probably find a used '08 for less than a new road worn.

Oh, for sure. My point was just that the road worn I played wasn't that much worse than most Americans I played, so if you're into the look it's a pretty cheap price for it.

Iceman-bass14 · 08-04-2009, 01:38 PM

Thanks for the feedback,I was scrolling through the internet and saw the Road Worn bass series and was wondering about them.It'll be a while til I buy again and I doubt I'd get a 4 string jazz since I got the 5er last fall,but if something did happen I would probably look into.Glad to hear they play and sound nice.