Looking at the Fender website, it seems that the only difference between the ordinary MIM classic 50s P and the roadworn one is the finish and the "distress". Apart from that, they seem to be pretty well the same bass. So what is the advantage of the more expensive roadworn one?
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Fender classic series 50s P - Road worn vs not...
- Thread starter Andy Daventry
- Start date
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,176
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- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
When the road worn stuff originally came out, a fair amount of folks claimed they sounded better, even if they didn’t like the relic look. Maybe less finish on the instrument? Not sure apart from that
Well, I can imagine that the TLC that goes into the roadworn ones in "distressing" them might lead to better fret finishing/ setup generally. I'm not convinced that finish makes a great deal of difference, though there are some people whom I respect who are so convinced.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,176
- 4,916
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Totally! Not saying I’m convinced finish makes any real difference. I really wouldn’t know, but I seem to recall that being a popular theory when the road worn stuff first came out
Allegedly, Fender uses select “nicer”, lighter wood for the bodies. I’m not convinced of that since the specimens I’ve had in my hands of both were fairly similar in that regard. They both use 2-3 piece alder bodies. I have refinished a couple non RW versions of the 50’s P and both had very decent looking wood underneath. The RW’s do have rolled fingerboard edges and the necks are sanded to a satin feel. They feel broken in from the start, which is nice. Aside from that, I’m not sure there is much more that sets them apart. They used to have the same pickups as their poly counterparts, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case.
This is about guitar not bass but here is my opinion... I honestly thought there would be no difference. However I tried a roadworn jaguar guitar and the regular fender model and the the roadworn felt, played and sounded fantastic! The regular just felt and sounded different. I would have totally bought the roadworn one if I was playing guitar regularly.
I have a road worn p. Sounds great. Bought a classic 50s lacquer body and moved all the electronics, hardware and neck over and the lacquer body does not sound as good as the road worn one. The road worn body weighs 4 oz more. Other than that the only difference would be the finish and whatever they do to the wood.
twc1313
Practice is the cure for GAS...or so I've heard.
The standard MIM Classic Series P is one of the nicest basses Fender makes. I love the blonde one and to me it was not worth the extra cash to have lacquer and some dings on it. Just be sure you don't mind a yuuuuuge neck.
Roadworn for $100 more than the 50s lacquer Precision. You get a gig bag with the RW and a tweed case with the 50s P. I have the 50s P. It's the best Precision I've ever owned. I've owned about 10 different Ps total and it's definitely the best one.
I've owned both at the very same time and the RW was the better bass by a long shot in terms of sound, feel & quality control - it was also about 1.5 lbs lighter.
That said, wood is an organic material, and while I believe that select' wood goes into the RW bodies (they carry an "RW" stamped into the wood under the pick guard) the relative weights vary nonetheless - and as another poster who owned both basses pointed out, his RW was the heavier of the two.
With regard to MY two basses - Classic 50s vs. Road Worn - the Road Worn was easily worth the extra $. And while I'd eagerly recommend the Road Worn, I know that it's really the luck of the draw ultimately.
That said, wood is an organic material, and while I believe that select' wood goes into the RW bodies (they carry an "RW" stamped into the wood under the pick guard) the relative weights vary nonetheless - and as another poster who owned both basses pointed out, his RW was the heavier of the two.
With regard to MY two basses - Classic 50s vs. Road Worn - the Road Worn was easily worth the extra $. And while I'd eagerly recommend the Road Worn, I know that it's really the luck of the draw ultimately.
I own the black lacquer and love it.
I think the RW versions might have rolled edges on the neck.
I think the RW versions might have rolled edges on the neck.
No advantage to roadworn. Well, maybe that first accidental ding will not bother you as much.
I’ve owned two RW Precisions and a 1958 Precision. The RW I currently own (with DiMarzio pickups) is the best of the three in terms of feel, sound and playability.
I recently played a Roadworn P right next to a couple of Classic 50's P. In a shop and left to my own devices for about an hour thru an Ashdown ABM600 head (which was what i actually used personally at the time so i was very familiar with the amp). I had a real good blast with them all.
I couldn't detect a difference soundwise between either of them - personally I really wanted the Roadworn to sound better because i like the look of Roadworns so was a bit biased but there was genuinely no difference in sound and they both sounded great. However there was a big enough difference in the feel to make me want to get the Roadworn - the neck just felt much more comfortable with the rolled edges and less glossy finish on the back. I would have been happy with a Classic 50's but happier with a RW.
So just before Xmas i started having a serious look around for a used Roadworn.
But I ended up with a used Classic Lacquer which popped up for a great price (almost half that of a used Roadworn series). The back of the neck had already been sanded by a previous owner to a finish thats as good as the Roadworn and its been played in nicely so the edges are starting to soften. It already had a few small dings and scrapes so i'm over the "first dent" phase and i'm beginning to wear the thin lacquer with genuine play wear. Effectively i have a DIY Roadworn in black'n maple (which i much prefer over the standard colour options). And it sounds as good as the others too........
I couldn't detect a difference soundwise between either of them - personally I really wanted the Roadworn to sound better because i like the look of Roadworns so was a bit biased but there was genuinely no difference in sound and they both sounded great. However there was a big enough difference in the feel to make me want to get the Roadworn - the neck just felt much more comfortable with the rolled edges and less glossy finish on the back. I would have been happy with a Classic 50's but happier with a RW.
So just before Xmas i started having a serious look around for a used Roadworn.
But I ended up with a used Classic Lacquer which popped up for a great price (almost half that of a used Roadworn series). The back of the neck had already been sanded by a previous owner to a finish thats as good as the Roadworn and its been played in nicely so the edges are starting to soften. It already had a few small dings and scrapes so i'm over the "first dent" phase and i'm beginning to wear the thin lacquer with genuine play wear. Effectively i have a DIY Roadworn in black'n maple (which i much prefer over the standard colour options). And it sounds as good as the others too........
They sound the same. To me the roadworn feels much better. They do a great job on the neck finishing.
Just took some #0000 steel wool to the back of the neck of my 50’s P last night. Made a great instrument better. I like both, but prefer the unworn look personally.
The glossy dark vintage tint maple neck of the 50s lacquer has become my favorite part of the instrument after thinking my preference was satin necks. Just love staring into those glossy tinted swirly grains as I play the thing.
So.... Ive never owned either but I had very seriously considered a RW P bass back in 08ish. I wound up going with a jazz bass from a different manufacturer but for what its worth... that RW P felt sooooo much better than all of the fender offerings that I had tried. They really did an awesome job on it.