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Fender classic series 50s P - Road worn vs not...
- Thread starter Andy Daventry
- Start date
No, I stood over some white plastic garbage bags and whatever didn’t stick to my pickups I collected and dumped into the control cavity when I was done for good measure.
Played a RW in the shop in 2014 it was fantastic but wasn’t buying at the time. Wish I had bought it: was on sale for $999 CDN.
In 2015 I stumbled across a fiesta red (not a fan) 50s with molded case for $425 CDN. I love that thing. I love that huge neck. I love the ooomph it has. I love the aluminum pg. Wish it was The sunburst, but the red is fine because it’s fantastic in every other way.
You can’t go wrong with either of these, or the laquer I suspect, if you want a traditional P.
In 2015 I stumbled across a fiesta red (not a fan) 50s with molded case for $425 CDN. I love that thing. I love that huge neck. I love the ooomph it has. I love the aluminum pg. Wish it was The sunburst, but the red is fine because it’s fantastic in every other way.
You can’t go wrong with either of these, or the laquer I suspect, if you want a traditional P.
I lol’d. Sarcasm can be funny if you let it be.
OT, the 50s poly on the body is really durable. More like a jacket. Some might not like it.
you're just paying someone else to beat it up for you ..!! experienced beater uppers ...
wonder if they do any Xwife work ..?? ha ... kidding ..
wonder if they do any Xwife work ..?? ha ... kidding ..
I can't tell you the specific differences, but they feel pretty different to me and the RW tend to be quite a bit lighter yet very resonant. I loved the RWs I've tried, but not enough for me to justify buying them over my Classic 50s, which I love and feels/sounds just right to me.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
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The advantage to having a Road Worn is that you don't have to worry about it ever getting scratched/banged/dinged/worn
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Pretty interesting - just read through everyone's responses and can't say there is a definitive 'one is better than the other' concensus. I played a RW J in a music store and if I needed another J I would have bought it. (it was a really good price) Sounds like it's more about the feel of the RW which I liked about the one I played.
It’s cool! That little bit of info could help someone out that doesn’t know better and is thinking of doing the same. Many techs advice against using steel wool entirely and won’t even have it in their shops, but I’m not doing it for a living and use common sense...the only pickups that could get ruined are my own
As I said the poly on the 50s is very durable. At least the red is and I suspect the blond is the same: like it’s dipped in resilient plastic. The entire coating is coloured not a colour base coat with a clear topcoat.
Edit. Just noticed that my phone is set to UK English, I’m Canadian and that’s how we roll, hence color coming out colour.
Yup. Encapsulated in a hard candy shell, which according to certain folks has no bearing whatsoever on “tone” or “timbre”, yet is part of the foundation of what makes the RW’s so popular. So can folks have their cake and eat it too? Can one be convinced that things like wood, weight, and finish don’t matter and still remain convinced that the RW’s sound better despite their similarities to the poly and laquer versions?
As much as I liked the roadworn P I played a good while ago, I admit it could be psychology as much as anything else. If you see a difference, you can be tricked into feeling or hearing one.
There could also be a difference. It can be hard to tell without double blind testing. Sometimes companies don't post every relevant detail about their stuff that might make one thing better or worse. Or, heck, maybe the finish might make a bigger difference sometimes than we'd admit.
I'll admit that I love parlor guitars, and have a first act sitting under my bed right now - I've thought about upgrading to a better one, but the location offerings are basically limited to the epiphone el-00 pro. I can't stand the thing for some reason, even though it's got a solid top. It could be in my head, it could be a thick high gloss finish eating up the tone, they might have overbuilt the soundboard or given it more substantial bracing, it could even just be strings.
Without having every factor available to me on paper, it can be hard to say why I'd think a 20 dollar guitar might outperform a 400 dollar one.
There could also be a difference. It can be hard to tell without double blind testing. Sometimes companies don't post every relevant detail about their stuff that might make one thing better or worse. Or, heck, maybe the finish might make a bigger difference sometimes than we'd admit.
I'll admit that I love parlor guitars, and have a first act sitting under my bed right now - I've thought about upgrading to a better one, but the location offerings are basically limited to the epiphone el-00 pro. I can't stand the thing for some reason, even though it's got a solid top. It could be in my head, it could be a thick high gloss finish eating up the tone, they might have overbuilt the soundboard or given it more substantial bracing, it could even just be strings.
Without having every factor available to me on paper, it can be hard to say why I'd think a 20 dollar guitar might outperform a 400 dollar one.
Hey man, to each his own - but I never got this whole "relic/road worn" thing. I'd sooner buy a used joint and modify it if I felt the need, but if I'm gonna beat my bass to s**t it's gonna be my own hand holding the stick.
To me the concept of this is like buying a used car that's been sitting parked for a while on the streets in the city... for sticker price. Not criticizing it, just trying to wrap my head around it.
~R7~
I hear you and kind of agree. But they feel so good, it’s easy to overlook the oddness of it all. Wish they’d turf the stupid cigarette burn at least.
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Man, I always loved when Keef or somebody would have a lit one on stage stuck between the string and headstock
I will never understand why there is a market for brand new guitars, that look beaten up. If i have a beaten up bass, its because ive beaten it up through the years . I just cant get my head around this
This is beginning to drift away from a fact finding mission by the OP and into the realm of opinion, which can get muddy when it comes to the whole relicing thing. The facts are they are essentially the same bass with different finish treatments, to which “feel” can be affected with regards to the neck and how the body rubs against ones shirt. Still up for debate is the claim that select woods are used and the finish, which beyond aesthetics again starts getting into the murky waters of what effect that has on the ultimate sound of the bass. Good luck with that one.
A couple years after I bought my RW, I was in a shop and there was a genuine 57' P on the wall for mid five figures. I played it a bit; it was from an estate,well worn from decades of playing. Tempting it was indeed, but my RW seemed nicer.