LeftyBassist.com

For anyone who liked the look of Matt R's custom shop:

I will never get Relic looking basses but in reality has anyone really worn off the paint so you could see the original paint like that?

Nothing to get, it’s just a finish option like the others. But yeah, it happens a lot. I have a 78 Jazz with natural wear that’s quite similar to my CS. Also had a couple late 70s Precisions worn down to the sealer. A buddy has an older tele that has natural wear down to a botched sunburst underneath. And I’ve seen many others with this type wear (although I think they went a little too far down that forearm contour on this Jazz above).

I imagine a spirited pick player, especially one who wears jewelry, would wear through a finish like that.

I lust over that bass every time I see it

The whole relic thing just seems kind of ridiculous to me. Not to criticize anyone who owns an artificially aged instrument. If it's a good axe, play on! Apparently the Fender Roadworn series got pretty good reviews, can't take away from that. Just that if I'm paying top dollar for a new high end bass, even a custom classic, etc, I want it to look as new as it is. In my clumsy hands, it will get it's own real battle scars soon enough.

Yes. My '75 Tele bass II has a vintage white finish under it's factory black. White (and to a lesser extent SB) was the standard finish offered on these back then, so I guess Fender simply repainted the bodies over the pre-exising ones.

The back of Bobby's bass is Cool too!

Whoa, Bobby wore the sunburst finish on the back of his bass all the way through to the original shark finish.