From the "Haha" Files...

[Matt R.]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Road-Worn-60 ... 500wt_1413

[blankrider]

Dude are you kidding, this is a GREAT DEAL...didn't you read? "New ones made in Mexico retail for $1499.99"

SAVE SOME MONEY AND GET THAT ONE

[bbl]

Some people take this "Road Worn" thing too literally. This one looks like it was actually worn down by asphalt.

[andrew]

"in 3 color Fiesta Red sunburst"

[gravesbass]

** apply lighter fluid and torch here ** ...ouch!!

I actually added that one to see what it closes at... Could have been a decent MIJ bass..... but...

[Carmine]

Wow. Whoever did this should post it in the "What was I thinking?!" thread .... you almost get a sense that they started off with what they thought was a cool idea, saw it wasn't going well, but just kept on going anyway hoping it would get better. Sadly, it didn't.

[Frenchy-Lefty]

From how it looks and the serial number, the neck seems to be a Fender MIJ 62' reissue (I have the same one). Since the auction will probably not go much higher than the asking price, it is not such a bad price if someone needs a Fender neck. Maybe not so HaHa after all.

[Matt R.]

Good point

[Lefty007]

We need to get this dude to become a member of the forum so he can participate in the "What was I thinking" thread:
http://www.leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2848

[bigevilrobot]

Might pick this up just to refinish it and show it some proper love. Poor thing

[bbl]

Oh, yeah, nothing really "wrong" about this bass. The seller din't do it. I'm sure its a nice one. And to be fair, I suspect his $1499 list price refers to the righty mexican road worns. I've played a few of those righties at the shop and they're nice. This is MIJ, even better.

[amimbari]

what kills me is how many others also say the same thing ----- "this torn up body "FEELS" so much better"?
This bass has that great "broken in" feel that many players wait years to get out of their axe and it sounds amazing.


when do you play the body and how does tearing it up affect the feel or its playability?

[belinmad]

So I ended up picking this up for 345 plus shipping. Hoping in the end I will have a playable, yet ugly MIJ j-bass.

That being said, if I decide to get it refinished, any suggestion as to who to send it to?

[thumbslam]

Pat Wilkins

http://www.wilkinsguitars.com/guitars.htm

[belinmad]

Cool, thanks thumbslam.
What is the going rate for a job like this?

[velalv]

Hi;

I just contacted him about refinishing my deluxe jazz from sunburst to pearl white. Super nice guy, and very responsive. Price depends on whether you are taking it apart yourself, of having his shop do it. I accidentally lost the email, but I think he charges $250 for the refin. It is $125 extra for dissembling and reassembling the bass, and I want to say $60-75 to do a matching headstock. Again, I don't remember the exact amount, but it was in that ballpark.

If I felt confident in my own abilities to assemble and disassemble the bass, I would have sent it over in a heartbeat.

[andrew]

So I ended up picking this up for 345 plus shipping. Hoping in the end I will have a playable, yet ugly MIJ j-bass.

That being said, if I decide to get it refinished, any suggestion as to who to send it to?

Talk to Ronn too (Austinleftybass), he had a MIM jazz refinished and it looks great.

[thumbslam]

I’m not sure because it depends upon what you have done and what finish. I took my hardware off and pulled the electronics out myself and reinstalled everything that alone will save you $125 but I had to file out the holes in the headstock for the tuners. The extra clear coat and paint can make it so you will need to do some slight adjustments to make everything go back together perfectly but I’m 100% OK with that.

My bass needed stripped and dents filled and sanded, then primed and the paint and then a clear coat and sanding again. Mine is a neck through so it was way more work that a bolt on and I paid $475 for paint to the body and $50 for pickups and control plate. I also paid for shipping both ways. The job is not perfect because he had to mask out the bridge but it’s not removable. I think he did an excellent job considering all the work and the price is insane low. George quoted between $1200 and $1400 for a refinish which made it completely cost prohibitive. There are several members here who had simpler jobs done and it was much less. 2 month turnaround time isn’t too bad either I think.

There are some before and after pics...he did majic!!!

[pjmuck]

Stunning job!

[belinmad]

So I received the jazz today. The bass was a bit of a mess: dirty, old strings, loose bridge, etc.
I cleaned up a bit, put in a new set of strings, adjusted it and played it for a it. The electronics are a bit noisy and the tone pot behaves a bit funny, but other than that the bass is good to go. Will probably have it as a backup until I "break it in" a bit.

I need to decide if I want to refinish it (Pat Wilkins quoted 350 for the job), but I figure in the meantime I can buy a pick guard to cover part of the mess created by the previous owner. One question on this: How do I figure out which pickguard will fit the bass?

I am attaching some pictures, would be curious to know what you guys make out of the serial number on the neck and body.