Road-worn Strat

[NWBasser]

OK, right up front, I'll state that I don't much care for relic jobs. Not my cup of tea, IMO and all that. That's my bias here. Well, that and I'm very biased towards Les Pauls.

Last weekend the local GC was having a big sale and my friend Tom and I went down to try winning some free raffle stuff. Of course we played a bunch of guitars and amphs including a Blackstar HT-5 that I absolutely loved.

Anyway, we made our way to some clearance stuff and he picks up this road-worn (RW) black strat to try out this used AC15. Before long, he hands the strat to me and says, "try this". And so I did.

Criminy! I couldn't put it down! The worn neck finish and neck shape, the light weight, and very nice pickups were astoundingly nice. This thing just begged to be played and played.

Not my cup of tea my a$$, this guitar was nothing short of sheer awesomeness. If I had the $$, I would have taken her home straight away. Sometimes a guitar that goes completely against what you think you like and blows you away. This was the case with the RW strat.

Even if you can't stand the idea of relics, that RW strat is one that shouldn't be overlooked, because it delivers in the realms of comfort, playability, and tone.

PS - I've heard the RW jazz basses are sweet too.

[Tig]

The quality must vary from one to the next, kinda like the Squier CV series. I picked one up that was plugged in to an effects station at GC to test a few stomp boxes, and it never felt right in my hands, even though the neck was easy to run up and down on. Maybe it wasn't set up well, or maybe it was a dud. The Squier CV 50's Strat at home felt and sounded better to me.

If I pick up another one, it might turn out good. The one turn off that all the road worns have is that you can see the actual dots of the photo top "worn" areas, even without my much needed reading glasses.

[sunvalleylaw]

Good to know NW! You never know what guitar may strike your fancy.

[otaypanky]

I've only heard great things about them. Saw one briefly but didn't plug in. I see they are street pricing at $899 now. Remember last year when MF was having Fender Fridays? I think they had a street price of $799 but there were a few Fridays when they sold for $499 if I remember correctly ~

[MAXIFUNK]

My local dealer has one for $695.00 and it does play nice have not plugged it up but it does feel really good in my hands. HMMMMMMMMMM

[markb]

The quality must vary from one to the next, kinda like the Squier CV series. I picked one up that was plugged in to an effects station at GC to test a few stomp boxes, and it never felt right in my hands, even though the neck was easy to run up and down on. Maybe it wasn't set up well, or maybe it was a dud. The Squier CV 50's Strat at home felt and sounded better to me...

That's Fenders for you ;)

[Jimi75]

Let me tell you there will only be very few occasions on the life of a musician where the heart says - BUY THIS GUITAR - most of the other buys is stuff we don't nedd or we sell sooner or later.

You should buy this type of guitar. I played a bunch of the Road Worns and I thought they all feel pretty similar, which is they felt great and sounded unbelievably good. Had I not my Jimmie Vaughan Strat I would buy a Road Worn wihtout thinking twice.

[Duffy]

Photo finish top on a Road Worn Fender? What's up with that? Sounds like "fakin' it", which goes against my grain.

I thought they buffed them down or sanded them or something. The photo finish thing is completely out as far as I'm concerned.

For some reason I can understand graphics, but photo finishes are a turn off and I think they should be disclosed in the descriptions of the guitars, because some of them are very hard to distinguish.

Sometimes I suspect a lot of the "flame" finishes are photo finishes, just done real well.

What is it? Some kind of contact photo paper applied or something. I can't imagine applying the photo finish directly to the wood, because applying those dots is a "printing" process and is done on a flat surface of paper or mylar or other material like contact paper.

I would be interested to know how they do a photo finish on a Road Worn, with all its contours, etc.

[Jimi75]

Photo finish top on a Road Worn Fender? What's up with that? Sounds like "fakin' it", which goes against my grain.


What's the source of this information? you can spot a photo finish wihtout being a pro an the Road Worn Strats do not seem to be photo finishes. Fender stoppped using this technique in the mid 90s. Would be interesting to get some confirmed info on this.

[ZMAN]

What's the source of this information? you can spot a photo finish wihtout being a pro an the Road Worn Strats do not seem to be photo finishes. Fender stoppped using this technique in the mid 90s. Would be interesting to get some confirmed info on this.
I just spent 10 mins trying to find out what Duffy was referring to.
I can't see putting a Photo over an Alder body.
The only thing I don't like about them is the 7.25 radius. They are not condusive to bending for sure. It seems to have most of the JV specs except for the radius. I do like those Tex Mex pickups. I have them in my 60th anni MIM and love them.

[Duffy]

Farther back in this thread Tig wrote:

Quote:

The one turn off that all the road worns have is that you can see the actual dots of the photo top "worn" areas, even without my much needed reading glasses.

Unquote.

I'm going to stop by today and see if I can see any dots. This would turn me off. Sounds like something clandestine like Gibson might try pulling off without telling anyone.

[ZMAN]

Sorry Duffy you are correct I missed that in Tigs post.

[Jimi75]

This is how rumours being started. Fender doesn't apply photo finish technique anymore.

[NWBasser]

Let me tell you there will only be very few occasions on the life of a musician where the heart says - BUY THIS GUITAR - most of the other buys is stuff we don't nedd or we sell sooner or later.

You should buy this type of guitar. I played a bunch of the Road Worns and I thought they all feel pretty similar, which is they felt great and sounded unbelievably good. Had I not my Jimmie Vaughan Strat I would buy a Road Worn wihtout thinking twice.

While I didn't care much for the appearance of the guitar, what with the relicing and all, the fact is that once it was in my hands the feel and sound were almost beyond belief. It was so comfortable that lead passages seemed to spill out of it without any effort on my part. The closest instrument that I've found to that is my fretless Clement bass. I'd probably buy it if had a top of masonite.

Then again, I never play guitar in front of anyone either and so the appearance isn't as big of a factor as tone and feel.

[Tig]

This is how rumours being started. Fender doesn't apply photo finish technique anymore.

I'm not starting rumors, just reporting what I saw. I could be wrong, but it sure looks like tiny laser printer dots in the "worn" areas. I thought it must have been common knowledge.

Regardless, I don't see spending an extra $150-250 for a MIM Fender that has faux aging. That reminds me of those poser guys who used to wear West Coast Chopper clothes, but could only afford a used Ninja!

[NWBasser]

I'm not starting rumors, just reporting what I saw. I could be wrong, but it sure looks like tiny laser printer dots in the "worn" areas. I thought it must have been common knowledge.

Regardless, I don't see spending an extra $150-250 for a MIM Fender that has faux aging. That reminds me of those poser guys who used to wear West Coast Chopper clothes, but could only afford a used Ninja!

Tig, I agree that the relic strat is quite the poser and I likely never would have even picked one up. The look does seem a bit ridiculous even if it were meticulously done (which apparently it isn't). This one was handed to me to try though and in spite of the relic job, it was a very sweet guitar underneath all that. I particularly liked the worn back of the neck. If a regular mexi-strat had a worn neck backside and those pickup and neck shape, that would be a winner in my book.

[Duffy]

Even though I don't care for the fake relic job and now am even more skeptical about the rumored "photo finish" on the worn parts, I have heard from several people that the Road Worn tele is a great sounding and playing guitar.

I'm going to the Fender dealer right now to pick up some Vintage Noiseless tele pickups I'm installing in a tele. I will look over the Road Worn tele they have there and see if I can easily detect photo finish evidence in the worn places.

[Tig]

... it was a very sweet guitar underneath all that. I particularly liked the worn back of the neck. If a regular mexi-strat had a worn neck backside and those pickup and neck shape, that would be a winner in my book.

I'm not trying to bash them completely, it's just that I personally haven't run across one that created GAS, and now I'm not thrilled about the process they might use for relec'ing. If I'm wrong about this, I sense rely apologize. For $100 less, I'd look closer at the Fender American Special series or a Baja Tele.

I'm sure there have been several threads on new relec'ed guitars, and I'm not wanting to dredge up that argument. For me, when I see a Road Worn Fender, it catches my eye at first, but my personal view is that I'd rather wear one in personally with miles (kilometers?) of playing to get it there. :running

I agree with Jimi, "...there will only be very few occasions on the life of a musician where the heart says - BUY THIS GUITAR". Go with what feels and sounds right to you, and you'll never regret it.

[Duffy]

Just got back from the Fender dealer and checked a Road Worn strat, no tele's in there.

I examined the strat completely and especially the relic'd places and did not see any evidence of photo finish going on. It looked lightly sanded or green padded, and sanded and buffed to a satin finish on the worn to the wood places, dinged up and had a really beautiful neck that looked worn off but had a satin finish, probably nitro on it, whatever it is it is a thin finish on the worn neck. The fretboard also did not look photo finished with any black dots being what appeared to be smudged paint from the black guitar worked into the finish, same as the black specks in the worn parts appeared to be buffed in black paint from the finish, or remnants of the original paint job before sanding and buffing out the worn places, deep into the grain pores. The neck looked quarter sawn with that characteristic blockiness to the grain up the neck in a band, the rest of the neck being straight grained.

I did not play the Road Worn, but I did play a Gibson LP Lite M3 that I have never seen or heard of before: it was a LP studio type body and neck but had a open coil superstrat pickup layout, five way switch and a toggle switch that seemed to split the coils, being a kill switch in one of the five positions. The strings were so old they were black. It is a '92 and is deep blue but not just about black, still has some barely blue color to it, drifting toward black. Decent semi raggedy shape, rusted screws and metal on pickups. Looks like it needs the electronics redone and the two full sized humbuckers and the middle single coil pickup replaced with new Gibson's or other excellent pickups, although these pickups sounded okay. Aside from natural aging the guitar felt great and played great. The tone was good in some positions of the five way and not so great in other positions, and the split coil sound was not really impressive. It was not one of those guitars that "you have to buy", like Tig mentioned, but it was cool to play.

I want the candy apple red Black Top tele with the maple board - it's growing on me. Quarter sawn neck, low action, no buzz, great tone.

Well, now to decide which tele to put the Vintage Noiseless pickups in: the MIM tele or test them in one of my nice Squier standard teles.

Any advice?

[sunvalleylaw]

I think if I did not already have my strat with these pups, and I liked the feel, I would go for this strat. I love the sound and feel of mine and I bet this one is similar. As far as the relic stuff, I guess I would not seek out that look. But if I liked it, I would look at the relic job as a start toward my own nicks, scuffs and etc., and would relax about those types of marks. I tend to really be careful of dinging my strat (or any of my guitars).

[Duffy]

Actually, looking at the Road Worn strat, I think it could make a real nice looking strat if the yellowed, cheap looking, pickguard was replaced with a nice aged white pearl pickguard or black pearl pickguard, gold, tortoise, or whatever new color goes good.

The rest of the relic job looks sort of good actually, in a obviously fake type of way, but a new guard would make it look partly restored and really sharp I think.

But for almost 900 dollars I don't think it is a bargain at all. I could get a Jimmy Vaughn strat for way less that's brand new and looks brand new and has tex mex pickups. Or a Roadhouse, or Lone Star, or Deluxe Players strat.

Also, for a couple more dollars you could get an American standard strat. So it doesn't really make a lot of sense to get this guitar unless you - just have to have it, like Tig was saying. In that case, who cares what it looks like?

I'd rather have one of those "Santana" SE series PRS'es.

[ZMAN]

Duff: There were a couple of issues of the M-III. One had kind of a strat body style and had a trem and 3 single coils with a "pointy" head stock
The Studio Lite M III was one of the first chambered LPs and came with two HBs and a Single. There was another M III Called the Stealth. It has made of Korina wood and had the Strat style body, pointed headstock and dual HBs with a single. Circa 1991 and 1992. Fairly rare.
I have looked at the road worn series and they looked as if they were painted, sanded then coated with a satin finish. Vintage guitars makes some of the nicest relic guitars I have ever seen for really low $.

[NWBasser]

Maybe my perception of this guitar is colored by the fact that I primarily play Les Pauls and this was the first strat that I've touched in many years.

Perhaps someone here with more strat miles on their hands could try one for better perspective? Duffy? Steve?

I'd like to know if this is an exceptional instrument or just another sample of the breed.

[sunvalleylaw]

Heck, NW, if you like it, that is good by me. I bet I would too. Next time I get to Boise I will see if they have one at GC. That won't be for a few weeks though. Like I said, I have the same pups in my guitar, and I absolutely love it. They are also the same pups as in the JV strat also. So if you like the feel, sounds like a winner to me.

[NWBasser]

Well, it seems it wasn't really only the RW strat that charms me. I just hadn't played many strats for a very, very long time and the newer ones are much better in nearly all aspects than what I was used to. Although some of the MIMs I recently tried were just meh. Fret ends weren't finished very well. The MIA Std. was super-sweet.

And now, I just got back from trying out a CV50's Squier and was quite thrilled with it. I guess all the glowing reports are not hype at all - it's a fine guitar and I nearly walked out of the store with it. Darn thing felt just right and sounded sweet too. It was a hard one to put down. It seemed much better than the few MIM's I tried.

Oh, I hope Santa is going to be good to me this X-mas.