Fender Road Worn 50s 60s
Fender Road Worn '50s Tele through a Fender Twin ReissueThe striking image of a well-worn guitar has long been a symbol of popular music. It elicits an array of emotions, embodies hopes and dreams, and rekindles old memories of seeing (or being in) a band that positively owned the stage at some smokey dive years ago. The sight of such an instrument—Joe Strummer’s beaten Telecaster, Neil Young’s tattered Les Paul, Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” Stratocaster, or the epitome of a well-worn instrument, Willie Nelson’s Martin, “Trigger”—makes musicians and non-musicians alike wish they could have been there to see the damage inflicted, or dream about being the ones who dished it out. They can inspire a sense of witnessing history, set in rusted steel and well-used wood.This admiration for beaten and bruised guitars has even created a trend in new guitars, but the phenomenon is fairly recent, when put into context. Fender and Gibson have been producing beaten-up versions of their instruments for several years now.
In the late 90s, the Fender Custom Shop introduced the Relic series, which were highly accurate reproductions of their vintage designs, but purposefully worn to replicate the feel of an actual guitar from the ‘50s or ‘60s. The idea was apparently inspired by Keith Richards, who told Fender that the replica instruments he’d received “looked too new” and that he wanted them to be worn out before he’d play them, so that he couldn’t feel or see the difference. Going even further, guitarists can now buy instruments that actually replicate the exact scratches, dings, and worn finishes of some of their favorite artists’ guitars.New, old-looking guitars can fetch thousands of dollars due to the comfortable feel of the neck, worn edges on the hardware, and of course, the look of cigarette smoke stains and finish dings from rowdy gigs and deflected beer bottles. Now that the demand for vintage-inspired, worn guitars has reached a peak, Fender is introducing an affordable line of their flagship models, complete with all the tarnished hardware, finish checking, and corrosion-encrusted vibe of those instruments.' 50s Telecaster The Road Worn Tele is based on a ‘50s model. Removing the Telecaster from the gig bag, we discovered quite a visually arresting guitar. I chalked this up partly to the fact that the fingerboard is maple, instead of rosewood, and the body sports a blonde finish—both of those traits really set off the worn treatment.
The body exhibits a great attention to detail, such as small ganks on the rear edge of the guitar and an area worn down to the white primer on the back, where belt buckles would normally rest against it. Also instantly noticeable were the worn areas on the fingerboard. After sitting down and plugging it in to test out said fingerboard, another thing became instantly evident: the neck felt different in certain areas, noticeably different, in fact. The worn areas had a smooth satin finish, but the fretting hand was slowed as soon as it met the clearcoat. This neck felt much more like a vintage, worn-in neck than the Strat’s did, and it was a blast to play. Both the Strat and Tele were run through a 1967 Marshall Superbass head into a Bogner 4x12 cabinet.
While the Strat had excellent sustain and punch, the Tele, of course, had its own voice and unexpectedly more.Once in a while, you come across a particular guitar that exemplifies a model you’ve played what seems like a few million times—one that rises above the others of its kind and truly enchants you. This Telecaster was one of those instruments.
The tone was true to the Tele twang and honk, but had an impressive sting to it that was very easy on the ears. The low end was quick and tight, and the midrange was surprisingly smooth for a stock bridge pickup. The fat neck combined with the well-worn areas made it a dream to play. Even the large 6105 jumbo frets weren’t a bother, although the guitar could perhaps have been improved by sporting a smaller set that really belongs on a Telecaster.
This Tele just had it all, hands down. The thing simply rocked.The Final MojoIt’s an obvious fact that pre-worn guitars are highly controversial among musicians. Some love the idea of an affordable, worn replica that’s great feeling great sounding right out of the box—and one that won’t take years getting it to feel the way they want it to. Others think the whole thing is as pointless as buying a pair of distressed jeans, and are offended that anybody would think that those battle scars didn’t have to be earned. After all, that’s one of the reasons why guitarists love worn guitars in the first place. They speak to the history between instrument and player.
In the end, each player has to be the one to judge, but you ought to at least play one first before deciding.Some aspects of a well-made, worn vintage replica can be a blessing in disguise: aged pickup magnets, thin nitro finishes and extremely comfortable necks. If the look turns players away, hopefully the allure of a great sounding and feeling instrument can bring them back. In the end, that’s all that should matter anyway, whether or not it’s achieved by a player over time or by a craftsman in another part of the world.The Road Worn Series shows that Fender is on to something good here. The relic jobs are very good, and the sound and playability are a step above the Mexican Standard line. Some small changes might be nice, as well.
This reviewer is old school and still believes that any guitar approaching the $1000 mark should come with a hardshell case instead of a gig bag. As for the Stratocaster, the worn areas on the neck could use a greater correspondence to the Tele, and more color options would be interesting, too. A worn, surf green or Buddy Holly blue would look really cool with this treatment. If the thought of new relics is a turn-off, then the Fender Classic Player line might be worth looking at. The Road Worn Series guitars are definitely in that league.
If the goal is pure rock ‘n’ roll vibe though, the new Fender Road Worn guitars undoubtedly merit a good play. Buy if.a stripped-down Tele with a great sound and a great feel is just your thing.Skip if.you dig glossy-as-new Teles and prefer smaller frets.Rating. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Jordan grew up traveling the country as the son of theater technical directors and speech instructors. His exposure to the performing arts early on helped foster his love for music and attention to detail, and upon receiving his first guitar at age 15, he became hooked. Jordan brings a considerable background of gear knowledge and tech experience to Premier Guitar, and has contributed an extensive amount of articles, artist interviews and Rig Rundown videos since late 2008. He lives in the Iowa City area, where he also works to bring music education initiatives to both local and regional communities.
WHEN FENDER INTRODUCED ITS RELIC SERIES GUITARS back in the mid ’90s, people were blown away by how authentic these carefully “aged” Strats, Teles, and Jazz and Precision Basses looked. And not in a stashedunder- the-bed-for-40-years way either, as Fender’s goal was to make their new line of premium priced Custom Shop instruments appear as if they had been played nightly for 40 years. The success of the Relic line led to Fender’s introduction of the Tribute Series instruments, which were exacting knock-offs of the actual guitars played by such famed players as Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
The laborintensive process of going ding-for-ding with these storied guitars made the limited-edition Tributes some of the most expensive guitars that Fender has ever produced (an SRV Tribute, for example, will currently set you back around $13,000), so it’s logical that Fender would eventually come around to building Relic-style g. WHEN FENDER INTRODUCED ITS RELIC SERIES GUITARS back in the mid ’90s, people were blown away by how authentic these carefully “aged” Strats, Teles, and Jazz and Precision Basses looked. And not in a stashedunder- the-bed-for-40-years way either, as Fender’s goal was to make their new line of premium priced Custom Shop instruments appear as if they had been played nightly for 40 years. The success of the Relic line led to Fender’s introduction of the Tribute Series instruments, which were exacting knock-offs of the actual guitars played by such famed players as Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Yngwie Malmsteen. The laborintensive process of going ding-for-ding with these storied guitars made the limited-edition Tributes some of the most expensive guitars that Fender has ever produced (an SRV Tribute, for example, will currently set you back around $13,000), so it’s logical that Fender would eventually come around to building Relic-style guitars for regular folks who can’t afford a Custom Shop Relic or Tribute model, or, for that matter, a real Strat or Tele from the ’50s or ’60s.
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ROAD WORN ’60S STRATOCASTERDressed in a suitably scuffed sunburst finish, the Road Worn ’60s Stratocaster came out of its included gig bag looking quite a lot like a real Strat from the 1960s. From the dull patina on the nickel-plated tuners to the “sweat and nicotine” stains on the knobs, pickguard, and pickup covers to the sections of the neck where the lacquer is almost completely rubbed away, this guitar could be easily confused with the real article if the two were set side-by-side on a dimly lit club stage. The Road Worn pretty much takes the anxiety out of scratching your brand new ax, but where the aging seems to really make its case is in how this guitar feels to play. The C-shaped neck is as comfy as old denim and the polished frets feel great under your fingers. Fret buzz was problematic above the 12th fret, however, and the Road Worn sounded a little out of tune in some spots on the neck. Since our reference Eric Johnson Signature Strat (which streets for over $2,300) arrived here buzz free and very in-tune sounding, though, it’s reasonable to assume that the Road Worn Strat could be made similarly so with some help in the setup department.
Fender Road Worn Telecaster Purple
The Road Worn’s vibrato is tensioned to float with three springs attached, and the system stayed in tune quite well when performing moderate upward and downward bends. Fitted with a standard complement of controls—but with a 5-way pickup selector— the Road Worn Strat offers the same limitations that come from not having any way of attenuating the highs on the pickup that needs it the most. Through our test amps, the Road Worn’s neck pickup is warm and clear sounding, and it yields a sweet wail when played wide open though an overdrive pedal. The middle position is fat and twangy—great for Texas-style blues—and the bridge setting is bright and cutting yet capable of delivering stout rock tones when fed into a high-gain distortion or fuzz pedal. The Tex-Mex pickups aren’t the vibiest models that Fender offers—our Eric Johnson Strat sounds deeper and more complex thanks to its modded Custom Shop pickups— but the Road Worn ’60s Stratocaster is still a cool sounding guitar that should satisfy anyone who seeks the vintage Strat experience at a modest price. ROAD WORN ’50S TELECASTERIntroduced in 1951, the Telecaster was the world’s first truly viable production solidbody.
Fender Road Worn Mexico
Yes, Paul Bigsby was making more advanced electric solids by that time, but each one had to be custom made by Bigsby himself, and the waiting list and high prices for his instruments left the market wide open for Fender’s revolutionary Tele.