Road Worn 50's Strat!

[blackcloud45]

I do like tort guards!

[Neiloler]

That's a great looking guitar. I played one of the white 60s RW strats, and I really dug it. I love the age work on it, the interwebz don't capture the coolness of those things. I'd get one, beat it up a bunch my way, and it would be my own relic job. Very cool guitars, and they play wonderfully (at least the one I played did).

[blackcloud45]

The 6105 frets w/ the semi-bare neck is pretty nice for sure.

[Neiloler]

The 6105 frets w/ the semi-bare neck is pretty nice for sure.

It's definitely made me want to get a swamp ash body from Warmoth and paint it in nitro white, then let my kids smash it a bit with their toys and such.

[bclaire]

I had a '59 mapleneck Strat for a while that was a refin in black- but I gave it back to a friend of mine when he needed $$$.

I've seriously thought about getting one of the roadworn 50's Strat in black since- gulp!- it's a better guitar than the real '59! and for most people that had seen me play the black Strat, they wouldn't know the difference!

[Neiloler]

I had a '59 mapleneck Strat for a while that was a refin in black- but I gave it back to a friend of mine when he needed $$$.

I've seriously thought about getting one of the roadworn 50's Strat in black since- gulp!- it's a better guitar than the real '59! and for most people that had seen me play the black Strat, they wouldn't know the difference!

Seriously. People balk about the relic job being hoaky, and maybe it is, but for 98% of the non-guitar playing people, they wouldn't know the difference.

[bclaire]

True.

And the irony is, it's a better made guitar today than some of the vintage ones...

[Nork]

the strat i played was definitely one of the most comfy strats i'd played to date. the tele i tried out wasn't. but it's weird how fender does their stuff...i just don't get some of their marketing/quality control stuff.

i'm not sure where i sit on the RW/relic'd guitars. it's like nash guitars...sure they look cool, but...i dunno.

but in the end, if it plays nice, who cares, really. but i play a parker which most people would say is ugly as eff.

but that my friend, is another thread.

[blackcloud45]

I didn't care for the tele either. Parkers rock!

[bclaire]

I didn't care for the tele either. Parkers rock!

Agreed regarding the RW Teles- but the Joe Strummer Teles are outstanding....

[blackcloud45]

Oh yeah, the Strummers are great!

[nguideau]

The quality of the RW series is impressive. They are a little pricier than the other MIM offerings, but in my experience, you're really not paying for the relic job, you're actually paying for a guitar that feels better and comes "out of the box" with a better setup. And those pickups are just killer, I can't get over it.

Not that these perceptions were valid before, but the RW series is looking like it could shatter the "MIM Fenders are bad" notion. I'm sure the RW series is still hit-and-miss, like any guitar that's more than a custom one-off, but I know I've played at least a half-dozen different ones, all great, and all the reviews I've read have positive things to say about the experience. It seems as if Fender have really nailed that mid-market price point. You're getting $1000+ quality for between $700 - 900.

[Thinline_slim]

Seriously. People balk about the relic job being hoaky, and maybe it is, but for 98% of the non-guitar playing people, they wouldn't know the difference.

I don't really know if I'd call it hoaky and I do prefer a shiny new looking guitar if I'm buying it new but the situation I would dread is this:

I'm at a gig, just finished a set with a killer playing RW strat + Orange, which we all know = amazing tone.

Dude 1 comes up and asks "MAN, how long have you been playing that thing?! What year is it?"

At this point I have 2 options:
1. I lie so I can actually take a break.
2. Spend the next 10 minutes explaining why my "new" guitar looks likes it's from the 60's since that 98% of the people probably wouldn't understand what it is about a guitar, new or old, that would make you spend the $$ regardless of what it looks like.

I will admit though the RW strats are nice playing guitars.

[nguideau]

2. Spend the next 10 minutes explaining why my "new" guitar looks likes it's from the 60's since that 98% of the people probably wouldn't understand what it is about a guitar, new or old, that would make you spend the $$ regardless of what it looks like.

I will admit though the RW strats are nice playing guitars.

Exactly... this is why I wish they'd make guitars with identical specs, save for a full nitro finish instead of the worn finish.

Another thing that's cool about them is that since they are MIM relics, it's not like you'd ever feel a responsibility to keep it pristine and original... it's not a collector's piece or anything, it's a real player's guitar. Zero guilt would enter the equation if you wanted to swap pickguards, change pups, etc.

[blackcloud45]

Well, if that dude asked me what year it was I'd be like, "Your momma year! How about that?"

Nah, just kidding. Actually, I'd probably tell him all about it because I love to talk gear If he had anything negative to say I would assume he was an idiot because I'd be secure in the knowledge that the RV50 was rocking it. To quote Billy Gibbons, I'd "let the machine speak"

Yeah, I'm a little frisky today

Guilt free is what it's all about. I'm really enjoying that it's beat up. Not for the, "mojo, look at me I'm playing an old guitar" sake. More from the, "I can play this guitar outside without a care in the world. Hell, if I sweat on it it just makes it cooler." Yeah, I'm digging it. I agree, they should make one like this as a NOS type deal. I've often said that I wished Fender would put the love and attention into all their guitars that they do the relics. They are freaking me out right now. It's like Orwell's '1984'. They jack up the price 30%, then have a 10% off sale and tell you to act now as these prices won't last long. WTF? Big Brother man...