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Fender® used to wonder what would happen if they took a shiny new guitar, and deliberately aged it to look like a vintage instrument. They immediately grasped the attention of musicians searching for that special guitar, which looked like it was broken in by a rock icon. Fender® read the thoughts of guitarists when they released the Fender® Road Worn® Series—the 50's Stratocaster®, 60's Stratocaster®, 60's Telecaster®, 50's Precision Bass®, and 60's Jazz Bass®—Fender® delivers unique guitars through American Musical Supply that look like they belong behind glass. The following are Fender® Road Worn® Reviews meant to help the overwhelmed Fender® fanatic.

Vintage Styling

Fender® realizes that few privileged musicians are given the opportunity to play the same guitars as their idols. The 1965 Fender® Stratocaster® played by Stevie Ray Vaughan was sold at auction for $623,500. Some musicians can afford guitars like the ’65, but for the other 99.9% of guitarists Fender® has it covered with the Road Worn® Series. AMS customer Tremelo68 has this to say as he reviews his own Fender® Road Worn® Guitar, “Most of us can’t afford real vintage instruments and this gives us the feel (and look) at a much lower cost. Thanks to Fender for making my dream affordable.” There is plenty of debate as to which guitar is the best Fender Road Worn. Based on Fender's® Classic Series, the Road Worn® Series adds authentic vintage-style touches such as a lightly worn lacquer finish. All of the models feature an older body with a comfortable contour designed for the best fit for continuous play. Many players enjoy the modern 'C'-shaped maple neck, which fits most musicians that don’t prefer quite as deep of a style as a U or V neck. To keep the instrument in the same condition as when it comes home a lightly worn urethane finish is applied to prevent wear beyond that of the original worn look. The three-ply pickguard prevents warping, which keeps the pickup from moving up or down. Fender® also saves some time by providing factory aged knobs instead of making guitarists who believe in “relicing” (the art of aging a guitar to look heavily used) do it themselves.

Unique Features

Each Road Worn® guitar has a distinctive neck shape with no neck being the exact same as the one previous. The Telecaster® 50’s has the rounded U-shaped neck, which works well for players with large hands that rest their thumbs on the back or side of the neck. The Stratocaster® 50’s has a slender V neck from the mid-50’s that has a vintage feel with the thumb hanging over the finger board. Lastly the Stratocaster® 60’s has a C-shaped neck, which many players tend to prefer as it’s widely considered the modern style.

It is important to also do a couple bass guitar reviews, as they are a few of the best choices for every day guitarists. Fender® came out with two types of Road Worn® Basses®. Firstly, the wide Precision Bass® is made from quality wood and sounds like it has the original warm punchiness with some low end thump to it from the 1950’s. The narrower, thinner Fender® Road Worn® '60's Jazz Bass® rosewood neck features a closer string spacing that creates the best tapered feel. An overall chunky crisp tone that isn’t the same in newer models is provided by two standard vintage alnico magnet Jazz Bass® single-coil pickups that succeed in turning back the clock on this bass guitar. Upon reading other musicians’ reviews these basses can really thump and hum.

Comfort

Hopefully the reader has taken from these reviews that the Fender® Guitars Road Worn® Series is like someone’s favorite broken-in pair of jeans in that they look cool, they're comfortable, and they do what they were made to do. The neck feels like shaking hands with a friend, it just fits. Having a distressed finish makes them look the best, like they've been on the road for years. Don't be afraid to let loose and add your own knicks and scratches. Musicians should feel free to make some memories with their new “vintage” instrument, and maybe make some up along the way. To see more information on the Road Worn® Series and other Fender® Guitars including the best prices, photos, and customer reviews please visit the American Musical Supply website.

Fender Road Worn 50s Telecaster
An example of the vintage look presented by the Fender® Road Worn® 50’s Telecaster®.