so hey guys im getting confused here i was going to buy that beautiful road worn 60s model the white one tommorrow now im afraid to what other strat for 1000 bucks brand new is better the pickups sound good it looks great no case that sucks but dont u think these road worns are way better built than those standard made in mexico fenders they been putting out in the past

There are many differences between the Road Worns and the MIM standards. One is the finish- the standards have a thick polyester finish and the RW has a thin nitro finish that is of course worn away in some spots. This allows the character of the wood to resonate more on the RW.

The pickups in the Standard are regular single coils, where the RWs have Tex Mex pickups that are a bit hotter with more bite.

The Standard's fretboard radius is 9.5" as opposed to the RW's (and all vintage spec strats) 7.25". Also, the truss rod adjustment is on the body side of the neck as opposed to at the headstock.

If you compare the RW to the un-reliced MIM Classic series 60's Stratocaster, you will notice that the frets on the RW are jumbo size compared to the thin vintage size frets on the Classic. Again, the Classic has a thick poly finish vs. the thin nitro on the RW.

If you want the classic sounds of any popular artist that played a 60's strat, i.e. SRV, Mike McReady, John Mayer, John Frusciante, Henry Garza, among others, get the Road Worn. It's got the look and feel that you want. That's my two cents but you gotta make up your own mind.

Peace!

+1

I noticed that the Road Worns I've played are lighter than my MIM Standard.

_________________
Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalairdmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckslaird
Instagram: http://instagram.com/beckslaird

I don't post here very often, but I've got to say this somewhere where I hope a Fender employee will read it.

Anyway, I used to live near a pretty big vintage dealer, and they always take excellent care of their instruments (new and used). I tried out a RW 60s Strat at this dealer, and it really was a nice guitar. It was very light, very comfortable, and very resonant. I'm a sucker for vintage hardware and appointments, too.

That being said, I am not a big relic fan if only for the fact that with a traditional, thin nitrocellulose finish (minus the plasticizers like those in a Gibby finish) a guitar will begin to wear in only a few years - not too long to wait for real, personal character. I won't pass any judgment on Fender for manufacturing these guitars, though, because other than the effect on my personal sense of aesthetics they are excellent instruments if set up and cared for by a quality Fender dealer.

On to my point: the RW finish wear appears to be pretty uniform between guitars, leading to the assumption by many (which is probably correct) that the relic process is automated. I would like to suggest that Fender would have a HUGE hit on their hands if they could just leave out that step in the finishing process for a number of guitars and produce a "Road Ready" series as well - merely RWs minus the stamped-on wear. I own all the Strats I probably need, but I would have a really hard time not GASsing for one of those.

Maybe I am missing something obviously already stated but...
Are road worn strats (i.e. 60's RW strat) MiM or MiA?

_________________
explorationx

I've heard nothing but great things about the road worn guitars, both the Strat, and the Tele. I don't have any personal experience with them, I'm hoping that changes in the next few weeks. I don't intend buying one to be honest, but I would like to try a few out. Who knows, maybe I can get to like the worn look

The RW are MIM, like the Classic Series 50s and 60s.

MIM.

If you have seen the factory tour footage of the Fender Ensenada plant, you will find top notch manufacturing and quality control. I feel the playability issues rest on the retailer. If Guitar Center is putting guitars for sale that are not ready to be played, and need a final set up, that is their fault. Every guitar needs a final set up before it goes on the floor for sale. If GC is just taking them out of the box, and putting it out, they are wrong to do so. I don't know about you, but where I live is a lot different weather than Mexico!!!
We have gone round and round on this, but I do feel that $950 for a MIM Strat is a bit much. Just last year, you could buy a new Standard Strat for $399 at most outlets. I personally don't see the huge improvement(relic job) to warrant the price increase. Why not spend a little more, and get a nice hardshell case, and go with the MIA Strat??? That is what I would do if I had $1000 for a new guitar. But then again, I prefer to buy my Strats pre-loved!! I don't mind getting a great deal on a used guitar. You just have to look, they are out there. I know Fender doesn't want to hear that.

I agree. I always buy used, dont think I ever bought a new guitar. Same as cars.

Spend $200 - $300 on a MIM and do the relic job yourself. Or just play.

Ok, so I went to Guitar Center today and played a Sunburst Road Worn Strat & also a Blonde Road Worn Tele through a Reissue Blues Deluxe.
The salesman (mike) said niether were set up at all (straight out of the box). They both felt pretty good, although the tele needed a setup more so than the strat. Also neither guitar seemed lighter in weight at all to me. Not bad guitars, I would consider buying the strat but I would get it used myself. I also had them sign my test drive application too.

_________________
explorationx

All I can say is all is to each their own. SOme like them and others do not. I did not like them when I played them. And for a $1000, there are better guitars out there.

I can wait until my guitar is naturally "Road Worn".

RK

_________________
RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I've been looking at them. In the past I haven't really been attracted to road worn relics but I think I'm changing on that. I think I could grow to love one now. Some things take a little time before you become fond of them.

Of course I'd still like to procure a MIJ 57 or 62 Reissue too.

I DID THE EXACT THING. ILOVE AMERICAN STANDARD STRATS. BUT I GOT CARRIED AWAY AND ORDERED THE MARK KNOPFLER SIG STRAT 2 WEEKS IT WILL BE IN .DO U LIKE THE ARTIST SERIES?

I think the main appeal on these guitars is the nitro finish. You don't see many new Strats with the nitro. They all have that glossy Poly finish thats about a foot thick. You can play one of those for a hundered years and it'll never "age" the way vintage Strats do. I played a couple of these at GC. The action was a mile high and it really needed a setup, but I loved the neck and the jumbo frets. Plus, it does look unique and not like the typical off the shelf Strat like the hundred of others do. If I ever get another Strat, it'll probably be one of these (when they come down a few bucks in price ).