Hey,you want me to go away so you can have your little handbag fight and sound superior,all the while you ask for advice for your playing?....take a flying leap.

Agressive Passion, Passive Aggression, Confrontational Humour, Humourous Confrontations.
......Um Sorry. What were we discussing? Road Worns? Well, they're really just a matter of taste aren't they?

....yes strat789, my little electronic painting does indeed represent RJ.

"Blues walkin' like a man"

Hey,you want me to go away so you can have your little handbag fight and sound superior,all the while you ask for advice for your playing?....take a flying leap.


I take it that’s a no then?

I really think it's time to move on guys. This fella is obviously incapable of accepting responsibility for his actions. No amount of discussion or reasoning is going to change that.
Just another one to add to the avoid list. No one can say we didn't try.
Yeah Strat789, sling it. We don't need your input here. I certainly won't be seeking your advice. Advice from someone without even a rudimentary level of skill at interacting with strangers? What can you possibly offer me?

Is that plain enough?

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No no and no

On the original/original topic of the factory Road Worn vs making your own relic, I have the RW and made my own relic.

I can tell you that my own relic cost about $450 for the new and like new parts, I used good quality all Fender parts from Japan, Mexico and US, and maybe another $100 for materials, finish remover and stains and acid. I spent many, many hours in painstaking and laborious work getting the relic look, the poly finishes are tough. I am estimating well over 100 hours of work, spread out over a year or more to completion, all done by hand, I don't have the belt sander or other equipment. So, around $550 just for parts, and what is my labor worth? Then, working with the stain for the wood parts and plastic parts, and acid for the hardware is messy and dangerous. I once accidentally got a quick whif of the acid fumes, even though I was using it outside, well ventilated, and my throat was sore for over a week, not fun and could have been worse. But the Strat turned out very nice I think. Don't think that I want to tackle another in the same way, it was difficult but achieved good results. I could have used cheaper parts and saved money, but wanted a good quality playable Strat, not just for looks. And, probably could do another in less time, having learned a little on this one.

The factory RW was I think $800 with discount, plus another $200 for a "distressed" new bridge, and base plate and pick guard shield, all from Callaham, so just about $1,000, and an couple of hours of work. I did some work on the RW to finish a small amount of routing in the trem block cavity, and filed the fret ends. As far as sound, the RW is better, I'm sure due to the certain combination of the parts, body wood, finish, pickups, etc. But the look and feel of mine is better, at least to me. It may be worth the savings to do it yourself, if you have the time and patience (mine were both stretched thin).

I really like both, but if I had to choose one, I would pay for the factory job instead of doing it myself. To me, my labor was worth well over the $500 price difference. There is a lot of satisfaction in doing it myself, but it is a chore to get a good look, a labor of love maybe. Here are both, mine is the black one.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Hey shim, beautiful girls you got there.
Especially love the white one, dark headstock, looks good

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

hey shim, its good to see pics of your Road Worn, looking at the back your wear is different to mine, in the same places, but different. I havnt modded the bridge on mine yet, not sure if im going to, maybe a steel block. the pickups that come stock to me are perfect, and the playabilty of the overal axe is fantastic. i would post pics of mine but i dont have a digi cam sorry guys

Shimmolou, Great job on them strats. They look really cool.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

I was visiting a friend who is a well known luthier in the area a while back. He knows I like vintage gear, especially old Strats. He opens this old beat up Tweed Fender case and tells me to take a look at the guitar. It was a 1957 Strat. Man oh man, was it sweet. I played it and it was like WOW, this is so nice and broke in feeling. He asked me what I thought it was worth. I looked it over really carefully, at every detail. I was afraid to say. Then he tells me it is a 1990 Made in Japan 57 Reissue that a guy professionally reliced..... I was so embarrassed and he got a good laugh, but then said, pretty impressive eh? Look just like, and feels just like, the real thing! So i think there is a place for relic type guitars or road worn. Some people like Purple some green, some vintage other DX models, but it is all based on preference. So often in forums people's feeling get hurt over one person's preferences over another. Really kind of silly.

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Thanks guys!



Yes, I've seen a few of the RWs, and they are all just a little different, even if the worn spots are in the same places. I would definitely replace the block at least. Actually, check out the bridge mounting screws, they are horrible, rough surface on the length and junk metal, I replaced those too. I considered maybe replacing the pickups on mine until I changed the block, and wow, the Tex Mex pickups sound sweet now, classic vintage sound. The new block really brings out the tone of the pickups, I agree, the pickups are very nice, no need to change them. Same thing in my Am Std Strat, I considered a pickup change, but with the new block the pickups sound beautiful.

Xhefri,

That is exactly what I was going for with my relic, and authentic look. Everyone thought that it was the real deal until I fessed up. (the pictures don't do it justice)

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

My Callaham block is suppose to be here tomorrow. (for my Am Standard). Can't wait to hear the difference. I hope I'm not expecting too much. But after reading what Shimmilou wrote, looks like it's gonna be good. Can't wait to hear these Custom Shop pups with a steel block. Oh and sorry guys, I'm not trying to Hijack the argument thread. By all means carry on.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

Do give us your honest evaluation because there is a lot of controversy over whether these blocks make that much difference in the tone or not. So let us know if it is really marginal, or more than that or like WOW. Make sure to play your guitar for a while BEFORE you change it and then again right afterward.

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Okay Xehfri. Yeah I'm definately gonna perform a careful comparison. I'll post my findings asap.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

..Again, who's this we!... Talk about kettle pot.

Playing Hendrix " Little Wing " for example. Is I would like to think a bit better than rudimentary, and to the best of my memory I have not given technical advice to anyone.

“ You “, are actually what you accuse me of.. A predilection in which you are not unique on this Forum, sadly.
I would remind you that my contretemps was with three people only. I/we did not invite your or any other outsiders, interjection or opinion..
Have a nice day.

dude give it a rest, just let this #$@*&!% topic die, or better still can a mod lock this?