The Road Worns were a terribly executed idea. Ive had over 2 dozen come in, new, that needed work on the necks done. Seems the original batch of necks they made were kept in a warehouse that either didnt have proper climate control, or it was broken. All the ones that came in had the same problem; not enough fretboard edges. and if you took down the frets; the string spacing made both E strings just fall off the sides, without bending them, just fretting them. Really bad QC on them. Ontop of them, I can tell from a mile away a Road Worn, they all have identical wear marks. I personally dont get the "relic'd" thing myself. Ontop of that, now that they have "Relics", its made an artificial bump in the price on the used market. Where 10 years ago a beat up guitar meant you could get it dirt cheap, now every poorly taken care of guitar is just slapped with the relic before or after the listing, and they try to bump the price up.

Guess they really were "road-worn", or in this case, factory worn.

I agree that a company can do whatever it wants to do. I also agree that if you dont like it, dont buy it. The problem i have is the whole friggin "relic" movement just took the used market, and inflated it. eBay was doing a good enough job of overinflating prices. I remember a guy i got into a pissing contest with a couple years ago, when my American Deluxe was stolen, and he was trying to sell a 3 or 4 year old one for more than i bought mine for. His claim was that "i plek'd the fretboard", big deal, that's all well and good, until you string the thing up, or move it to an area with a different climate, then its just as accurate as me using a straight edge becaue it may need to be done again (plus it wasnt even the year he said it was because it was missing the shaved heal, and a couple other things)that's where eBay's gone to. Used to be people selling stuff they dont need, now its online stores who ask too much, and make people think their stuff is worth more than it really is, because look at the "buy it now" price, or see the auction price high, but dont realize that;1)the guy never gets that inflated BIN price, or the auction bids dont get paid. Now we have "relic". So a guitar that 10-15 years ago would sell for $500, now he wants $1000 because its relic'd. I have a strat i built, that i shot with a thin skin nitro finish. Unfortunately, its already showing signs of wear. My rings are scuffing up the neck, and im wearing away the finish on the body. Its only been finished for a few months now. I'm going to re-shoot it with another layer of nitro. I like a worn in look, but after a few years you know.
PS. That guy on eBay was one of the biggest douche's ive dealt with on that site, and that's saying alot

If that's as bad as you've seen you are lucky. I was burned once and now am super-careful. You CAN get good deals on eBay. I recently picked up a Steinberger Spirit Deluxe on ebay for just over 1/2 price and I've been delighted with it (great for travel. Better than a Ministar, and cheaper than a new Traveller.)

One thing that nobody has mentioned about the Road Worn Strats: one type of buyer is a working musician who wants that look as part of his show. If you're gigging somewhere where that look goes over well, having a strat that looks 40 years old is huge.

Those of us playing in our living rooms won't get that. We're trying too hard to be "authentic." Working musicians know that they need a brand. Us guys sitting on internet forums will be able to tell the difference, but the regular audience only knows that the guy's strat looks kick $@!.

But to support what other people are saying - I wouldn't buy one, but I hope one day my guitar looks like that.

I'm new here, but I'm about to buy my first American Strat tomorrow so I hit these forums to see what's going on. And no, I'm not buying a Road Worn. I'm getting either an American Standard or a Highway One. Whichever I like better when I play them both.

Sarge, If you've got the money for a Standard--go for it and don't look back, otherwise, you might take a look at the American Special.

Thanks for the advice TMats. I don't really know the difference between the two guitars other than what I can see with the finish. There's something about the idea of an American Standard Strat that makes me happy though. I'm going to play the one I'm interested in again tomorrow. I can afford it and I'll likely buy it.

Sorry for the mini-threadjack.

I had several road worns and the originals did have a problem with too close to the edge high E but with that said The one I have know is a truely great guitar. I bought it to resell as with most guitars I have had but found this one to be as good as any Fender I have ever owned. The feel of the finish was worth the $450 I paid for the guitar. The neck was so nice to play on and the feel of the back of the neck was pro all the way. Way better than a new finish. Not knocking a beautiful finished 57 reissue or thin skin 54 reissue. I own those as well but my road worn holds it own with any custom shop all way around and I can play it without fear of nicking it or other finish problem. As with any guitar some suck and some are wonders. That includes all models and makes. I have found the cost or looks of a guitar never determines the way it plays, feels and sounds.

+1
You should fake character, I think the relics are pretty lame. I would rather buy an over priced authentic road worn guitar from a guitar that specializes in vintage guitars than purchase a new one.

A lot can be said about style, it is what makes each one of us different. I have owned a few guitars in my short years. I started with a student model Fender Strat copy with a hardtail and a single pick up. My second guitar was a 1980s Cort DC with a hardtail and dual humbuckers. I was dreaming of Gibsons at that time, specifically Firebirds and ES 335s. I picked up a guitar magazine in the mid 1990s where I saw Liz Phair with a Fender Dou Sonic and ever since I have become a fan of the look of the Mustang, but more importantly Fender. In my search for My perfect guitar, I have played many. I have bought several including the Cyclone and the Jaguar Special HH. While I love the Jaguar for it's fixed bridge and dual humbuckers, the Cyclone is well balanced and feels right. My wish was to combine these two guitars. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see Fender put out a product that is exactly what I have been wanting for several years, a Fender Mustang with dual humbuckers and a fixed bridge. Thank You Fender!!!!
I will add that in my search for My guitar I also own a Jimmy Vaughan Strat and an American Deluxe Strat. I don't plan on parting with any one of my guitars. I like the fact that Fender seems to have gone out on a limb for the PawnShop Series, it really opens up the individuality of guitar ownership. I believe by them trying different things will open the door to future Fender customers while delighting some current hard core fans.
I also like the idea of the Relic and Road Worn Series. While this may not be for me, I have seen special options made available on these models that interests other customers. I hope that Fender keeps following their ideas, it will only lead to a better product for all of us in the end.
Fender... if you're reading, I am dreaming of a Translucent PurpleBurst Strat with a fixed bridge and a dual humbuckers.

Once again it was not the looks of my Road Worn I liked so much as the feel. It just was like new stiff jeans or pre wash. The pre wash just feel better.

And no worries about nicking or scratching it.

Time for me to chime in. If you don't like a particular series, don't buy it. What appeals to one person might not appeal to another. I love the fact that Fender does try to give the people what they ask for.

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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

Amen.

And at more reasonable prices than their competitors.

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You dig?

Exactly right! (Which is why I don't own a Camaro... )