Road Worn MIM Teles & Strats

[saneff]

Whats the low down on these quality and sound wise? They look great but I just don't know anything about them and have searched and find nothing. Guys, what's your opinion on them? I'm tempted.

 

[airportbar]

The good ones I've played were really good (50s tele, 60s strat). But there have been some duds too (50s strat). Pretty much like everything else, you should try first or buy from an online source with a liberal return policy.

 

[mgarrison99]

I have a 60s Roadworn and love it. I changed the pups and wiring ans had it professionally set up. Plays and feels like a dream.

 

[zzzezums]

the necks are very good.

 

[Release]

I have two 50's Strats (Black and Burst) and I absolutely LOVE 'em. They sound amazing and feel just as good. I've tried a handful of the Roadworn Series and some were much better than others so don't buy one blindly. I highly recommend the good ones though. HIGHLY.

 

[Gas-man]

Frets need to be touched up when you get them, but that is no big deal and common even on "boutique" guitars.

I have one of each and really like their "woody" character.

 

[Hawking]

The funny thing about the RW series is that what people seem to love the least about them is the finish.

Otherwise they seem to be pretty well loved for their feel and sound

 

[Vikk]

You know I was actually thinking the exact same...

Been on the hunt for a strat.... Played a few till I came across a road worn strat today. It played and felt tons better than even the custom shop ones...

Woody tone... Great neck... Everything I was looking for in a stat.

What is putting me off a road worn is the price. For a 100-200 bucks extra you can get an American standard inc. a hard case (road worns come with a gig bag)......

 

[Johnny21]

MIM FSRs are a pretty good bang for the buck

 

[danelectro]

The neck thickness and profile (soft V) felt wonderful on my 50's RW Strat. I'm not a big fan of the 7.25" fretboard radius because it means the action must be higher to keep from fretting out, but otherwise I loved the guitar. Mine was very lightweight and the stock pickups sounded excellent. With the exception of the odd finish wear pattern on the fretboard surface that is typical on every one I've seen (What? Nobody plays from the 9th to the 12th fret???!) , I thought the aging looked fairly convincing. I ended up selling the guitar a year or two ago because I was on a kick to thin out the heard and since I also had a pair of Eric Johnson Strats (another wonderful model), I decided it made better sense to keep the EJs and let the RW go. In hindsight, I wish I had held onto to the RW because for the money it was a fantastic guitar. I bought mine on Craigslist for $400 and I think I eBay'd it away for around $650. As cheap as they are, I'll probably end up with another.

I liked the RW Strat so much that it convinced me to buy a RW Tele. This was an eBay bargain that I couldn't pass up. I ended up making a black guard for it to give it more of that early 50's look. Again, nice neck and the same comments on the fretboard wear. From a distance the blond finish looked cool but up close it appeared thick and milky. This was my first and only Tele and although it was a nice guitar, I'm a fan of Juniors and every time I was playing it I felt like I'd rather have my Junior in my hands and so we parted ways.

 

[Daka3]

When you get a good one - phew! Everything I ever wanted in a Strat or tele. I could not care less about the cookie-cutter wear, both my 50's tele and strat were the liveliest, most resonant Fenders in the store. I'd prefer these to an American standard any day. Pro setup must be included in total cost of ownership, though.

 

[VaughnC]

A couple years ago, I walked into my local Fender, Suhr, Anderson, etc.. dealer with $3k in my pocket to bring home the best Strat in the shop. One particular $750 MIM Road Worn 60's Strat had the magic that nothing else in the shop had...so she came home with me and has been my #1 ever since. Yup, the frets needed polished and I installed a Callaham block & different pickups...which took it over the top. But, right off the rack, I could hear the magic in less than a dozen notes. However, the same exact Strat hanging next to mine was a dog...so sometimes you just never know.

 

[Fuzz_Mountain]

i love the necks on them, but i don't know a ton else.

 

[Palladio]

I've played several recently and thought they were great, especially at that price point. The necks just feel right to me - comfortable profile and finish with a nice worn in feel. Some were better than others, but that's true of just about any make of guitar. There was one Tele in particular that had a perfect neck. I would have bought it but it was much heavier than I prefer in a Tele. I even considered buying it to keep the neck and sell the body, it was that good. If you find a good one, I think it's a no brainer for the price. I like them better than the American Standards, but I like "old" feeling guitars so YMMV.

 

[jonahboo]

soon to be my sons (this Xmas) - the neck is very comfy - I have actually heard folks love the neck and ditch the body on the Joe Strummer models

 

[saneff]

Best place to buy them?

 

[Chas]

I have the Blonde Ash Tele and it ringed like a bell right out of the box. Upgraded to Lollars and changed the bridge and it is tough to beat. They must have found some exceptional wood for the Ash Tele's.

 

[VaughnC]

Best place to buy them?

I don't think there is a "best" place. When I bought mine locally they had about a dozen in stock...one was very special, a few were pretty good, a few were so so, and a few were dogs. So, you'll either have to kick a lot of tires locally or order on line and take your chances.

 

[saneff]

I have the Blonde Ash Tele and it ringed like a bell right out of the box. Upgraded to Lollars and changed the bridge and it is tough to beat. They must have found some exceptional wood for the Ash Tele's.

So the pickups need to be upgraded?

 

[monty]

Almost perfect, but I need a flatter radius. The necks feel like Heaven.