Some things just get cooler with age. It’s especially true of electric guitars and basses—they develop an unmistakable mojo that makes them look cooler, sound better and feel even more comfortable than when they were brand new. Hence the winter 2009 arrival of Fender’s new Road Worn series—Stratocaster, Telecaster, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass guitars that, while new, are designed to look like they’ve borne the wear, tear, blood, sweat and beers of thousands of miles on the road.
The Road Worn '50s Strat (left) and '60s Strat (right).
They’re new instruments—with modern features and playability, and built using production techniques pioneered and perfected by Fender Custom Shop craftsmen. Yet they look, sound and feel like battle-hardened veterans; classics of Fender’s original golden age of the 1950s and ’60s.
As such, they are exactly what their name says they are. The five instruments in the Road Worn series are the ’50s Tele®, ’50s Strat, ’60s Strat, ’50s Precision Bass and ’60s Jazz Bass guitars. All feature notably distressed nitrocellulose lacquer-finished bodies and worn chrome hardware (nickel/chrome for basses) that, taken together, provide the sort of flawlessly period-correct aged appearance that sends collectors of far more expensive vintage instruments into the stratosphere.
Meticulously distressed appearances aside, however, each instrument has modern features too, such as the five-way switches on the two Stratocaster models and the Tex-Mex single-coil pickups and 6105 frets on all three guitar models.
The Basses.
The Road Worn ’50s Tele has an ash body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines, three-saddle string-through-body bridge and single-ply white pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Blonde. The Road Worn ’50s Strat has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines, synchronized tremolo and single-ply pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Black. The Road Worn ’60s Strat has an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style tuning machines, synchronized tremolo and three-ply mint green pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Olympic White.
At the deeper end, the Road Worn ’50s Precision Bass has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style reverse tuning machines, American Vintage bridge and gold anodized aluminum pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red. The Road Worn ’60s Jazz Bass has an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style reverse tuning machines, American Vintage bridge and four-ply brown shell pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red.
For more information, please visit www.fender.com
This is a Press Release
Related Topics:
Squier 60th Anniversary Classic Vibe ’50s Stratocaster
New Fender American Vintage Series