The latest guitar news, reviews and features delivered to your inbox. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, A 60th Anniversary Road Worn Jazz Bass was also unveiled for 2020 – we’ll take the Firemist Silver version with tortoiseshell guard, please – but there’s no new Road Worn P-Bass just yet. Switching to the Strats, it’s a similar story. “It’s just as comfortable a neck shape today as it was in the mid-1960s”. “The Strat’s acoustic qualities impress, with its even decay crying out for the hypnotic throb of tremolo, a splash of spring reverb and judicious dips of the whammy bar”. Could we be seeing new Silvertone guitars soon? The toughest decision to make is which colour to choose. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, The rise, fall and rediscovery of the Fender Jaguar, How to set up a Les Paul: 7 essential tips. We put a lot of importance on quality and consistency.”, Body check: there’s fine lacquer checking on the Telecaster’s solid alder body. If the battle-scarred sunburst ’64 is Jimi and SRV, the Firemist Gold Road Worn is John Frusciante, Nile Rodgers and Mark Knopfler. Credit: Fender Cost: $1099.99 new, find one from Fender.com, Reverb.com, Thomannmusic.com, or Amazon.com! A couple of slightly rough spots take no more than two minutes to smooth out with some 12000-grit Micro-Mesh, but the need for minor fettling in order to get the best out of a guitar shouldn’t be regarded as a deficiency at this price point. The Strat’s acoustic qualities impress too, with its even decay crying out for the hypnotic throb of tremolo, a splash of spring reverb and judicious dips of the whammy bar. It looks and feels like it's already had a life and is ready for much more. Vintera® Road Worn® ‘50s Stratocaster® ($1,099.99) Prized for its natural tonal qualities and hand-distressed for an authentically well-played look, the Road Worn® 50s Stratocaster® delivers the bell-like tone and unbeatable playing comfort one gets from a great vintage guitar. All above board: Fender opted for pau ferro for the ’60s Strat’s fingerboard. An autopsy report found traces of fentanyl in Earle's system at the time of his death. Shares. 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Over a barrel: intonation is a compromise on three-saddle bridges, but it’s not a deal-breaker here. The Big Review: Fender Vintera Road Worn ’50s Telecaster & ’60s Stratocaster Fender’s Road Worn guitars return with improved relic’ing and an attractive range of custom colours. Like with the other models in the Vintera series, rather than slavishly recreating instruments from specific model years, Fender has amalgamated a variety of features to evoke the spirit of an era. Bath The Telecaster’s neck carve has more pronounced shoulders than many of the original Blackguard necks we’ve played, but regardless, it’s a satisfying palmful but not overly hefty. © 2020 Guitar.com is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. (Some affiliate links). Whether you are a fan of the vintage aesthetic but priced out of the pre-CBS Fender market – and let’s face it, that’s most of us – or you are simply on the hunt for a vibey and inspiring workhorse electric with a familiar voice, look no further. The Vintera Road Worn '50s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. Then it was the turn of the American Vintage guitars; they became the decade-specific American Originals - and that’s the style we have here. But the series also includes the Vintera Modified guitars, which mate vintage styling to modern Fender modifications like S1 phase switching and a 9.5" fretboard radius. Although Relics have been both a huge Fender success story and enormously influential in the wider industry – everything from effects pedals to capos can now be purchased with a distressed finish – there’s no doubt that a vocal minority in the guitar community prefers its wear and tear to be the result of years of hard gigging. Although some may baulk at the light-brown appearance of the pau ferro ’board and long for the rich dark-chocolate hue of a Brazilian rosewood original, it’s worth noting that Fender briefly experimented with alternatives to rosewood in the early-to-mid 1960s. £859; $1199; By Dave Burrluck 02 February 2009. Show More Deals. 11 September 2020, '50s and '60s-inspired Strat, Tele and Tele Deluxe guitars will be first to receive new hand-distressed relic treatments. From eye-catching straps to dual-function pedals that both look the part and free up pedalboard real estate, there’s something for every type of guitar player this festive season. You can always unsubscribe (so you won't receive any more e-mails) by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each e-mail. Vintage radius or not, we struggle to make the Telecaster choke out, even with bends that stretch the boundaries of taste. Fender’s original Road Worn series arrived in 2009, making the played-in look and feel of an old Strat or Tele something much more accessible to the masses by taking the ageing knowhow of the Custom Shop and applying it to production-line guitars made in the company’s Ensenada factory in Baja California, Mexico. Our Verdict. Though we’ve concentrated on their performance in comparison to vintage instruments, it’s important to emphasise that both of our review guitars are classic-sounding Fenders in their own right that tick all the important boxes and beg to be gigged. Both Road Worns are equipped with Fender’s Vintage-Style Hot pickups, but despite the ‘hot’ designation, output levels are still within vintage tolerances. We take a look back at Elephant – the duo’s heavy-hitting 2003 garage-rock masterpiece that unleashed rock’s last truly world-conquering riff. The Vintera Road Worn ‘50s Stratocaster has a Thick Soft V-shaped neck profile that feels incredible in your hand. ... That means you get a semi-hollow ash body with a maple neck and, in the case of the review model, the creamy, sexy, blonde finish. We’ve seen a vintage Jazzmaster in the flesh with a padauk veneer ’board that looked very similar in tone to the slab of pau ferro used here. The equivalent Vintera 50s Modified is £849. The ’64 has a woody depth that’s tough to beat, but the Road Worn model sports a spank and a percussive edge that excels in a leaner, wirier, funkier setting. The simulated wear on the maple ’board happily stops short of looking too heavy or formulaic, while around the back there’s a nicely worn feel with minimal drag. “We’ve evolved the process based on our experience, and that we feel has resulted in our best looking and feeling Road Worn instruments yet. Finished in nitrocellulose lacquer – prized for its natural tonal qualities and distinct aging patterns, then hand-distressed for an authentically broken-in look, this Strat® delivers the bell-like tone and playing comfort you’d expect from a … © Thankfully, unlike certain Custom Shop Time Machine guitars, we don't have the old-style three-way pickup selector; the five-way is a much better … I paid £920 new for this, so they have managed to keep these Road Worns pretty well priced I think. … England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Is this the no-brainer guitar purchase of 2020? They certainly appear a little more nuanced than the original Road Worn finishes of a decade ago, and Max Gutnik, Fender’s VP of electric guitars, basses and amplifiers, agrees. During previous encounters with Vintera models we’ve been impressed by the neck shapes, and that trend continues here. Fender Vintera Series. Please refresh the page and try again. The November 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! We’re more than happy to oblige. Finished in nitrocellulose lacquer – prized for its natural tonal qualities and distinct aging patterns, then hand-distressed for an authentically broken-in look, this Strat delivers the bell-like tone and playing comfort you’d expect from a great … $1,099.99. The first 2020 batch of Vintera Road Worn models contains ’50s and ’60s Strats, a ’50s Tele and a ’70s Telecaster Deluxe. A new global distribution deal marks the first major activity from the brand since 2016. Like on the Road Worn Tele, the area in which the back of the Stratocaster’s headstock flows into the neck features crisper and more defined lines than the soft transition of a vintage instrument, but this doesn’t impact on player comfort at the cowboy end. Get this gorgeous Ibanez RG6003FM for under $300 in this epic Cyber Monday deal at Musician's Friend, Add some bling to your gear collection with $250 off this limited-edition gold Line 6 Helix, Get vintage looks and tone for a bargain this Cyber Monday with $150 off Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson J-200 acoustic, Get all of TC Electronic's TonePrint pedals in one on the cheap with this killer Cyber Monday deal on the Plethora X5, 11 best looper pedals 2020: become a more creative live guitar player with a loop pedal, ‘50s Strat single-coil pickups (bridge, neck), 21 vintage tall frets for classic playing feel, Vintage-style six-point synchronized tremolo, tuning machines and strap buttons, Vintage-style tuning machines and strap buttons, 3-Saddle vintage-style strings-through-body Tele(r) bridge with brass barrel saddles, Lake Placid Blue and Vintage Blonde finishes, ‘60s Hot Strat single-coil pickups (bridge, middle, neck), Lake Placid Blue and Firemist Gold finishes, Two Fender Wide Range-style humbucking pickups, 21 medium - jumbo frets for classic playing feel, Vintage-style, string-through-body hardtail Strat bridge with six saddles. Hit the road: the artificial wear on the Tele’s ’board is nicely understated. Guitar.com Live — THE WORLD'S LEADING VIRTUAL GUITAR SHOW —, Gardiner Houlgate to sell guitars owned by Bob Dylan, Rory Gallagher at auction. Battle scars: tasteful scuffs and scratches adorn the Tele’s Lake Placid Blue body. You will receive a verification email shortly. The Vintera Road Worns offer the best bang for your buck in the current Fender catalogue”. The grit is still present but there’s a little more snap and presence, and it occupies less space in the mix. There's plenty of twang and bite to the bridge pickup, the neck is thicker and creamier yet with oodles of high-end sparkle and the middle pickup is - as it … Fender's Vintera Road Worn '50s Stratocaster does a stunning job recreating the in-hand feel and look of a well-played original. The 2020 Vintera Road Worn electric guitars include a ‘50s Stratocaster, a ‘60s Stratocaster, a ‘50s Telecaster and a ‘70s Telecaster Deluxe. “Looking for a vintage-style Strat or Tele? Here’s a Part 1 guide to the man jokingly dubbed Slowhand. Michael Astley-Brown This Strat's take on the "V" profile is softer and more similar to a U-profile neck. - http://tinyurl.com/y62jczhf Want old-school Fender panache without the premium price tag? It still has an alder body and maple neck with the vintage 7.25″ radius. Toggle menu 329 Elm Street Manchester, NH 03101 United States of … Otherwise, the spec remains the same as the original, non-relic’d Vintera models. Hirsute humbuckers modelled on the PAFs in Pearly Gates, the ZZ Top man’s legendary 1959 Les Paul, Billy Corgan and company return with escalation the name of the game, but despite the classic line-up, this is not 1995…. The Vintera Road Worn series is now available, and includes the ’50s Stratocaster, ’50s Telecaster, ’60s Stratocaster and ’70s Telecaster Deluxe. “Depending on your … Quite simply a great Strat. The sustain characteristics are different too; when you leave single notes and chords hanging, the old guitar recedes smoothly out of the focal plane in a very musical way, while the Road Worn seems hungrier for screen time, with sustaining notes sometimes almost outstaying their welcome in the foreground. For comparison, I bought my Fender Classic Player 50s Strat in 2009 I think and that was around £450. Product Description. Conventional wisdom dictates that a thin finish on a lightweight body makes for a lively, resonant guitar, and these instruments do nothing to challenge that notion. Though the fretwire is described as Vintage Tall on the spec sheets for both models, the Stratocaster’s fret ends have been rounded with a little more finesse and the fret height feels a fraction lower, offering a smoother ride than the Telecaster as a result. It’s an extraordinary rock rhythm tone, but when we switch to the Road Worn Tele, our engineer marginally prefers the new guitar. For authentic '50s Tele tone, Fender recreated their favorite sets of '50s Tele pickups using Alnico 2 magnets for the neck pickup and Alnico 3 for the bridge … We check over 130 million … “A great deal of thought and care was put into the Road Worn finishes,” says Gutnik. On the output side of the equation, the Vintera ’50 is a thrill. Cutting edge: Fender’s factory distress extends to faux wear on the headstock. Otherwise, the spec remains the same as the original, non-relic’d Vintera models. The Vintera series on the other hand, is a direct throwback to the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Vintera Road Worn ’60s Stratocaster features an alder body with a mid-‘60s “C”-shaped neck and a 7.25”- radius pau ferro fingerboard with 21 vintage tall frets.

With a long career involving unpredictable twists, turns and collaborations Paul Simon is one of the most successful songwriters of the last 60 years. Check out the full Vintera range here! Continuing our journey through the guitar styles of the legendary Three Kings, this time it’s the turn of Flying V-toting blue icon Albert. Again, the 7.25-inch radius doesn’t seem to cause any significant issues when it comes to set-up, while the vintage-style vibrato floats beautifully straight out of the box and tuning stability is superb. Its 7.25-inch-radius fingerboard is complete with 21 vintage-tall frets that feel incredible to play. Finished in nitrocellulose lacquer – prized for its natural tonal qualities and distinct aging patterns, then hand-distressed for an authentically broken-in look, this Strat® delivers the bell-like tone and playing comfort you’d expect from a … Fender Vintera Road Worn 50s Telecaster Vintage Blonde This is the new for 2020 Fender Vintera Roadworn '50s Telecaster in a nitrocellulose lacquer Vintage Blonde color! Visit our corporate site. It’s somewhat inevitable that the younger instrument would be brasher and the older one mellower, but it’s fascinating to hear how this influences the way they behave in the mix with an otherwise identical signal chain. That said, the dedicated bridge-pickup tone control stops things getting too scratchy and is a useful thickener, especially with overdrive. Guitar.com is the world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. Padding, packing and protection – how to ensure your prized guitars stay safe in a big move. Both Firemist Gold and Lake Placid Blue metallics were originally Lucite (acrylic), though you’ve doubtless seen vintage examples of Lake Placid Blue on which the clear nitrocellulose top coat has yellowed to give the guitar a green hue almost indistinguishable from Ocean Turquoise. Finished in nitrocellulose lacquer – prized for its natural tonal qualities and distinct aging patterns, then hand-distressed for an authentically broken-in look, this Strat® delivers the bell-like tone and … Precious metals: the Strat’s vibrato operates smoothly and tuning stability is impressive. ... Fender Vintera Road Worn '50s... Adorama. The most dangerous time of year for your wallets is here. 99 It’s not quite like for like, of course – the ’54 Esquire has an ash body and the Road Worn Tele’s is alder, while the ’64 Strat still has its original three-way switch – but it’s interesting to see how these new guitars stack up next to a couple of old campaigners in a studio context. In part two of our look at the chord shapes and sequences which define Paul Simon’s sound, we focus on his early years as a solo artist. However, the neck on this model has a mid-’60s ‘C’-shaped profile and a Pau ferro fingerboard. Arm’s length: decades of forearm wear can be yours in an instant. By checking the boxes you agree to receive the following from us via e-mail. And while the edges of the 7.25-inch radius fingerboard don’t quite possess the sumptuous rollover of a 1950s neck, they are nicely broken in. The Vintera Road Worn® '60s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. In our review of the new Road Worn Vintera guitars, we said: “Whether you are a fan of the vintage aesthetic but priced out of the pre-CBS Fender market – and let’s face it, that’s most of us – or you are simply on the hunt for a vibey and inspiring workhorse electric with a familiar voice, look no further.”. The September 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! In our review of the new Road Worn Vintera guitars, we said: “Whether you are a fan of the vintage aesthetic but priced out of the pre-CBS Fender … The wait is over. As for the ageing itself, Fender has opted for tasteful rather than trashed, with scuffed edges, simulated forearm wear, small dings and areas of fine lacquer checking on the bodies and headstocks. “The AGEING appearS a little more nuanced than ON the original Road Worn finishes of a decade ago”. The Vintera Road Worn Strat boasts a trio of spicy Vintage-Style '60s Single-Coil Hot pickups, able to handle increasingly crunchier tones than their '50s counterparts. The company has had fun with the finish options, offering custom colours that originally appeared in the 1960s on its ’50s Strat and Tele. With a hand-distressed nitrocellulose lacquer finish, complete with various nicks, dings, and scratches, this Vintera delivers vintage style through and through. With the more involved finishing process there is of course more room for error, so it’s critical that each instrument receives the attention to detail and care it needs to meet our standards. By Overview & Final Score: 9.4 A recent addition to Fender's Vintera line, the new Road Worn … Road Worns briefly disappeared from the Fender catalogue in 2019 following the reorganisation of the company’s Mexican-made reissues into a new Vintera line consisting only of guitars with pristine gloss polyester finishes, but we didn’t have to wait too long for Road Worns to return. In the pickups department are three ‘60s Hot Strat single-coils with five-way switching. For more details on each model - including those all-important colors - read on... We’d love to stay in touch, sign up for the Guitar World team to contact you with great news, content and offers. All are available 10 September, listing for $1,099 … Each guitar clocks in at $1,099, and comes in two hand-distressed finishes. The Road Worn finishes here are described as nitrocellulose lacquer and both are obviously very thin, with visible grain sinkage on both bodies. The Strat’s neck profile is much more era-specific than the Telecaster’s, with a slim oval C-shape tapering into a fuller profile as you pass the fifth fret. From upstart beginnings in the early 60s, Eric Clapton soon established himself as one of the decades’ most lauded players. This is my favorite Telecaster, hands down, that I have ever played. Back in 2009, UK retail prices for Road Worn models started at £859, so the £999 price tag on both of our review guitars feels very reasonable – we’d wager that the cost of most commodities has risen by a great deal more than 16 per cent over the past 11 years, even if many people’s wages haven’t. Each model is based on a particular decade, so for example, the Vintera 50s Strat has features; pickups, colours, neck profiles etc that would have been on an original Strat in the 1950s (‘Modified’ versions are also available … Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The Vintera Road Worn Strat boasts a trio of spicy Vintage-Style '50s Single-Coil Hot pickups. The Vintera Road Worn series is now available, and includes the ’50s Stratocaster, ’50s Telecaster, ’60s Stratocaster and ’70s Telecaster Deluxe. Very loud. Through a brown Deluxe, the Esquire has a rich complexity that’s thick like molasses in the lower mids. It’s just as comfortable a neck shape today as it was in the mid-1960s – especially if you are a thumb-over-the-top player – and we’re in the Goldilocks zone for rhythm and lead work alike. Our ’50s Telecaster comes in a vivid shade of  Lake Placid Blue, a colour which featured on the cover of the Cadillac catalogue in 1958 and was officially added to the Fender lineup when the custom colour chart was first issued in 1960. The short answer is very well indeed – it’s by no means the one-sided fight you might have expected. A quarter of a century on from Winter NAMM 1995, when Fender first introduced Relic guitars to the world, factory ageing is still the topic most likely to set guitar forums and social media ablaze. Thank you for signing up to Guitar World. We provide insight and opinion about gear, artists, technique and the guitar industry for all genres and skill levels. Fender Vintera Road Worn 50s Stratocaster Electric Guitar - Fiesta Red Solidbody Electric Guitar with Alder Body, Maple Neck and Fingerboard, and 3 Single-coil Pickups - Fiesta Red $1,099.99 $ 1 , 099 . Receive news and offers from our other brands? Fender Road Worn '50s Stratocaster review. If you were a producer and needed the raw, unadulterated sound of primitive rock guitar on a track, it would be hard to top the bright, biting, and concise sounds of a ’50s-style Telecaster bridge pickup plugged straight into a loud Fender combo amp. Is this the no-brainer guitar purchase of 2020? Each guitar clocks in at $1,099, and comes in two hand-distressed finishes. For maximum authenticity, Fender … The Vintera Road Worn® '50s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. A year on from her debut EP, we caught up with the genre-agnostic guitarist to talk luck, lockdowns and the challenges of being a non-touring musician. From Fender: “The Vintera Road Worn® ’50s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. All rights reserved. Offsets and a ’60s Telecaster have yet to be announced but will almost certainly follow in 2021. Everyone’s idea of the perfect Strat or Tele tone is slightly different, and for the tweakers among us, the light weights, thin finishes and characterful neck profiles here provide an excellent platform for mods and upgrades. Billy Corgan’s first great tearing of the script led to a bold and ambitious album that put the guitars up front and loud. During the testing process, we’re able to compare the Road Worns to a couple of golden-era Fenders thanks to the loan of a 1954 Esquire converted to Tele spec with modern wiring, and a 1964 Strat. The August 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now. In our final part of our look at the stylings of the legendary Three Kings, we tackle the searing style of Freddie King. The Vintera Road Worn ’60s Stratocaster has similar specs to the ’50s model above. There was a problem. Fender’s Road Worn guitars return with improved relic’ing and an attractive range of custom colours. Plugged into a clean or edge-of-breakup amp, you'll get dynamic harmonics in the bucketload with a full range frequency spectrum to fill out your sound. From 2020 with love: the best guitars, amps, pedals and accessories of the year. Ideal for blues and rock – especially when applied to rich clean tones. In combination with the earlier-style mint green pickguard, it’s undoubtedly a very attractive look. Plug into a spectrum of amp sounds for loads of harmonics with a full range frequency spectrum to fill out your sound. That’s all well and good, but what if you don’t have the funds for a vintage instrument, or the inclination to wait several decades for the boxfresh nitro finish on your new guitar to take on a vintage patina? The December 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? The standard Vintera guitars mark a return to vintage specs like a 7.25" fretboard radius and period-correct pickup magnets. The Vintera Road Worn® '50s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. The new Mexican-made Vintera series amalgamates the previous Classic and Classic Player ranges into one, creating, says Fender, “a line of vintage-inspired models that embody a … HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (June 25, 2019)— Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announced the launch of the Vintera Series, a line of vintage-inspired electric guitar and bass models that embody a period-specific vibe, including: the Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, Jaguar®, Mustang®, Jazzmaster®, Jazz … Present and correct: both the Road Worn Tele and Strat sport vintage-style tuners. Forget Trump, Brexit and COVID-19. The October 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Firemist Gold was a 1965 debutante and it features here on the ’60s Stratocaster. Weighing in at a very decent 7.5lb, the Telecaster is the heavier of the two guitars, but its acoustic sustain and vibrance are more impressive than plenty of considerably more valuable Teles we’ve played over the years. In the first of a series looking at the chord shapes and sequences used by the Beatles, we get inside the head of John Lennon and find a solid rhythm guitarist with an ear for original chord changes. Fender Vintera '70s Telecaster Thinline Review ... As much as I dug the venerable Strat, the Telecaster Deluxe just seemed so cool with its humbucking pickups. At the time, the California guitar giant hinted they would return, and for 2020, it has delivered, with four new models boasting distressed aesthetics. Here the the Grammy-nominated guitarist tells us about the inescapable draw of home. After a decade working on Nashville’s Music Row, Cobb decided to head back to Georgia to pen Keep ’Em On They Toes. The Vintera Road Worn® '50s Stratocaster recreates the look and feel of a well-loved original. BA1 1UA. When Fender replaced the made-in-Mexico Classic Series with the Vintera electric guitar line-up in June last year, it brought with it a host of new finishes and upgraded specs, but one thing was missing: those oh-so-hotly debated relic'd Road Worn finishes. “The Vintera series celebrates the different vintage eras of Fender with the fundamental design of the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass remaining largely the same, but with each decade assuming its own unique feature sets,” said Justin Norvell, Fender's Executive Vice President of Product.