TCP Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I was teasing my girlfriend the other night for buying jeans with holes already ripped in them. The next day I was looking at Road Worn Telecasters when I realized, it's essentially the same thing. I feel conflicted, they look so cool but they're pretty phony. What's everyone's opinion? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I have no real desire for the road worn guitars at all. Just seems silly to take a perfectly good guitar and make it look used. The way a guitar wears is a result of your own style of playing, where you rest your arm when you play, whether you wear a belt or not, cigarette burns up by the tuning pegs if you store a smoke there. I would much rather put all that wear on myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TCP Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 I have no real desire for the road worn guitars at all. Just seems silly to take a perfectly good guitar and make it look used. The way a guitar wears is a result of your own style of playing, where you rest your arm when you play, whether you wear a belt or not, cigarette burns up by the tuning pegs if you store a smoke there. I would much rather put all that wear on myself.Exactly! When I buy a guitar, especially if I spend a lot of money on it, the goal is always to hopefully buy a guitar I can own for a long, long, time... maybe one day give it to a son or something like that. But I wonder how all these Road Worn guitars will look/play in 30 years when they start off beat up and eventually get the real wear on them that you mentioned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ghost of Electricity Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I have become quite fond of the two places where my misjudgement of the height of the solid rock vaulted ceiling over the stage hacked chunks out of my cheap tele. On my newer (and more expensive) Gretsches, they're harder to come to terms with. And don't even get me started on the Gibson 335...I am such an unbelievably big idiot...the scars... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I have become quite fond of the two places where my misjudgement of the height of the solid rock vaulted ceiling over the stage hacked chunks out of my cheap tele. On my newer (and more expensive) Gretsches, they're harder to come to terms with. And don't even get me started on the Gibson 335...I am such an unbelievably big idiot...the scars... I have a big chip on the front of my G&L Rampage when it fell over. That is not the kind of wear I want to see. But guitars are meant for playing and they are going to get abused. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I am not a fan. The feel like an affectation to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I'm not so against these guitars. If you put aside the relic-ing, a lot of these guitars have some pretty nice features -- in the case of the roadworn tele, ash rather than alder, nitrocellulose rather than polyurethane finish (except, unfortunately, for the neck), tall frets, fat neck, good pups, various 50's accouterments. I think these features don't quite justify its price (which is a couple hundred more than I think it should be), but these guitars can have a nice suite of features that aren't readily available stock on other guitars. If you're asking whether all-things-being-equal would I rather a relic'ed guitar or an unrelic'ed one, I'd have to go with the pristine one, just because I like my new things new. But I'm not constitutionally opposed to the idea. I feel contractually obliged to point out that most guitars today are finished in polyurethane and they will not age much beyond picking up scars and gouges and dirt and yellowing of plastic parts. Guitars like the roadworn, the 52 reissue, and a lot of Gibsons are finished in nitrocellulose like the original 50s and 60s models and they will age (more) like those guitars did (which is kind of how we like guitars to age). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I picked up a couple of the Road Worn Fenders at Guitar Center and tried them out. They do have a nice worn in feel, especially the necks, but they look like the fakes that they are. I would never feel right about playing or owning one. If you saw me holding/playing one, it'd be obvious that something doesn't add up. I don't look anything like Keith Richards (who, incidentally, owns much of the credit/blame for the relic phenomenon), or someone who has spent years touring the roadhouse circuit with the same guitar. Having said that, I'll soon be ordering a replacement body for my Tele from this guy: http://www.mjtagedfinishes.com/ He sprays nitrocellulose laquer, and will age it and yellow it however much you want. I'm going to get a non-relic finish (probably daphne blue, maybe slightly yellowed), and let the aging/relicing happen naturally. I think it'll be a big improvement over my current telecaster body which is coated in a finish that is as thick as a credit card, just as plastic-y and will never age or wear. At some later point I might get him to make me a neck, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I'm a little disappointed that this thread hasn't been more active. A couple years ago a poster (can't remember who it was...is he still around?) showed us his Telecasters that he stripped, refinished and reliced, and walked us through the entire process. It was some really amazing work. I'd love to hear how those guitars are holdign up, and if any more projects have come along. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I've never really owned a guitar long enough/used one hard enough to do anything more than buckle-wear to them, but I do own a 1967 Epiphone. I really love the feeling of knowing someone else used it to make it look how it does, as opposed to getting a guitar that someone was paid to distress; I just like the feeling of knowing someone else used it and loved it. Additionally, as a few others in this thread have said, I want a guitar that I could give to someone and talk about all of the blemishes on it and how I put them there, not how I bought them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smokestack Joe Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 if i was going to have a 'road worn' guitar, id wear it down myself, by years of playing, not buy one pre-warn down. this will never happen as my guitars rarely leave my house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 A couple years ago a poster (can't remember who it was...is he still around?) showed us his Telecasters that he stripped, refinished and reliced, and walked us through the entire process. It was some really amazing work. I'd love to hear how those guitars are holdign up, and if any more projects have come along. Ha, I think you're talking about (all-around super nice guy) Andy Miller who got (I think) an unfinished tele body and finished it using ReRanch nitrocellulose lacquer. I saw that tele up close about a year ago and, I tell you, he did a phenomenal job with the finish and the relic'ing; it was a real beauty. I haven't seen him around here is a while. I hope he posts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Ha, I think you're talking about (all-around super nice guy) Andy Miller who got (I think) an unfinished tele body and finished it using ReRanch nitrocellulose lacquer. I saw that tele up close about a year ago and, I tell you, he did a phenomenal job with the finish and the relic'ing; it was a real beauty. I haven't seen him around here is a while. I hope he posts. Maybe it was him. Someone on here used Wal Mart spray paint, and their project came out beautifully. I'll see if I can find the old thread. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Maybe it was him. Someone on here used Wal Mart spray paint, and their project came out beautifully. I'll see if I can find the old thread. Sounds like you remembered it better than me: I built/refinished my first guitar I didn't really follow this discussion when it happened, but I talked to him at the First Millennial Southern California Wilco Jam, and I could have sworn it was ReRanch and he also put a short-scale tele neck on it. Maybe he built another one. Or maybe I'm just wrong. There's one way to know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Sounds like you remembered it better than me: As much as I'd like to think I have a good memory, I actually read that thread a two or three weeks ago when I was considering doing a similar project. "5 coats of Ocean Sea Breeze Blue Krylon from Walmart." I wish you could still see the photos on that thread. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I lean toward not getting one, but if I did try one at the store and it sounded amazing and played great... isn't that all that matters? Still, as a rule, I don't buy jeans with holes already in them, and I like to break my guitars in myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I lean toward not getting one, but if I did try one at the store and it sounded amazing and played great... isn't that all that matters? No. Looks matter. I wouldn't own a lime green pointy headstock guitar with zebra stripes no matter how it sounded and felt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KramkonG Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 No. Looks matter. I wouldn't own a lime green pointy headstock guitar with zebra stripes no matter how it sounded and felt. Like this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Like this? rofl. exactly. A coworker/huge Kiss fan asked me to fix his Paul Stanley model Silvertone a couple years ago. When it was fixed I had to carry it through downtown Atlanta to bring it back to him. There is no case for this guitar, and it wouldn't fit into my gig bag, so I couldn't hide it. I made a point of getting to work super early so there'd be as few people as possible around to see me carrying this guitar. I probably shouldn't care about such things, but just look at the thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KramkonG Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 rofl. exactly. A coworker/huge Kiss fan asked me to fix his Paul Stanley model Silvertone a couple years ago. When it was fixed I had to carry it through downtown Atlanta to bring it back to him. There is no case for this guitar, and it wouldn't fit into my gig bag, so I couldn't hide it. I made a point of getting to work super early so there'd be as few people as possible around to see me carrying this guitar. I probably shouldn't care about such things, but just look at the thing. Well, I bet any trouble stayed out of your way! I will admit, I do like the Paul Stanley Ibanez Iceman with the broken glass top... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 When the spotlight hits that guitar it does amazing things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KramkonG Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 When the spotlight hits that guitar it does amazing things. Yeah, but if there's another reason to have this guitar, I'd like someone to prove it to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I was teasing my girlfriend the other night for buying jeans with holes already ripped in them. The next day I was looking at Road Worn Telecasters when I realized, it's essentially the same thing. I feel conflicted, they look so cool but they're pretty phony. What's everyone's opinion? They are for posers...for guys going through a mid-life crisis or 14 year old boys buying one with daddy's money. You want wear from where you OWN arm rubs the finish off... However, I have bought plenty of pawn shop guitars that had some really cool looking worn finishes...so maybe I am being a snob. But then again, those wear and tear marks on pawn shop guitars go there naturally, not by artificial means...and I didn't over pay fot the wear and tear Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 It'd be nice if instead of making pre-worn guitars, they'd just make new guitars, painted like new, with the same type of paint the use on the road worn series. Paint that will wear in time/with use, unlike the plastic they use on most of their guitars which will still look like new in 1,000 years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 It'd be nice if instead of making pre-worn guitars, they'd just make new guitars, painted like new, with the same type of paint the use on the road worn series. Paint that will wear in time/with use, unlike the plastic they use on most of their guitars which will still look like new in 1,000 years. They do; all of Fender's American-made Vintage Reissues are done up in nitrocellulose -- so SpeedRacer's new 52 Reissue will age quite nicely. A couple of their artist-series (like the Eric Johnson strat) are done in nitro, as are the Vintage Hot Rod, and the Highway One (though, like the Road Worn, this has a poly-finished neck). The thing is, except for the Highway One, these are all higher-ticket guitars. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.