Added: 2 years ago
From: johnhguitar
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  • i wonder how long the road worn things going to last...i mean in 10 years time are people going to turn around and say- i cant believe we intentionally beat up new guitars! im guilty of this last though

  • some nice blues you're playing there

  • i have a mexican 50's road worn and i find it handles well and feels like a USA model, and the mexicans don't come cheap, i paid 900.00 for mine at a music store who carried great brands.

  • I never cared for the road worn guitars. If anyone should wear the finish, it should be me!

  • I really like these guitars.. and its the only mexican model with a nitro finish :D

  • excellente guitar...this is if you want harder watch?v=IKhOSEssSV4

  • Poor man's "Blackie".

  • compare this fender to this sound , a 59£ guitar from amazon:

    /watch?v=TVEoIsF6W-k

  • Strats are the hotrods of all guitars. Beautiful pieces of work. You can get road worn strats new for as low as the upper $800's . Good video !

  • I got to play 5 of these and they all suck compared to my older mexico strats.

  • hi is the low radius neck an issue? thnx

  • @ghaddy07 i played this in guitar center and fell in love with the neck. i have really long creepy fingers though. i drooled over this strat i want a black one sooooo bad

  • I ordered this guitar online yesterday for £70.00. Not only did it come with the guitar, but with case, strap, stand, 3 picks and a 30 amp amp. Is this good value? It's brand new and everything. Is it a good guitar? Please reply.

  • Congratulations! If it's the Mexican Road Worn Strat you ordered a good guitar!

  • @johnhguitar mayba I'm wrong, but the whole road worn series are mexican made

  • @IAMNOMNATHAN are you sure it was a guitar like this and not something that looked similar to this? most stratocasters look pretty much the same... give me a link to the place that you ordered it from otherwise ;)

  • @IAMNOMNATHAN are you sure it was a guitar like this and not something that looked similar to this? most stratocasters look pretty much the same... give me a link to the place that you ordered it from otherwise ;)

  • @IAMNOMNATHAN 70bucks ? daaaamn thats cheap! awesome for you :D

  • Brand New, Road Worn - that sounds funny!! :)

  • country man

  • @plucky19. I think you've misunderstood. I made no reference to the mans ability to play the instrument. In fact in an earlier post I apologized for sounding harsh. That said, I think a review of a thousand dollar instrument warrants the use o an amplifier worth more than 300 bucks. That's all. Cheers!

  • you can get a new one or for 600 dollars fender can beat the shit out of it for you

  • who cares it cheap as long as it sounds good who cares about the price

  • Cheap? Cheap??? 1100$ is that cheap? Get out of here man!

  • I mean compared to an original 50's strat that may cost tens of thousands. I can't afford these guitars either so relax man.

  • @BadGuitarPlayerRock its cheap for an american made

  • @BadGuitarPlayerRock Thats MSRP man. You find them for A LOT cheaper online. I've never seen one for $1100 USD. I saw one in Gruhn's Guitars (Nashville based world renowned vintage guitar store) October 2010 for bout $567 or so.

  • @BadGuitarPlayerRock where are they 1100?

    899. 00 on amazon or guitar center dude

  • @smashproud That was a long time ago. I agreed, now it's cheaper:D

  • who plugs a strat into a CUBE for a demo?????

    or any other reason for that matter.

  • Some inexperienced beginner who just walked into GC.

  • @johnhguitar I realize I sounded like a jerk when I posted that....I guess what I meant was it'd be nice to hear it through a good tube amp ya know? Cube's are decent little amps but there's no comparison to a real tube amp IMHO......sorry if I came across like an ass.

  • @johnhguitar That amp was the first thing the guys at my local music store showed/suggested when I went in to buy my first electric guitar + amp. Great piece of gear for the money.

  • @SuperFenderStratman Don't care what he's plugged into - this guy is a lovely player; great blues feel; phrasing I would give anything to be able to emulate. Stop knocking - we all know a Cube isn't a 65 Deluxe Reverb but open your ears and your heart, please. If it sounds right, it IS right.

  • @SuperFenderStratman Actually i think its awsome that he reviews guitars on a really cheap amp. You can make almost any guitar sound awsome if you plug it into a butique amp. Secondly i think its nice to get to hear all the the sounds you can get out of a VERY inexpensive practice amp like the cube 30. Thirdly most people who would be looking for guitars in this price range will most likely have simular amps. Its a guitar review not a amp review.

  • @Imzagg your absolutely dead on about that guy!!! i agree fully...

  • who plugs a strat into a CUBE for a demo?????

    

  • @SuperFenderStratman johnhguitar does, apparently.

  • Those Roland Cube amps are really something eh?

  • what guitar is good for beginners?

  • @flywa27 usually expensive guitars are easiest to play. ANYWAY, of course you should buy a cheap one first, because if you bought a gibson and realized that guitar isnt your thing, it wouldnt be so great having a 2000$ guitar hanging from the wall

  • I thought the idea of these guitars were extremely cheesey and dumb. I ended up playing one in a shop and i loved it! I now own it and it is by far my favorite guitar i've ever played!

  • does someone knows if fender sells the 60's singlecoil pickups? they in the rory gallagher signature guitar by the way. sorry for my bad english D:

  • Guys, Its hard to be able to have that excellent thing. You should find a guitar that fits your style of playing. I had a traded in a lot of guitars over the years and found that I became obsessed with trying to find the ONE. When actuality, the ONE would never be found so, I settled down with a Schecter Hellraiser C-1. It was great and good enough to just go with that. Of course I do have a Charvel San Dimas in my closet.

  • is this guitar good for play queen??

  • Nice playing and review. Thanks!

  • but it defianatley does not look naturally worn, like a 50's or 60's strat would... when you see this in real life they look very fake

  • Hey, excellent review man...I just got myself one exactly like this one..simply loved it, but I couldn't help upgrading it to an even more bluesy sound. I changed the tex mex pickups (original ones) for a set of the Fender Hot Noiseless. Fits like a glove..Gave my Road Worn the bluesy yet agressive attacks on the overdrive, kinda like the SRV texas specials. On the clean sound I got a sort of Eric Clapton Vintage Noiseless sound out of it...Now this baby plays like I dreamed all along. Cheers

  • 8:02 onwards! That was awesome playing

  • 2:42 you could pick one of these up for one hundred thousand dollars???!!! correct me if im wrong but m8... WASTED CASH IF YOU ASK ME!

  • @markdocker "...for UNDER a thousand dollars." hehe

  • @markdocker Under a thousand dollars, not one hundred thousand dollars

  • Thanks John, this helps me making my decision. I am going to buy either a 50's or 60's model. Probably a 60's because I think the sound is a little more refined but I'm goint to try out both guitars first.

  • Hey John, Im thinkin about getting an electric guitar. Is it true that the strat guitar necks are thinner than the les pauls?

  • Both models vary.

  • @illnastic yes thats true nd thats way i love the strat thoses lp necks are nasty in my opinion :)

  • @illnastic dont nuy a gibson......theyre over used and over rated

  • @NICKWAPPERER117 dude gibsons are great in my opinion if youve got a les paul, a strat, and a tele your set for life

  • @NintendoSinceBirth1 Im not denying the impact or legacy of the Les Paul, i just think that if you play a gibson, youre just like everyone else out there like, Jimmy Page, Slash ,Ace Frehley,Pete Townshend,Frank Zappa,Alex Lifeson,Zakk Wylde. personally, im more of a PRS guy, but if im not playing A PRS im playing a Strat. i respect your opinion though,

  • @NICKWAPPERER117 see i feel like more guys are playing strats than les pauls, at least where i come from in the bluesrock field with clapton, srv, rory gallagher, jimi hendrix, kenney wayne shepard, buddy guy, though i wouldnt let something like that keep you from playing a guitar, im more of a tele person myself though

  • @NintendoSinceBirth1 i like telecasters, but they look really ugly IMO. great sounding though, especially if youve got a good amp

  • That guitar doesn't look like the fretboard has been properly refinished.

  • @TTmaniax ....fail.....

  • @befrankis I guess I won't expect you to get any good jokes...lol

    Fair enough.

  • @TTmaniax wasn't totally sirious my self...

  • @TTmaniax That the idea :)

  • you can play well my friend-nice phrases & tone!

  • How does the New EVH Wolfgang compare to the Stratocaster LTD?

    

  • hey for playing stuff like red hot chilis whats better strat or tele?? or does it not make much difference?

  • I think the guy for them uses a strat most of the time but correct me someone if I'm wrong.

  • @johnhguitar john frusciante(ex-lead guitarist from red hot chili pepers) mostly used stratocaster so you are right :D

  • @jolliffeiscool John Frusciante plays ussually with a stratocaster. That doesn't necesarily mean you should get a strat because ITS better. It's a preference matter. Other guitars also have them charms in a different way.

  • @jolliffeiscool dude a strat does better for RHCP a tele does okay but brighter and heavier .

  • @jolliffeiscool Definitely a Strat. Like...without a doubt.

  • Great Musician Great Demo John you Rock! Thank you

  • I don't get it I could buy a new Mexican strat and leave it in the sun, take a chisel to it, and sand the sides... And waste time doing it. Why pay extra for a beat up guitar? Trick question, there is no reason. Good review though.

  • @tabuu11 I don't know that I'd go that far, but it might be worthwhile to buy a MIM Strat, refinish it in nitro, and let Mother Nature and Father Time do the rest. Oh, and also put in some good pickups (mine has Texas Specials).

  • i like fender, but i hate america

  • Really great playing!

  • I don't like 'em. No sense in a pre-worn guitar. Wear is earned, it shouldn't be created

  • i dont like road worn guitars, id rather buy a guitar keep it for a life time and wear it in myself

  • i'll take a 2007 highway one sss strat over the road worn and the american standard strats any day!

  • not taken with it im affraid. Wonderfull playing though

  • You seem to know a few things about humbuckers. I got a 2006 mexi strat hss. The humbucker with gain with the bottom know turned down i get a compressed sound with some nice attack and a wah sound. Everone thinks i use a compressor or a wah pedal. I have never seen the same thing in another guitar. What do i have going on

  • don't like or hate road worn, it's just not a me thing. I just think that it doesn't look realistically worn, or that there is a point of getting a guitar that looks damaged. But I mean it's just oppinion.

  • @PrepsAndEmosSuck Price is the only thing that matters to me, I could seriously give 2 shits about if its worn or not. It sounds good and is cheap. If you have to analyze it as it being already worn, then your not focused on playing and your more into looks, thats when you lose focus as a guitar player.

  • @freaknbigpanda I was really talking in terms of guitar collecting, not playing. As a player I care about sound more than looks by far, but when I watch guitar reviews it is normally from a collector's standpoint, I wouldn't play a road worn guitar personally, I would rather wear out my own guitar, hell my strat looks roadworn and I play it alot. I just think that if my guitar is roadworn it should be from my use of it.

  • Can I have that strat? I hate mine! But im getting some Tex Mex pickups next month... but still can I have it?

  • NICE! review. Love your videos man

  • Thanks for the detailed review, for a prospective buyer this is informative.

  • People are forgetting what strats are all about.They were designed to be easy to alter to people's desired spec.These road worns can be made into top quality guitars with a little time and effort. I use customised road worns.I just upgrade the electronics. Sound every bit as good as any custom shop i have owned.

    If people don't like the worn finish thats fine but i don't get why they feel the need to insult those that do. In my opinion it's them who are the quote- "douche bags"

  • I'm loving this debate everyone is having.All it seems to be boiling down to is opposing sides retaliating to each others comments.

    You either love or loathe these strats.People are entitled to their opinions but consider this.

    I used to own a custom shop late 59 relic strat.An excellent guitar i'm sure you'll agree.I hated taking it on the road though as i was paranoid of damaging it.Bought the road worn one, fitted some fat 50's pickups and it's as good as any custom shop i have played.

  • the price is cheap but the sound sonud cheap?

  • so this guitar pro? or for starts?

  • THIS GUITAR AMAZING FOR A LOT OF STUFF ROCK BLUS***** (I DONT KNOW HOW TO WRIT IT HA HA) AND ALL THE FENDER GUITAR ARE AMAZING NO MATTERS WHAT HER PRICE SORRY ABOUT MY ENGLISH

  • love the hat

  • About old guitars I bought a old Kramer guitar for 59$ and exept for the worn out color I love it

  • I dont think you should buy a pre-worn guitar..The wear and tear should be earned, not manufactured.

  • I'm sick of snobby guitarists on youtube implying there's no integrity in roadworn series. Not every musician is a 40 year old guy having a midlife crisis with $50,000 to go and blow on a few genuine 50's fenders. for young musicians like myself, who pour their lives into their bands and as a result are very poor, this is the closest we can get to owning an old guitar.

  • I hope you're not talking about me. I love these guitars and there's a Roadworn tele at the shop where a work I'm in love with......

  • @johnhguitar um no shit i can buy guitars but you should not brag etc. P.S. im not poor

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 dude i know what you mean. my buddy has like 6 insanely awesome road worn strats. some are $6000 and more. I like em more than new strats to be honest

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 Then....don't....get....an....­.old....FREAKING....guitar. Go out, save up, and buy a sexy, beautiful, NEW guitar. The end.

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 i agree with you all these mid life crisis guys are buying all these vintage guitars up and hanging them up in there office. its bullshit. the kid making all that noise in his garage deserves it more than mid life crisis guy. he may have the cash to buy it but deep down he's a poser. and NO i'm not talking about johnguitar...... john, you're cool keep spreading the rock/jazz/ blues gospel !!!! i dig the vids.

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 I agree. I like the feel of these guitars, the pickups are their only flaw IMO. They're o.k. but I'd change them. I'd probably buy a new MIM version without the distressing but these have thin nitro and jumbo frets, which aren't an option on the regular versions. The one's I've tried were very comparable to any US, MIJ or ?? strat out there. I think they're overpriced, actually all gear is ridiculously overpriced IMO, it's just wood and a little metal after all.

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 i think it's cooler to buy a new guitar today and make it road-worn in the next 40 years by yourself =)

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 Fuck you im young too and I hate roadworns. but if you like pretending that those scratches mean you can play then far be it for me to stop you.

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 any strat will become an old one eventually

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 I love the roadworn series!

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 the road worn guitars have some awsome sound. Everytime i go to best buy i stop in and play the strat/

  • @BedlaminBelgium90

    The only think I don't like about them is that they all look the same...

    but I've thought out an alternative :D

    buy an american standard, and beat it up yourself the way you want!

    you have a slightly better instrument made vintage by yourself;)

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 lol u mad?

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 yeah i love these guitars they feel amazing but typical guitar snobs always put them down

  • @BedlaminBelgium90 All good points from a fellow Belgian. Personally, I'd rather buy a "new" one and wear it down over the years because of the personal relationship, if you know what I mean. But that's just me, I can understand the appeal of worn instruments.

  • little TOO blues.....................

  • 0.11

  • Dude I like your videos, but there is one nagging problem I wish you'd deal with. GET A LAV MIC. It's crazy that your voice is way back in the haze when your guitar feed is front and center. It would sound so much better if you'd get a $20 lav mic to use. instead of hoping the Videocam mic will pick you up.

    PS - "Relic" guitars are absurd. I guess for a cheapie it's an OK passing fad, but when I see the $5000 re-issues beat to crap in an attempt to make them look old - it's insulting .

  • Oh well, our setup stinks but the material's good I think. We tried one of those cheap mics but it sounded like crap. I good quality lavalier mic is probably $500+? Sorry

  • @johnhguitar I could hear you fine and that was some fine blues playing may i add...

  • @johnhguitar thats simply not true...

  • Comment removed

  • Tasty playing man, keep on!

  • Comment removed

  • awsome skills man

  • ok , actually , i bought the same model that johnguitar plays , yesterday , and i sleept with her ...

    really , i own a squier strat for about 15 years , i customized her with new electric and it was my beloved strat , then she was stolen , now 15 years later i buy exactly the black 50 road worn strat and i must say I LOVE her more than my old squier , this guitar is so qualitativ and brilliant tone worth every cent , fender did a great great job and i like it so much to play her

  • yeah man ! thats it , i want one bought an ibanez mtm2 , cool axe but i want a traditional strat too , so this model is very nice , and you are a bad ass player ;D

  • Are all the road worn finish designs the same on each guitar?

  • I've Played One A While Back, They Play Smooth And That's Just About It!!! The Sound Isn't Good For Distortion!!!

  • Can anyone tell me how to get that color on a strat. I want to relic my strat just like this one so that the gloss isn't overbearing. Any ideas?

  • i'm thinking about buying a Fender Stratocaster Sunburst Roadworn. I really like how they look and sound, but have never actually tried one, i'm just judging the sound of all the clips and reviews on youtube. I've heard alot of negative stuff about them, that they're rip-offs and stuff, is it worth buying one? I want your honest oppinion, thankyou.

  • I think you can buy all sorts of pickups to make these guitars sound the way you like because the guitar itself is cool.

  • @johnhguitar okay

  • @johnhguitar i have a question regarding hardwares.... is the rumor true regarding them having an american made parts like bridge, tuners and all those good stuff? because if they do i will be buyin one and forget about buying a custom shop... i have bad experiences with mexican fenders regarding their hardware material.. seems like the hardwares are no different compared to a chinese made squier hardware materials with just a difference of a fender stamp and logo.

  • A salesman in a shop told me American hardware. The pickups however are Mexi.......

  • @johnhguitar that is exactly what i've heard from guitar center manager.. OK FIXED!! rather than buying a custom shop i will go with this.. since i am just a mere player and not a collector ^^ i thank you for your supportive info!! now the question.. 3 tone or white 60s?

  • Man, I'm sorry but I don't think that you can hear how thin that guitar sounds with all of that reverb on your amp! Turn the reverb off and you might have a different opinion of what the pickups actually sound like.

  • I don't understand......why someone would buy a BRAND NEW guitar that looks like crap? But like you said, it's the same as people buying jeans that look like they've been through hell and back. It just baffles me.

  • played one of these at guitar center today...was amazing.

  • i dont want to be an ass and correct you, but uts just Jimmie Vaughn who has the signature guitar (stevie ray's brother). their father is Jimmie Lee.

  • Thanks! I need all the help I can get.

  • John, Keep up the good work. I've been playing for 30+ years, graduated from GIT, played with some great players, and I can relate to the fact that everyone is a music critic! I get tired of that. I just got home from playing a gig tonight and I noticed your post. Remember that music is like art, it's totally subject and you can't please everyone. Just keep playing because you love to play! You're doing great !

  • i've seeen your vidoes on the fender tele and strat and i must have really made me want to buy one or the other but i dont know which. i mean i mainly play metal and what ever but i would like a guitar thats a bit more versitile than my ibanez. so i can say try to play blues, fuck and what ever else. whats your opinion??

  • SPANKED!, nice tone. sounds so good when you can use your fingers effectively.

  • you have too many guitars... Can you give me one? LOL!

  • John, i don't know if you will ever read this, but if you do, i just want to tell you that i love your reviews and your playing and your personnality. Thanx for this review and the review on the schecter hellraiser :) Keep up the good work.

  • Thanks for the friendly comments and I appreciate what you've said.

    I try and read everything but some of it I wish I never would have. People, and most of them are little kids that are mad at the world, say things about me and to me as if they're my therapist gone public. There are some older guys that are competitive and try to belittle me with their comments. It might hurt my feelings but that doesn't stop me from playing music. Thanks again.

  • @johnhguitar. I agree with NB84. I find your reviews helpful.

  • I wonder...if Fender made some...Road Worn amps. How would that work?

  • @cheezbeenzriz  Yes they did but not cheap.

  • @johnhguitar oh wow that's dumb. So is it really F***** up and has a bunch of torn edges and stuff like that?

  • They even punch a hole in the grill cloth for you. Now you don't have to worry about damaging it yourself. Isn't that wonderful?

  • I have a roadworn and really I'm not a fan of the relic'd patterns, but it's the only way I could afford a fender with nitro laquered body and sanded neck. Hopefully it will wear further and develop it's own look down the road. I wish fender would just come out with unrelic'd nitro bodies on a standard line. (I'm not a fan of the highway one series...)

  • The absolute worst trend in guitars nowadays is this stupid "road worn" crap. Trying to buy authenticity. A guitar that is worn on purpose looks like hell. A guitar that is worn by blood, sweat and tears is a thing of beauty...

  • Hey John, great review. I played one at GC where I'm at. I love the brilliance and bite of the tex mex pups so much that I in the process of dropping them in my 91" strat plus. Do you think i'm nuts?? Lace sensor pups are cool, but to me they are kinda boring if you will. What's your opinion on my quest??

  • Experiment? What? If you don't search around for your personal sound you might not fully connect with your instrument. Everyone's in the hunt for the ultimate sound. Go for it dude!!!

  • John you have a guitar collection that is out of this world............

  • Please world understand! I borrowed most of these guitars for the reviews.

  • hey John. Great review. I'm gonna drop a set of those tex mex pups in my strat plus. I like the lace sensor pups, but I like the crisp tone of the tex mex better. I can't wait to get em. Later................

  • They seem like pretty cool guitars. What years was it? Im playing a Standard 09 MIM right now.

  • WHY WONT ANYCUNT MAKE A VIDEO WHERE THEY SHOW DISTORTION CHANEL....I KNOW THEY SOUND BEAUTIFULL CLEAN I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU CAN SHRED LEADS ON THEM! FUCK

  • roadworn is such a senseless shit ^^

  • my strat is the best one

  • lol the people who spend 50 grand on a real 50's strat must HATE these things.

  • I have a 93' set neck custom shop ltd ed strat no: 7 of 15, when I heard about the rw strats I thought I would take a look'. I was shocked at how badlyly made they were - not just the rw's but all the new strats mex and usa's. Strats are great guitars but the comparison made me realize one is 2 planks - the other a craftsman built instrument. No offence to anyone who owns one, just my opinion.

  • what's the difference of being made in mexico?

  • I have a question, and i kno this may be stupid, but how long (if u have a regular strat) does it take to like wear down and chip and get discoloration on the neck and body? i mean ive only had mine for 2 1/2 years, but i play it every single day and i usually do it for hours. now I'm thinking 15-20 more years but i could be wrong, can u plzz help me out..

  • man those Tex Mex pickups do Sound very Midrangey and Punchy.  They are cool

  • 2:06 they tried to recreate their guitars.

    and that is why I don't get the point of $ 100,000 vintage guitars.

  • nice hat!!!

  • go to your local pawn shop and buy the ugliest Squier they got. not worn enough? go to Ace and spend $5 on sand paper, sand, leave it out in the rain for a day! i just saved you 400 bucks!

  • This guy reminds me of Max Hardcore...

  • There doesn't seem to be much middle ground on Relic'd instruments - people either get it or they don't. Personally, I like it - that said I was surprised how well the relic job on these was, but if we are going to mass produce relic'd instruments, my dream would be larger radius on the necks, 2 point trem, and different pickups. I'm really not a fan of the midrange-y tex-mex. I guess my point is cop the vibe and look of the vintage with the modern functionality.

  • Lets face it you can never beat a USA made Fender but in such hard economic times mexican ones are ideal. I wish they made a mexican Eric Clapton Stratocaster so that way I could take that out and not have to worry about it getting dinged up. I treat my Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Stratocaster like a baby.

  • @MetalShredder06 The Fenders made in Mexico, are made by mexicans. The Fenders made in the USA, are made by mexicans.