Fender Limited Edition Vintera II Road Worn '60s Stratocaster

Hot on the heels of Fender's aged Ultra Luxe Vintage models, the Road Worn returns in the Vintera II lineup

- BY DAVE BURRLUCK

IF YOU'RE EXPECTING something like Rory Gallagher's or Mike McCready's tattered Strats, you're going to be disappointed. The new limited-edition Road Worns – a '50s Jazzmaster, the '60s Strat reviewed here, a '60s Telecaster and '60s Precision bass – employ, in Fender's words, a "new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semigloss finish."

Fender also tells us they're using nitrocellulose lacquer, and while you have to look closely, there are plenty of mild cracks to the body and to the front and back of the headstock. Semigloss? It's pretty glossy if we're being honest, and it's certainly overall a milder aging than the recently released Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage range. The hardware isn't really relic'd, but it doesn't look box-fresh either, and unlike an original 2009 Road Worn Strat, which provides a good reference, the neck back here still has a light finish on it.