Fender has been doing this to Custom Shop guitars since the mid 90s, but of course those Time Machine ‘Relic’ masterpieces came with Custom Shop price tags attached. For those who wanted the distressed vibe on a leaner budget, it was a case of get lucky with a second hand guitar or get busy with the sandpaper yourself!
Vintera
Vintera is a made-up word. Yes, it’s an amalgamation of Vintage and Era, which not only provides Fender with a handy new Google-proof word, it also rather succinctly explains the entire concept of the range. These are vintage-influenced instruments for this new era of music. You see?
Within the range, you’ll find period-referencing guitars with 50s, 60s and 70s-style appointments. You’ll no doubt have seen these already, since they’ve been a huge hit with guitar fans since they were released. Without being slavish to minute detailing, the Vintera range brings the overall vibe of certain beloved Fenders into a marketplace that never tires for some of that Leo magic.
In general terms, each Vintera model has a more vintage neck (models differ but it could be the radius, profile or fret size), vintage-correct colours (including those irresistible Dupont hot-rod colours) and pickups that favour tone over output. Furthermore, each guitar is finished in nitrocellulose, something that’s key to the whole Roadworn principle...
Distressed Nitro
So, nitro is used to finish the whole series. This is a thin, plant-based spray that was used back in the day all the time, and only on top dollar guitars today. Why? Well, it’s expensive compared with polyurethane finishes, and frankly less protective, too. It’s also dangerous when used in badly ventilated places (no, don’t buy some for your DIY relic project!) and therefore is more time-consuming for any company using it.
So why bother with it? Good question, and the answer is easy. It looks amazing, feels great to the touch and ages remarkably well. This is really the main reason why all homemade relic jobs end up looking monstrous: poly finishes (nearly all sub-£1000 guitars are poly, as are a huge amount that cost a lot more) are super thick and you need to hack away at them like Hercules to get through to the actual paint underneath. Practically speaking, poly finishes do their job much better than nitro, but they just don’t have that look or feel, nor do they age and discolour in the way that nitro finishes do. All of those actual old guitars look that brilliantly battered way specifically because nitro finishes ‘give it up’ relatively quickly.
Road Worn
So, these are ‘Road Worn’ and not Time Machine Relics? Yes. This is how Fender distinguish their Mexican-made guitars form their USA-made ones. The Road Worn term applies to Mexican Fenders only. Fair enough! Touring professionals happily play Mexican Fender guitars, such is their quality. The Vintera range are already amazing sounding and fantastically playable, so it’s an obvious move to build on that. Their nod to the past also makes ‘thematic’ sense, given that these Road Worn guitars are supposed to simulate vintage instruments.
In terms of the ‘relic debate’, we’ve addressed that elsewhere (you missed it? Click to read the article here), but suffice to say, guitarists love distressed guitars for a number of reasons, so they aint going anywhere!
The bodies here are all Alder, and have been distressed with sensible levels of wear, checking, discolouration and tarnishing. It’s realistic stuff, and the slightly matte nitro patina makes a huge difference to the ‘believability’, as it were.
