The Internet Has Thoughts About MusicRadar's Fender 75th Anniversary Telecaster Review.
MusicRadar called it "a thing to behold." The forum called the relic job a factory template.
Source
“It really is a thing to behold.”
What the internet actually said
“Call me old-fashioned, but I won't own a relicized guitar. It's like buying new jeans with holes in them.”
Seymour Duncan Forum · b.m.
“The necks feel good, but the consistency from guitar to guitar is spotty.”
Seymour Duncan Forum · g.j.
“They do vary so much. Mostly in the favor of them being crap. But every once in a while I pick up a nice one.”
Seymour Duncan Forum · t.
The Suede Read
MusicRadar reviewed the Fender 75th Anniversary Vintera Road Worn 1951 Telecaster and called it "a thing to behold." That is a direct quote. The guitar costs $1,899 and arrives pre-aged, pre-worn, pre-storied — all the mojo, none of the mileage.
The Telecaster is 75 years old. Fender has been selling factory-distressed versions of it for over a decade. The Road Worn program exists for a reason: players want vintage feel without vintage prices. That is a legitimate thing to want. The argument is about what you get for $1,899 when "worn" means a jig, a belt sander, and a press release.
The Seymour Duncan Forum has been running this argument longer than most players have been paying attention. The diagnosis is consistent. The necks feel right some of the time. The relic finish looks like a relic finish applied the same way to every guitar in the batch. And quality control on Road Worn models has always had variance in it — some guitars are great, some are not, and you cannot know which one you have until you hold it.
MusicRadar got a great one, probably. The review reflects that. What the review does not reflect is the version of this guitar you might pull from the middle of a stack at a Guitar Center on a Tuesday.
The press covers the sample. The forum covers the population. We cover both. That is the difference.
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