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i'm contemplating selling a few things (jagstang, MIM strat, epi les paul goth) in order to finance another thing (road worn 60's strat).

i'll basically be replacing the strat with the same strat, just the relic'd/worn nitro version. the problem is that i love my strat, but it doesn't wear. no matter how much i play it, it always plays like brand new. i can't really work it in to my liking. i love the pickups (fender noiseless vintage), and the neck is fantastic, i just don't play it because of how new it always feels.

stupid, i know. the problem is, i'm finding it hard to come to the point of actually putting them up for sale. i don't want to, but need to slim down, and get one guitar that i can actually get to a comfortable spot with.

i compare it to a pair of jeans never wearing in and always feeling brand new and stiff.

i love looking at the strat, and it has a sound all it's own; it's just no longer enjoyable to play.

the epi les paul never gets played, but i have huge sentimental attachment to it. it's a super nice guitar, but i'm finding it hard to put it on the block.

the jagstang was aen's, and i just feel bad selling it because it fucking rules.

am i the only one who has this dilemma that everyone always mentions they have, but somehow magically overcome?

basically, i need someone tell me i'm a big sentinmental, materialistic pussy for hanging onto guitars i simply don't play, and i have no reason other than selfish compulsion to justify hoarding mediocre guitars.

HALP.

sincerely yours,

wantstobuyaroadwornandbearelicfadfollowingdouchestronaut

I think that if you need us to convince you to sell your shit, you don't want that roadworn strat bad enough.
Sry bro. You shouldn't need our help with this at all.

Plus, fuck an roadworn anything, don't be that guy, etc.

Only instrument I've ever sold was a cheap violin that I never learned to play (didn't want to put my family through that agony)... I have a hard time thinning the herd to... can't help ya

I'm not even sentimental about the instruments, I just occasionally turn to each of them and know that I'll want whatever unique character of that instrument at some point down the road and I'll be all "shit, why'd I sell that??" Even if it takes a couple years between uses, I always find I crave playing each instrument and go weeks/months using whatever as my go-to.

LIKE: the word douchestronaut, selling off shitty guitars for mo betta ones

DISLIKE: road, worn, strat

If you keep your strat and play the shit out of it, won't it also become roadworn thus negating the quandary?

Ok, ok, ok...

Buy a bunch of those green synthetic pot scrubbing pads.
Sew them up on the inside of the sleeves of some shitty long sleeve shirt.
Sew them onto the palms of cutoff gloves.
Play that strat hard, wearing the shit, for one session.

or buy the metal versions of what frank said.

endsjustifymeans wrote:If you keep your strat and play the shit out of it, won't it also become roadworn thus negating the quandary?

Nope, Fender have been using polyurethane finish since the 70s which doesn't "wear" like their 50s/60s guitars finished in nitrocellulose would, hence road worns existing (because you could always get a Relic guitar from Fender Custom Shop that replicates an old finish the completely proper way for much more money, Road Worns were meant to be the "affordable" option which hilariously still pushed a grand). AVs have poly in the nitro, so they wear semi-convincingly but not true vintage style.

That's the way though isn't it, Fender come up with a way for their finishes to last a decent amount of time and people take abrasives and heat guns to them trying to make them look like pub nuggets.

Highway 1's have finish that comes off with a wet washcloth. Just do that.

paul_ wrote:Road Worns were meant to be the "affordable" option which hilariously still pushed a grand).

the one i've been eyeing on ebay for the last few months is $659. most i've seen sell for around $7-800. which i couldn't get a sunburst MIJ 62RI or a MIM CP for less than that.

highway ones are not for me.

Refinish your MIM in nitro?

Or just give it another few years. I had a 98 MIM Strat that was worn in nicely. Played beautifully after I wooled the neck.

If it's just the feel of the neck, hit it with some steel wool until it's nice an buttery. Love my MIM neck, it's now on a tele I built. Best feeling neck I've played.

hotrodperlmutter wrote:

paul_ wrote:Road Worns were meant to be the "affordable" option which hilariously still pushed a grand).

the one i've been eyeing on ebay for the last few months is $659. most i've seen sell for around $7-800. which i couldn't get a sunburst MIJ 62RI or a MIM CP for less than that.

highway ones are not for me.

Man,where were you on all those "Fender Fridays" when Musician's Friend was selling 'em for $499? (Link)

hotrodperlmutter wrote:

paul_ wrote:Road Worns were meant to be the "affordable" option which hilariously still pushed a grand).

the one i've been eyeing on ebay for the last few months is $659. most i've seen sell for around $7-800. which i couldn't get a sunburst MIJ 62RI or a MIM CP for less than that.

I meant when they first came out, the timing was awful for them really... It was the month Fender jacked up their prices across the board to compete with that pesky recession's drag on their revenue, and I believe the Road Worns were something like $949 upon debut, when only months earlier a Classic Series 60s (MIM equivalent of Japan '62 and pretty much a non-worn Roady) was in the $6-700 range.

I've been in this situation before....I had a hard time letting go of the Blazer and even after I parted it out it's still there hanging on my wall, with the butchered neck from my first samick strat on it to hold it up.

I've always followed the last in first out rule...and after I got a few solid guitars it was pretty easy for me to get rid of the first few (first one was a strat copy I refinished to no end and the fret dressing would cost many times what it's worth now...I still have it in parts, and the next two were floyd rose wanker guitars.). I've unfortunately been at a standstill with downsizing my collection. As soon as I sell one, another pops up. However once I'm at 10 guitars it doesn't matter what else pops up....if I take anything else in after that I go back to the last in first out rule.

Basically I'm with those who are saying that you really must not want a road worn bad enough. Everyone has their price....yours is just higher than a roadworn strat, and that is a good thing. Try either upgrading your strat, or maybe save some money and sell JUST the strat to fund an American one.....then maybe eventually do the same thing with the Les Paul for a Gibson or Japanese copy equivalent if you still need that type in the quiver. The Jag-stang, well since there's not a "better" jag-stang unless you go warmoth, if you're tired of that one, just let go of it here. At least it's a shortneck bolt on guitar that is easy to ship, and you'd know it was going to a good home here.

hotrodperlmutter wrote:i'm contemplating selling a few things (jagstang, MIM strat, epi les paul goth) in order to finance another thing (road worn 60's strat).

i'll basically be replacing the strat with the same strat, just the relic'd/worn nitro version. the problem is that i love my strat, but it doesn't wear. no matter how much i play it, it always plays like brand new. i can't really work it in to my liking. i love the pickups (fender noiseless vintage), and the neck is fantastic, i just don't play it because of how new it always feels.

stupid, i know. the problem is, i'm finding it hard to come to the point of actually putting them up for sale. i don't want to, but need to slim down, and get one guitar that i can actually get to a comfortable spot with.

i compare it to a pair of jeans never wearing in and always feeling brand new and stiff.

i love looking at the strat, and it has a sound all it's own; it's just no longer enjoyable to play.

the epi les paul never gets played, but i have huge sentimental attachment to it. it's a super nice guitar, but i'm finding it hard to put it on the block.

the jagstang was aen's, and i just feel bad selling it because it fucking rules.

am i the only one who has this dilemma that everyone always mentions they have, but somehow magically overcome?

basically, i need someone tell me i'm a big sentinmental, materialistic pussy for hanging onto guitars i simply don't play, and i have no reason other than selfish compulsion to justify hoarding mediocre guitars.

HALP.

sincerely yours,

wantstobuyaroadwornandbearelicfadfollowingdouchestronaut

Would it not be easier to just get the Strat resprayed?

Rod, be the bigger man bro etc.
Selling stuff that sits in cases is one thing but I think you'll regret selling the Strat. I'd try to make the shortfall up.
Some years ago I thought I needed a Gibson SG (industry classic, name=respect and all that nonsense) so I traded a Patrick Eggle Berlin in for one. Huge mistake. After the novelty wore off I hardly picked that SG up.

Sounds like you really want to keep the Strat most of all but feel obliged to sell it because you don't feel it's justified having two Strats. I think therefore, sell the Jag-Stang within the Shortscale family, same with the Gothic, then jazz up your MIM with some differently voiced pickups to the Road Worn, and have one of them with a floating trem so you got something different. No shame in two Strats!

Yeah, just sand down or refinish the neck.

If you're having trouble with the decision, you're not ready to make it.

Sorry a bit late to this but to echo Stewart somewhat I'd say don't be afraid to give the neck a sanding to give it a more worn in feel - I do this on any guitar neck because I just like the feel over gloss. Also just refinish the strat body if its got personal history and does the job otherwise. You could get it done with nitro in a long weekend and some careful prep.Fuck it, if I lived in the US I'd do for you myself.

Also I've got a MIJ photofinish strat that is worn in to all fuck because of one super relicing secret: 17 years of never ever owning a guitar stand or a hard case for it. It's been dropped, propped, knocked over, touched in the wrongun, and otherwise exposed to the elements of my twatty life and no way will I ever part with it. It's proper gnarly and now the finish is flaking off the neck but i reckon there's enough mojo powah in it to knock over a cow at 20 paces.