Remembering Fender

In memory of Clarence Leo Fender, born 10th August 1909... without whom, the guitars of today would probably be better off as canoe oars. Salute!

Fender Road Worn '50s Strat

I was at Swee Lee just days ago to try out the much heralded Road Worn series (I tried the '50s Strat), new by Fender this 2009.

• This guitar is a relic on a budget (not quite the savings, though...) , the manufacturer has touted it be more toneful on grounds of condition- the worn in attributes allegedly make the guitar more soulful than any other unseasoned instrument.

• Feel-wise, I really did feel the worn out surfaces on the body & neck areas; akin to handling an unfinished chair, fresh from IKEA. This is strictly a love/ hate affair, some of us welcome this rawness, others deem it repulsive. Nevertheless, it doesn't get in the way of playability unless of course, some of us get too affected by it that we break down. Be informed that the neck profile here is a mild V, unlike the contemporary Fenders we love to handle.

• In the tone department, the default pickups are Fender's own Tex Mex units. As I am an all-out-distortion fan, it's rather disappointing that the single coils here can't do metal to save my life but on hidsight, the Tex Mexes weren't conceived to address this need. One can dial up a very feel-oriented blues crunch from this trio & that's pretty much the forte of this guitar. The cleans are Fender's typical, signature, crystaline twang but with less top-end bite, reflective of the vintage theme of this series of offerings.

It's a good instrument to own, the asking price could be more attractive...

What: Fender Road Worn '50s Strat
How much: $2,685 (list)
Where to get: Swee Lee

PS: Thanks ADAM TEOH @ BB Showroom for the try-out invitation.

Em... vibrato or tremolo?

We often hear people referring to the Floyd-type bridge as a 'tremolo' unit which is incorrect. The floating nature of this bridge type allows notes to be raised & lowered, creating that warbling effect. The raising & lowering of notes (in succession), in music, is known as a vibrato- tremolo is the raising & lowering of volume...




The person responsible for this confusion is Leo Fender, who labelled his new Stratocaster guitar, equipped with a new bridge (new in 1954, of course- that infamous headstock label: WITH SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO). Ironically, his Vibrolux amp (in 1956) with a built-in tremolo was labeled as a vibrato effect.

So now you know...