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For fans of heavily-distressed six-strings...

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This writer has yet to file a two-word guitar review but in this case it got close. What two words? Buy this! It really is that simple.

Vintage Fender Stratocasters, Teles, P or Jazz Basses, have to be among the most lusted after instruments for any guitar player. Yet escalating prices, not to mention the question of authenticity, have put many of us off.

Fender's so-called Time Machine Series brought the illusion of a vintage Fender to many more people: a high quality guitar, as close to the real thing as you could get, without the worry about authenticity or insurance – you could keep your real one in a bank vault and gig the NOS, Closet Classic or Relic and only you would know. The trouble with that, however, is that for many of us £2k plus is still a lot of cash.

"There's a lot of dirty raw wood – and a great fret job."

We got an inkling, however, that Fender was gearing up to do something about this dilemma when it launched the Joe Strummer Telecaster last year – the first, more affordable Mexican-made guitar that was aged and distressed.

We heard more rumours that the Mexican workforce were taking all sorts of implements to their usually finely finished guitars. At the end of 2008 we were let in on the secret: Fender had been working on a mini-range of 'Road Worn' guitars, Mexican Relics to you or us. The wait is over.

'50s Strat

It's possibly due to the stronger contrast between the black edge of this Strat's two-tone 'burst against its alder body but, compared to its blonde-on-ash Telecaster sibling, it looks more heavily aged and because of that, slightly contrived.

But if you like that more bashed about and abused look then it'll be love at first sight. From a few paces it really does look accurate, although it'll never fool a vintage expert.

But that's not what this series is about: it's about that special vibe that an old, used guitar imparts and overall it captures it very well, especially with the nicely aged neck – there's a lot of dirty raw wood – and a great fret job.

Profile-wise the neck goes for quite a pronounced 'V' and the reduction in the shoulder does tell your hand it feels skinnier than it actually is. There certainly might be players who'd prefer a little more meat.

The metal parts are convincingly aged; likewise the plastic parts, although the first tone control does look a little over done.

Thankfully, unlike certain Custom Shop Time Machine guitars, we don't have the old-style three-way pickup selector; the five-way is a much better idea although, as on the original circuit, neither tone control is connected to the bridge pickup.