Well... I agree that the promotional Video for the Roadworn guitars and basses is pathetic, but I actually checked some of those Teles and Strats out last summer while on Holiday in the USA.
I didn't particularly like the poor relic treatment, even if some of the aesthetic touches on the Strat bodies were pretty alluring, what I did like a lot were the necks , the balance and the tone of the guitars I tried. I was very intrigued by the cheap price , many Guitar Centers I visited had special summer prices for those guitars and in a Portland Store on MLK Boulevard they had the best deal I found on a Roadworn Tele: $699. Strats generally went for $750 or little more.
While I absolutely love Telecasters ( the shape, the sound the feel ,everything) and I proudly own a very good one, I 'm not at all into Strats ( even If I admit and recognize the Strat is a great classic guitar, that sounds marvellous in the right hands) I never felt the need to add one to my collection, but in this case I was almost tempted to buy one of those Roadworn Strats I played..I must have played 6-7 of them in different stores and all were consistently well built with perfect necks, perfect action , a warm and loud unplugged tone and very good sounding pickups when plugged into Fender ,Peavy or Vox AC30 amps. They impressed me a lot, I was playing them just for fun not expecting anything, just to try something more,but I ended up very tempted , and I wondered if it was the case to invest some money into a Strat at last...
Also the Telecasters were very well built and with even better necks ,particularly the '50s style models with the maple fretboards ( I normally prefer rosewood fretboards), I found the unfinished back of the neck very comfortable ..it felt very good. Big chunky necks ,very meaty and right for my hands.
I really think these guitars can be a very good cheap introduction to classic Fenders, and they give the idea of being far superior in feeling ,mojo, and actual tone and building quality when compared to the shiny, plastic looking, modern and "improved" versions of the new standard Teles and Strats that normally go for $1200..I tried many of those as well and they look and feel soulless, anemic and cold, they might be perfectly working and reliable instruments but I'd never buy one of those for sure.