RS Guitarworks Old Friend Slab Work Horse Big Block 2021 Blonde Northern Ash Road Killed w Front PU "Killer Sound"
Description
Limited-time sale during Golden Week!! ¥120,000 DOWN!!
RS Guitarworks, located in Kentucky, USA, is crafted by a select group of only six luthiers. Roy and Scott, the founders and oversee all production, boast 24 years of repair experience, 18 years of vintage guitar restoration, and 15 years of aging work, including for major brands. Their special guitars are favored by top guitarists worldwide, including Joe Perry, Joe Walsh, and Stephen Stills.
This time, we're introducing the highly popular WorkHorse model from the OLDFRIENDSlab series, a representative Telecaster-style guitar. The concept behind this guitar is to purchase a brand-new 1950s Telecaster and modify it as needed during ownership. This particular guitar, reflecting Roy's meticulous attention to detail (a feature later carried over to his OldSoul models), features a carefully selected Northern Ash body with a heavy-aged RoadKilled finish. The pickups are custom-made with an RSFralin BigBlock humbucker in the bridge position and a Roswell GoldFoil single-coil in the neck position, resulting in a guitar with a strikingly cool look and a highly practical sound.
First, regarding its specifications, the style is a classic 1950s Telecaster-inspired ash body with a one-piece maple neck. However, the body uses carefully selected Northern Ash, which is said to produce more 1950s tonal characteristics than Swamp Ash. While this wood was also used in later OldSoul models, this particular Northern Ash boasts a high density in both appearance and texture, exhibiting the strong grain characteristic of ash wood, and a figure-like shimmer depending on the angle. The neck is made of a single piece of flat-sawn maple, chosen for its tone-focused finish. It's a superb piece of wood with subtle figured flame and fleck lines, a hallmark of hardwood, and the amber-colored finish looks incredibly realistic. The body finish is described as Blonde, but this style is designed to look like it's been played to the extreme with the pickguard attached, so the Blonde color remains only under the pickguard and hardware. In addition, both the body and neck have been treated with a so-called heavy-aged RoadKilled relic finish, resulting in an intensely aged look that surpasses even vintage looks. Other features include vintage-style Schaller tuners, a bridge plate with a 3-saddle design adapted for a rear humbucker, and a 4-bolt joint plate with the brand logo and serial number engraved. In terms of detailed specifications, the neck shape is a 63C profile, neither too thick nor too thin, with a nut width of approximately 41mm, a 7.25-inch vintage radius fingerboard, 21 frets (6105 frets), and nickel-colored hardware.
And as for the sound, you can enjoy a powerful sound that lives up to its looks. First, the acoustic resonance clearly demonstrates the potential of the materials used, producing a strong, core tone that might make you think of a Les Paul. The pickups are a Roswell Gold Foil single-coil in the neck position and a high-powered Big Block humbucker by Lindy Fralin, custom-made based on RS specifications, in the bridge position. While the guitar itself weighs approximately 3.69kg, slightly heavier than a standard Telecaster (3.2 or 3.4kg), this contributes to its powerful sound, and the pickups are designed to match, resulting in an outstanding sound output. This guitar boasts a highly percussive attack and a well-balanced tone, with clear tonal definition while eliminating harsh frequencies, resulting in a superb, powerful strumming sound. The controls—master volume, tone bypass switch, and 3-way selector—are simple and intuitive, making it highly practical for a wide range of genres, including rock, blues, and rock and roll.
Finally, regarding its condition, while it's difficult to make a precise judgment due to its heavy aged finish, there are no obvious aftermarket damages that detract from its appearance, and it remains in excellent condition. In terms of playability, the neck is in good condition with plenty of truss rod adjustment remaining, the frets show only slight wear (approximately 80%), and there are no electronic issues. Originally a single rear humbucker, the previous owner upgraded and customized it by adding a front pickup (mounted in the original front cavity), modifying the circuitry, replacing the selector, and including the original accessories. This guitar has been meticulously repaired by the professional repair workshop OldBridge. As it's a WorkHorse custom model with various specifications, the repairs are so seamless that you wouldn't notice any discrepancies unless pointed out. Accessories include the original hard case, certificate of authenticity, spec sheet, and a certificate issued by the authorized distributor, Taurus Corporation.
The new price is open price, with the regular model's current market price being 660,000 yen. Adding heavy aging and pickup upgrades, a similar guitar ordered today would likely cost around 800,000 yen. The used market price for a standard Telecaster model, which is produced in large numbers, is around 500,000 yen. Considering these factors, a fair price would be around 600,000 yen. However, thanks to the generous generosity of the previous owner, we are able to offer this guitar at an exceptionally low price, even below the market price for a standard Telecaster model. This is a truly unique and superior guitar in both looks and sound, so don't miss this opportunity if you're interested.
2026.1~
Color: Natural Wood Grain
Year of Manufacture: 2021
Pickup: Passive
Pickup Configuration: HS
Number of Frets: 21 frets
Neck Scale: Long
Weight: 3.69kg
Body Material: Ash
Neck Joint: Detachable Bolt-on
Neck Material: Maple
Accessories: Original hard case, certificate of authenticity, spec sheet, and other items (see images)
RS Guitarworks, located in Kentucky, USA, is crafted by a select group of only six luthiers. Roy and Scott, the founders and oversee all production, boast 24 years of repair experience, 18 years of vintage guitar restoration, and 15 years of aging work, including for major brands. Their special guitars are favored by top guitarists worldwide, including Joe Perry, Joe Walsh, and Stephen Stills.
This time, we're introducing the highly popular WorkHorse model from the OLDFRIENDSlab series, a representative Telecaster-style guitar. The concept behind this guitar is to purchase a brand-new 1950s Telecaster and modify it as needed during ownership. This particular guitar, reflecting Roy's meticulous attention to detail (a feature later carried over to his OldSoul models), features a carefully selected Northern Ash body with a heavy-aged RoadKilled finish. The pickups are custom-made with an RSFralin BigBlock humbucker in the bridge position and a Roswell GoldFoil single-coil in the neck position, resulting in a guitar with a strikingly cool look and a highly practical sound.
First, regarding its specifications, the style is a classic 1950s Telecaster-inspired ash body with a one-piece maple neck. However, the body uses carefully selected Northern Ash, which is said to produce more 1950s tonal characteristics than Swamp Ash. While this wood was also used in later OldSoul models, this particular Northern Ash boasts a high density in both appearance and texture, exhibiting the strong grain characteristic of ash wood, and a figure-like shimmer depending on the angle. The neck is made of a single piece of flat-sawn maple, chosen for its tone-focused finish. It's a superb piece of wood with subtle figured flame and fleck lines, a hallmark of hardwood, and the amber-colored finish looks incredibly realistic. The body finish is described as Blonde, but this style is designed to look like it's been played to the extreme with the pickguard attached, so the Blonde color remains only under the pickguard and hardware. In addition, both the body and neck have been treated with a so-called heavy-aged RoadKilled relic finish, resulting in an intensely aged look that surpasses even vintage looks. Other features include vintage-style Schaller tuners, a bridge plate with a 3-saddle design adapted for a rear humbucker, and a 4-bolt joint plate with the brand logo and serial number engraved. In terms of detailed specifications, the neck shape is a 63C profile, neither too thick nor too thin, with a nut width of approximately 41mm, a 7.25-inch vintage radius fingerboard, 21 frets (6105 frets), and nickel-colored hardware.
And as for the sound, you can enjoy a powerful sound that lives up to its looks. First, the acoustic resonance clearly demonstrates the potential of the materials used, producing a strong, core tone that might make you think of a Les Paul. The pickups are a Roswell Gold Foil single-coil in the neck position and a high-powered Big Block humbucker by Lindy Fralin, custom-made based on RS specifications, in the bridge position. While the guitar itself weighs approximately 3.69kg, slightly heavier than a standard Telecaster (3.2 or 3.4kg), this contributes to its powerful sound, and the pickups are designed to match, resulting in an outstanding sound output. This guitar boasts a highly percussive attack and a well-balanced tone, with clear tonal definition while eliminating harsh frequencies, resulting in a superb, powerful strumming sound. The controls—master volume, tone bypass switch, and 3-way selector—are simple and intuitive, making it highly practical for a wide range of genres, including rock, blues, and rock and roll.
Finally, regarding its condition, while it's difficult to make a precise judgment due to its heavy aged finish, there are no obvious aftermarket damages that detract from its appearance, and it remains in excellent condition. In terms of playability, the neck is in good condition with plenty of truss rod adjustment remaining, the frets show only slight wear (approximately 80%), and there are no electronic issues. Originally a single rear humbucker, the previous owner upgraded and customized it by adding a front pickup (mounted in the original front cavity), modifying the circuitry, replacing the selector, and including the original accessories. This guitar has been meticulously repaired by the professional repair workshop OldBridge. As it's a WorkHorse custom model with various specifications, the repairs are so seamless that you wouldn't notice any discrepancies unless pointed out. Accessories include the original hard case, certificate of authenticity, spec sheet, and a certificate issued by the authorized distributor, Taurus Corporation.
The new price is open price, with the regular model's current market price being 660,000 yen. Adding heavy aging and pickup upgrades, a similar guitar ordered today would likely cost around 800,000 yen. The used market price for a standard Telecaster model, which is produced in large numbers, is around 500,000 yen. Considering these factors, a fair price would be around 600,000 yen. However, thanks to the generous generosity of the previous owner, we are able to offer this guitar at an exceptionally low price, even below the market price for a standard Telecaster model. This is a truly unique and superior guitar in both looks and sound, so don't miss this opportunity if you're interested.
2026.1~
Color: Natural Wood Grain
Year of Manufacture: 2021
Pickup: Passive
Pickup Configuration: HS
Number of Frets: 21 frets
Neck Scale: Long
Weight: 3.69kg
Body Material: Ash
Neck Joint: Detachable Bolt-on
Neck Material: Maple
Accessories: Original hard case, certificate of authenticity, spec sheet, and other items (see images)