Relic Guitars

[blackba]

I don't like Relics, if I want a new guitar I buy a new guitar. If I want a beat up old guitar I buy a beat up old guitar. Buying a beat up looking new guitar just seems strange.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Ok I have a weird situation. I recently had my old beat up LP Xpl restored, I hate it now and it pisses me off that I did it (that old guitar meant alot to me). Well I have another xpl that isn't in pristine condition, This past weekend I was putting a new pup in it and thought about making it a relic of my favorite one before the restoration. Although I think buying a relic is indeed gay. What about doing a relic of my old guitar?

 

[stratotone]

I have a pair of sneakers that are 10 years old, beat to hell, feel great. But I'd never pay 2x the new rate for worn out shoes, won't do that for guitars either. In my opinion, the reason why most 'real' relics sound so good is because they have been played a lot. I think the wear is secondary, except for instruments that may have had a real thick coat of finish and the finish has worn away. Remember that most guitars that get factory relic'd are high end instruments - you don't see too many relic mexican strats. I would bet that the guitars were kick ass BEFORE they got beat up too, unless it's something that you personally dig and can feel like rolled fingerboard edges or removal of lacquer on the neck.

Saw a show years ago about why old acoustic instruments sound better than new ones, was mainly focused on the changes at the molecular level the constant vibrations from being played did to the instrument. They even had a gizmo that vibrated acoustic instruments at different frequencies and then had pro players check them out vs new instruments - they picked the 'vibrated' ones every time.

My favorite relic story is the kid who took lessons from me 10 years ago - dad bought him a nice mexi strat new. Brought it to lessons a few weeks later, all relic'd up. He had taken a freaking hammer to it and hit the body all over - it looked like the surface of the moon. He also had to have his guitar reassembled and set up because he took the body off and dragged it behind his bike on a gravel road to also create a relic vibe. Didn't quite work.

 

[ratter]

Fender Road Worn Guitars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6w2ArB_zzM

 

[JTyson]

I probably woulden't buy one, BUT the best sounding strat I EVER heard was a relic a friend of mine got. It is literally the 10 ton violin tone. I could not believe the difference between it and the Am standard I have. I hear more strings and wood in that one than any I have played. I have owned 6 of them. Its got to be more than corrosion and beat up paint He may have got a particulairly good one, but man, it sounds like we all hope they would. To him, it was totally about how it played, and sounded.

 

[Atropos_Project]

A friend of mine has a relic'ed Tele that he swears by.

I frankly don't see the point of paying extra for wear and tear, but different strokes and all that.

 

[Digital Jams]

I have a pair of sneakers that are 10 years old, beat to hell, feel great. But I'd never pay 2x the new rate for worn out shoes, won't do that for guitars either. In my opinion, the reason why most 'real' relics sound so good is because they have been played a lot. I think the wear is secondary, except for instruments that may have had a real thick coat of finish and the finish has worn away. Remember that most guitars that get factory relic'd are high end instruments - you don't see too many relic mexican strats. I would bet that the guitars were kick ass BEFORE they got beat up too, unless it's something that you personally dig and can feel like rolled fingerboard edges or removal of lacquer on the neck.

Saw a show years ago about why old acoustic instruments sound better than new ones, was mainly focused on the changes at the molecular level the constant vibrations from being played did to the instrument. They even had a gizmo that vibrated acoustic instruments at different frequencies and then had pro players check them out vs new instruments - they picked the 'vibrated' ones every time.

My favorite relic story is the kid who took lessons from me 10 years ago - dad bought him a nice mexi strat new. Brought it to lessons a few weeks later, all relic'd up. He had taken a freaking hammer to it and hit the body all over - it looked like the surface of the moon. He also had to have his guitar reassembled and set up because he took the body off and dragged it behind his bike on a gravel road to also create a relic vibe. Didn't quite work.

Ratter stripped his EJ for about $10 and some messy work, no thanks on the $1000 fender mojo I agree about the guitar more than likely sounding great before the freon and files and how does one use tools to create years of hands on with a guitar?

 

[stratotone]

Ratter stripped his EJ for about $10 and some messy work, no thanks on the $1000 fender mojo I agree about the guitar more than likely sounding great before the freon and files and how does one use tools to create years of hands on with a guitar?

Heh, I have that EJ now and one with all the finish still on the neck. I prefer the feel of the stripped one, but the maple one is a hair brighter sounding, probably from the fingerboard being 'harder' with all the lacquer on it. He did a great job, and it doesn't look aged, but probably will once I put a few hundred hours on it with my grubby mitts.

 

[ratter]

I have a pair of sneakers that are 10 years old, beat to hell, feel great. But I'd never pay 2x the new rate for worn out shoes, won't do that for guitars either. In my opinion, the reason why most 'real' relics sound so good is because they have been played a lot. I think the wear is secondary, except for instruments that may have had a real thick coat of finish and the finish has worn away. Remember that most guitars that get factory relic'd are high end instruments - you don't see too many relic mexican strats. I would bet that the guitars were kick ass BEFORE they got beat up too, unless it's something that you personally dig and can feel like rolled fingerboard edges or removal of lacquer on the neck.

Saw a show years ago about why old acoustic instruments sound better than new ones, was mainly focused on the changes at the molecular level the constant vibrations from being played did to the instrument. They even had a gizmo that vibrated acoustic instruments at different frequencies and then had pro players check them out vs new instruments - they picked the 'vibrated' ones every time.

My favorite relic story is the kid who took lessons from me 10 years ago - dad bought him a nice mexi strat new. Brought it to lessons a few weeks later, all relic'd up. He had taken a freaking hammer to it and hit the body all over - it looked like the surface of the moon. He also had to have his guitar reassembled and set up because he took the body off and dragged it behind his bike on a gravel road to also create a relic vibe. Didn't quite work.

Ratter stripped his EJ for about $10 and some messy work, no thanks on the $1000 fender mojo I agree about the guitar more than likely sounding great before the freon and files and how does one use tools to create years of hands on with a guitar?

Big difference though between just stripping a neck and doing an authentic aging job. Not that most aging jobs are authentic, but you see where I'm going with this...

Let's face it, for companies the size of FMIC, it's about marketing, and it's about moving units. And they're very good at it. And along the way some very nice guitars make it out the door, too. They're not all winners, but there's enough for everybody.

 

[cyndicate]

How bout a combination of both, I think relic'd guitars look cool, but I would never pay that much for someone to do it.

 

[stratotone]

Big difference though between just stripping a neck and doing an authentic aging job. Not that most aging jobs are authentic, but you see where I'm going with this...

If someone was into the aged look though, after you strip the fingerboard especially - just let it grunge up and you'll get the 'vintage vibe' happening pretty quickly. I noticed too on my burst EJ that the finish is starting to get 'dull' in places where I rest my arm when I play - probably due to how thin the nitro finish is I guess. I would wager within 5 years that guitar is going to be 'prematurely aged' which if it's done by playing IMHO is better to me than having some guy go at the finish with freon and then getting it hot to crack the lacquer, etc. But hey, different strokes for different folks. One thing that is nice about beating up your own guitars is each wear point has a story - I know where all my dents and dings came from, and it gives the guitar more history than one that had all the wear happen at once. Again, just my opinion.

Pete

 

[Bad Brad]

I voted "gay" because I prefer a guitar that has been beat up for real instead of pained to look that way.

I'll second that all day long!

 

[Gainzilla]

Yeah, I don't get the Relic thing. I know it's supposed to be cool and give the guitar the "played" mojo. To me, it's not any kind of real mojo...just BS.

Meh on the mojo Idea.... I just like the looks of it and the cool thing about it is that you dont have to baby it!!

 

[Bad Brad]

Big difference though between just stripping a neck and doing an authentic aging job. Not that most aging jobs are authentic, but you see where I'm going with this...

If someone was into the aged look though, after you strip the fingerboard especially - just let it grunge up and you'll get the 'vintage vibe' happening pretty quickly. I noticed too on my burst EJ that the finish is starting to get 'dull' in places where I rest my arm when I play - probably due to how thin the nitro finish is I guess. I would wager within 5 years that guitar is going to be 'prematurely aged' which if it's done by playing IMHO is better to me than having some guy go at the finish with freon and then getting it hot to crack the lacquer, etc. But hey, different strokes for different folks. One thing that is nice about beating up your own guitars is each wear point has a story - I know where all my dents and dings came from, and it gives the guitar more history than one that had all the wear happen at once. Again, just my opinion.

Pete

My EJ is showing the wear signs

 

[bravedude2]

personal preference isn't a option? sad.
nothing like how long a cd should be. but if your guitar has scratches or missing small paint pieces it's gay.

 

[ratter]

Big difference though between just stripping a neck and doing an authentic aging job. Not that most aging jobs are authentic, but you see where I'm going with this...

If someone was into the aged look though, after you strip the fingerboard especially - just let it grunge up and you'll get the 'vintage vibe' happening pretty quickly. I noticed too on my burst EJ that the finish is starting to get 'dull' in places where I rest my arm when I play - probably due to how thin the nitro finish is I guess. I would wager within 5 years that guitar is going to be 'prematurely aged' which if it's done by playing IMHO is better to me than having some guy go at the finish with freon and then getting it hot to crack the lacquer, etc. But hey, different strokes for different folks. One thing that is nice about beating up your own guitars is each wear point has a story - I know where all my dents and dings came from, and it gives the guitar more history than one that had all the wear happen at once. Again, just my opinion.

Pete

Yeah I've noticed on some relics that the forearm wear spot isn't anywhere near where my arm would actually be. That would bug the shit out of me if I bought that guitar. That's another point though....you get a guitar with a poly finish and that thing will never look like a 60s strat looks today even 50 years from now. It just won't wear down like that. So getting something like an EJ with the thin nitro, you can wear your own guitar down naturally pretty damn quick compared to a poly guitar.

 

[ttosh]

Thanks for all the reply's. I guess I have to align with the unpopular as I really love the Nitro Aged San Dimas Charvels Custom Shops. They have a worn look I dig a lot. And I do like to hear what others think even though it usually never waivers me in a direction of popularity just to be in the masses.

I will be getting one in the near future and hoping it plays as well if not better than most custom shops!!!

 

[daver101]

How are they going to look when they are actually old and beat up, though?

K-Line stuff is really cool. Worth the $$$ IMO.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Honestly, the people who knock then really need to try one first. My CS Strat is simply and amazing guitar. Every detail is perfect and the damn thing stays in tune for days. Not to mention that it rings like a bell!!!

 

[Marshall Law]

I had a custom reliced strat made for me cost, $700.00 plays feels and sounds awesome, and they usually play and sound better then the originals



if you like scrambled eggs your gay, eggs have to be over easy