Citrus Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 If this belongs to someone here - sorry - but I just don't get the thought processFrom TGP......2004 R7 Historic Les Paul "Refin" in iced tea burstThis was a special run done for Dave's Guitars.This was not refinished by an outside source. The "refin" refers to the guitar looking like an original gold top that was stripped and refinished to a burst. This was done at Gibson by Gibson.Let's see - how about a strat that was stripped, routed for buckers, and a floyd and then put back to stock to make it look like stock - what do you think I could charge for that.Also was looking at the new Fend*r road worn - all the strats I saw had the exact same wear - now there's a guitar for the individualist - everyone gets the same mojo
Brooks Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 the only cool relics are the ones that come by it naturally.
Hamer of the gods Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Also was looking at the new Fend*r road worn - all the strats I saw had the exact same wear - now there's a guitar for the individualist - everyone gets the same mojo Ha! Maybe there's a "Mojo" stencil!
lonote049 Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 The Teles all have a strange "wear" mark. It's on the upper bass bout and looks like somebody was continuously trying to flip a 3-way switch that wasn't there. I have no opinion about the whole relic thing. It is just another finish option IMO.
BubbaVO Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 As far as the "look" goes, I don't get it. But if they were able to successfully produce the sound of some of those classic instruments that survived (e.g., put in vintage electronics that really do reproduce the tones of those classic instruments) because of their superior tonal qualities, that would have more appeal to me.
Frank Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 the only cool relics are the ones that come by it naturally.+1
Willie G. Moseley Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 More than one of the manufacturing veterans of the original pre-CBS Fender company with whom I conversed couldn't for the life of them understand "...why someone would want to buy a new guitar that looks beat up" (to quote one of them). Another likened it to buying a new car that looked like it had been through a demolition derby. Yet another reason why I considered those folks to be sages.
velorush Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 the only cool relics are the ones that come by it naturally. +100 I blame the whole thing on a guy who lives about 30 minutes away from me: Jerry Gurien - the inventor of stonewashed jeans. It was a slippery slope from, "hey, for a few extra bucks I can have someone make my brand new jeans look like I have lived a rough life in the hood or on the farm while I am actually just a yuppie who never gets his hands dirty" to "hey, for a few thousand extra bucks I can have someone beat the crap out of my new guitar [or leather jacket or furniture, etc.] to make it look like I have played decades of actual gigs outside of my house" [ducks and runs... far! And FAST!]
harryjmic Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 HFC has relic bashing threads also? I would never have imagined it. Any guitar can be great or suck, it all depends on the individual instrument. BTW, I have 3 relics and 3 normal guitars, I buy and keep what ever sounds the best, nothing else matters.
MCChris Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 HFC has relic bashing threads also? I would never have imagined it. Any guitar can be great or suck, it all depends on the individual instrument. BTW, I have 3 relics and 3 normal guitars, I buy and keep what ever sounds the best, nothing else matters.+1. It all depends on the intent behind the purchase. If you bought the guitar because you bonded with it, that's fine. If you bought the guitar because of a collectibility factor, that's fine too. If you bought the guitar to portray yourself as someone you're not, i.e. someone who busted up the guitar by playing the shit out of it a hundred times a year on some of the shittiest stages in the country, that's lame.
GusS Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I'm thinking about starting a relic business in which I break and reglue headstocks
Turdus Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I think it all depends on the relic job. To me, some look authentic. Others don't. I prefer normal play wear over a relic job. But if it's not overdone, I'd be OK with it.
velorush Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 It was a slippery slope from, "hey, for a few extra bucks I can have someone make my brand new jeans look like I have lived a rough life in the hood or on the farm while I am actually just a yuppie who never gets his hands dirty" to "hey, for a few thousand extra bucks I can have someone beat the crap out of my new guitar [or leather jacket or furniture, etc.] to make it look like I have played decades of actual gigs outside of my house" [ducks and runs... far! And FAST!] I kid! I kid! Relicing is not the thing for me, but for my friends who do own Fender Custom Shop relics, they like how they feel. To get back to my analogy, anyone who remembers jeans before stonewashing remembers you went to the store and bought 501s - stiff as a board - and couldn't wait until you'd worn and washed them a dozen or so times so that they would soften up and feel like yours. I can certainly see the benefits of buying a new guitar that feels nice and broken in. Personally, I like shiny paint that makes me cry when it inevitably gets a scratch or a ding.
bubs_42 Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I'm waiting for the 20 year old Monaco Elite Goldtop one of you bastards are relicing for me.. Make sure it has some nice greening and I'm buying.
DavidE Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I dig the relic look. But more than that, I've really liked a lot of the relic strats I've played. I finally bought one, but I didn't like the way it looked in photos. It wasn't until I had the guitar in my hands that I had to have it.
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Looking at the wear on the fretboard: is that normal for a genuine old guitar?The reason I'm asking is that it has interesting implications for MOP or Abolone block inlays.Do/will they eventually wear away like the surface of that Strat fretboard? Or do they resist wearing away better than wood?...and that makes me think: do large inlay blocks affect how it feels to bend strings? Smoother than wood?
Willie G. Moseley Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Relic'ed cases should include rusted hardware, maybe a busted latch, and a stench of mildew for authenticity's sake...
Frank Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Relic'ed cases should include rusted hardware, maybe a busted latch, and a stench of mildew for authenticity's sake...Don't forget the stale cigarette smoke and sour beer smells, too!
Jack C Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Relic'ed cases should include rusted hardware, maybe a busted latch, and a stench of mildew for authenticity's sake...Don't forget the stale cigarette smoke and sour beer smells, too!Cat piss costs extra.
currypowder Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I'm one of those guys that digs relics. I do like the way they look, but more so like how the ones I've kept play and sound. My Revelator '61 T is simply the best tele I've ever played or owned. That I think Eric does supurb relicing/aging is secondary to it's tone. It also has a more modern neck profile which makes it much more comfortable for my playing style. The strat I just picked up, a '68 heavy relic looks to be very similar to DavidE's with a rosewood fretboard (I'm assuming his is a '69 heavy relic). It's tone, to me, is the defining 60's strat. The 69 custom pickups are perfect and with the more modern neck profile (9.5 radius and 6105 frets) it plays wonderfully. I also owned a Gibson R8 that had been relic'd by RS. The only reason I sold it was that the neck was just a little too big for me.
Steve Haynie Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 I'm thinking about starting a relic business in which I break and reglue headstocksHow about offering a "natural relic process" that requires keeping the guitar for a year at a time. Someone drops off his new guitar and you play the crap out of it for a year, maybe lending it to some teenagers or putting it on consignment in a poorly monitored guitar shop for a while.
kevinbower1959 Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 BMW have just started offering the same deal here in Europe. For a £5,000 premium, you get a brand-new M3 with bald tyres, a big split in the windscreen, a caved-in rear end which has been authentically hit by a milk truck, three or four patches of genuine rust, special interior lights with no bulbs, a full ashtray, a dashboard filled with candy wrappers and McDonalds cups, a gearbox filled with nails and a special grade of glue-like, jet-black oil in the motor.They haven't sold any yet. It must be the credit crunch.
MCChris Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 BMW have just started offering the same deal here in Europe. For a £5,000 premium, you get a brand-new M3 with bald tyres, a big split in the windscreen, a caved-in rear end which has been authentically hit by a milk truck, three or four patches of genuine rust, special interior lights with no bulbs, a full ashtray, a dashboard filled with candy wrappers and McDonalds cups, a gearbox filled with nails and a special grade of glue-like, jet-black oil in the motor.They haven't sold any yet. It must be the credit crunch.This made me LOL.
licksville Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Being the self-centered individual I am, my issue with relicing is this. Your relic'd Les Paul 2006 gold-top somehow reduces the intrinsic mojo and resale value of my 1970s goldtop LP that I lugged to 100+ gigs in the 70s and 80s. There's probably no basis in reality but in my wacky self-absorbed world, your relic'd piece has lessened the desirability of my piece, and others like it.
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