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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 13, 2024 11:00:06 GMT -5
Yeah, that one doesn't make me wince, Leftee. I dig the aged hardware and it looks like the edge wear treatment is tasty.
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Post by Leftee on May 13, 2024 11:26:00 GMT -5
It still wasn’t squarely in my comfort tone. But there is no other choice. I agree, it’s tastefully done.
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Post by reverendrob on May 13, 2024 16:57:55 GMT -5
I do somehow like the idea of a guitar that visually appears to be worn completely out ... but plays and sounds like a dream. I don't do that with guitars, but my primary Sig 226 fits the bill there. Left side is completely dehorned after a few decades of use and LOTS of draws. I've replaced every spring many times, and it needs a fourth set of night sights soon. ![](https://media.furtkamp.com/carrysig.jpg) ![](https://media.furtkamp.com/sig226-wear.jpg)
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Post by cedarchoper58 on May 13, 2024 16:57:59 GMT -5
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 13, 2024 20:44:04 GMT -5
That's some serious wear there, lol. Are you the original owner? Is that a sunburst peeking through the blue on the lower bout?
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Post by bluzcat on May 13, 2024 22:46:40 GMT -5
I’ve read of “sunbursts gone wrong” that would be sprayed over with a solid color and later wear would reveal that- but is it such a common thing to justify so many relics mimicking this? [edit] I am curious about Wildwood’s Relic-Ready guitars. That’s probably the way I’d go if looking for new today. No, there are not that many (not the number of relic guitars need to be justified). Isn't a Relic-Ready guitar just a new guitar?? What part of the finishing process is missing? They are just a thin nitro…so I’m guessing a little easier to get the dings going.
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Post by allycody on May 15, 2024 21:12:34 GMT -5
When the Fender “Roadworn” (is that one word, or two?) series came out, way back in 2008 or 2009, I thought it was silly. Then I played one, and a few more, etc. … and every time thought they were great playing guitars.
Many years later, I succumbed and picked up a Strat, for three reasons: it played awesome, I prefer nitro, and it weighs six-and-a-half pounds.
Bonus reason: I hate dinging up my guitars - but I hate stressing about dinging them up even more. Now, I don’t ever have to worry about dinging my Strat again!
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Post by Larry Madsen on May 15, 2024 21:53:44 GMT -5
I think if I ever take on the project of putting together a “relic rendition” guitar, I might start by checking out all the local pawn shops in order to locate a good donor.
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professor
Wholenote
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Post by professor on May 16, 2024 11:45:42 GMT -5
I got a great deal years ago on a used LP Deluxe Goldtop of somewhat recent vintage. The owner was either very negligent in how it had been treated and stored or he had attempted some DIY relicing. I'm guessing he played it with bare arms covered with bug spray as the finish was pitted and discolored; maybe he figured he had ruined it. I wouldn't buy a factory relic, but the price was right and it has some character, however it came to be.
I think it's the Museum of Texas History in Austin that has - or had- a show on the musical history of Texas and they had one of SRV's Strats. It looked like it had been around since the Civil War, rough raised grain of worn wood, pitted steel parts, strings looked like baling wire. Similar to the Johnny Thunders LP Double Cut Junior which is my profile photo. Beat to sh*t. It's in the R&R HOF.
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Post by Lesterstrat on May 16, 2024 13:05:03 GMT -5
I’m pretty sure SRV’s strings were the size of baling wire!
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 16, 2024 13:53:21 GMT -5
I think appreciating SRV's abused Strat is the first step to understanding relics. He spent years sweating, beating and mistreating that guitar without mercy. He was "relic'ing" in real time with no concern about nicks and wear. Yep, an accumulation of genuine mistreatment.
So a fella wants that guitar. He loves that guitar. But...but...I don't have that guitar. I haven't kept one long enough over the years to make it look like that. Ahhh, a "replica". A tribute. One that was factory abused in accelerated time. Cool!
Poser? No. No different than someone buying X guitar because their hero played one.
Is it an affront to those who have a genuinely worn guitar from years of hard (and perhaps neglectful) playing? I don't think so. How? Does the replica somehow discredit the real deal? Nah, not in my book.
I totally get a "not for me" attitude. My personal interest in relics is more on the "lightly aged" side of the subject. I have one Tele that is a bit further into relic'ing. My first Tele was an early 70's blonde that I didn't hold on to. My thought process in the build was to kinda/sorta replicate the guitar in what I imagined it'd look like today if I made that guitar a lifer and kept it. As I said earlier, a frivolous endeavor. I wouldn't venture into the level of wear as demonstrated by Cedarchoper58's genuine blue Strat above. But based on the sales of relics with similar war wounds, others do. Have at it. It's guitar fashion, not stolen valor.
Now get offa my lawn! In fact, no, trample all over it. I want it to look like my neighbors.😆
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Post by Lesterstrat on May 16, 2024 14:20:26 GMT -5
Just to be clear (and as I pointed out in my first post), you makes your money, you spends your money. Relics are definitely not in my DNA. Again, my number one (an AmDlx Strat HSS) that’s been dragged through every club, dive bar, biker bar, hotel ball rooms, even a barn or two throughout the Midwest doesn’t have a scratch on it. I’m just really into taking care of my stuff. I enjoy pulling it out and showing it off and telling the stories behind it. And, it prides me when folks say “Man, you’ve really taken care of it”. That’s *my* badge of honor.
Now, admittedly, I scratch my a head a bit at the SRVs of the world, and I raise an eyebrow a bit more at folks that want to buy one that was beat to hell at the factory, but, again, I don’t think to myself “poser”, or any other disparaging thoughts. Again, it’s more of a head scratch of not getting the attraction and a “to each their own” thought. I don’t have to understand why anyone wants one anymore than they need to understand my preferences.
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Post by Lesterstrat on May 16, 2024 14:34:00 GMT -5
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 16, 2024 14:35:03 GMT -5
Yep, my rant wasn't directed at you Lester. I'm talking about the decades now of vitriol that has been spent on the subject over music boards. When I endeavored into finding techniques people employ in the relicing process, even dedicated ones with builders who do relics, there's always someone there to derail the discussion with belittlement. They don't dislike them, they hate them and anyone who has or wants one. It really is a fascinating little observation among people with a common interest.
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professor
Wholenote
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Post by professor on May 16, 2024 14:42:39 GMT -5
How about a "Limited Edition Masterbuilt Joe Strummer Telecaster"? Not for the working class I assume...
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 16, 2024 14:47:50 GMT -5
This is a completed auction of a pine body relic from MJT. I mean, I don't get it, but...🤷🏻♂️ ![](https://i.ibb.co/NZgx85J/Screenshot-20240516-144226-Chrome.jpg)
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Post by cedarchoper58 on May 16, 2024 17:36:14 GMT -5
I got a great deal years ago on a used LP Deluxe Goldtop of somewhat recent vintage. The owner was either very negligent in how it had been treated and stored or he had attempted some DIY relicing. I'm guessing he played it with bare arms covered with bug spray as the finish was pitted and discolored; maybe he figured he had ruined it. I wouldn't buy a factory relic, but the price was right and it has some character, however it came to be. I think it's the Museum of Texas History in Austin that has - or had- a show on the musical history of Texas and they had one of SRV's Strats. It looked like it had been around since the Civil War, rough raised grain of worn wood, pitted steel parts, strings looked like baling wire. Similar to the Johnny Thunders LP Double Cut Junior which is my profile photo. Beat to sh*t. It's in the R&R HOF. its on display now in Austin
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professor
Wholenote
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Posts: 633
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Post by professor on May 17, 2024 9:30:58 GMT -5
I got a great deal years ago on a used LP Deluxe Goldtop of somewhat recent vintage. The owner was either very negligent in how it had been treated and stored or he had attempted some DIY relicing. I'm guessing he played it with bare arms covered with bug spray as the finish was pitted and discolored; maybe he figured he had ruined it. I wouldn't buy a factory relic, but the price was right and it has some character, however it came to be. I think it's the Museum of Texas History in Austin that has - or had- a show on the musical history of Texas and they had one of SRV's Strats. It looked like it had been around since the Civil War, rough raised grain of worn wood, pitted steel parts, strings looked like baling wire. Similar to the Johnny Thunders LP Double Cut Junior which is my profile photo. Beat to sh*t. It's in the R&R HOF. its on display now in Austin Ah, so it is one of their permanent exhibits. Well worth the visit.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on May 17, 2024 10:34:23 GMT -5
I'd hate to have been SRV's guitar tech. I imagine the first thing he'd have to do after a show is to pull out a squeegee.
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Post by cedarchoper58 on May 17, 2024 17:51:26 GMT -5
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Post by Taildragger on Jun 8, 2024 9:54:17 GMT -5
I try to keep all of my guitars in as pristine of a condition as I can. ^This^ That's how I like for them to be while I own/play them and I figure that they'll bring more money if I decide to sell them down the road. If the next owner wants them all banged up, let him/her have at 'em. Maybe my preference in this regard is also the result of my having done a fair amount of hobby woodworking and home maintenance. If something I make winds up all scratched or with a big gouge in it, it's because something slipped or I made a bonehead miscalculation/mistake. In that instance, every time I look at that error, I think, "sure wish I hadn't done that". That reaction carries over to having blemishes on my guitars/basses. As Rob said, fading or yellowing is a different matter: that looks like aging, not the result of disregard or carelessness. I love the look and feel of wood. I respect my tools, whether they be a wrench or a power saw or a guitar or and amp and figure that they will serve me better and for longer if I take good care of them.
I the past, when I could only afford either inexpensive/low-end new guitars or higher-quality, if dinged up, used guitars, I opted for the latter and tolerated the damage because they generally played and sounded better. But even then, most of the defects in the ones I bought looked more like honest play wear, not abuse. I had a special aversion to dinged up necks and headstocks.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 8, 2024 10:21:14 GMT -5
My latest silly adventure into crafting a mid-sixties Tele relic has reached a dilemma. Beat up body, aged hardware and I wrapped up finishing the era appropriate new neck with a ton of shellac applications. It certainly isn't brand new looking but lacks all the treatment (abuse) that the body has. As much as I don't hate relics the notion of doing the faux wear makes me cringe a little. My wife on the other hand thinks I'm crazy for even thinking about it. Getting all judgy there, sitting in her torn and distressed jeans, lol. ![](https://i.ibb.co/KrFStZt/20240607-120158.jpg) ![](https://i.ibb.co/HdtvZ0g/20240607-121330.jpg)
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Post by Taildragger on Jun 8, 2024 11:27:58 GMT -5
Getting all judgy there, sitting in her torn and distressed jeans, lol. Clearly, you need to show her whose Tele wears the pants...
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Post by markfromhawaii on Jun 9, 2024 13:01:34 GMT -5
I don’t hate relic’d guitars but I do smirk when owners complain how some of the finish starts to crack and flake off. The typical response from the manufacturer: Did you allow the guitar to acclimate in its shipping box for at least a day?
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Post by Mike the marksman on Jun 10, 2024 7:33:21 GMT -5
I never see legit vintage guitars that are anywhere near as beat up as these "relics" are. I feel like they're cashing in on some idealized, romanticized myth of what vintage guitars are (They all look like SRVs!)
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 10, 2024 9:39:52 GMT -5
I never see legit vintage guitars that are anywhere near as beat up as these "relics" are. I feel like they're cashing in on some idealized, romanticized myth of what vintage guitars are (They all look like SRVs!) When I decided to take on my project I looked at a ton of pics of actual 66 Teles and came across quite a few with way more wear than I inflicted. But I agree, the custom shop stuff seems to favor the heavy relic treatment. Personally, the best looking ones to me have little faux wear. I decided to try this one out "just because". I had done a refin in Mohawk Blonde and wasn't happy with the result. Some shortcomings in wood prep, etc. It's a one and done endeavor for me but fortunately it's a good playing/sounding guitar. Who knows, my next project just might be to "unrelic" it, hahaha. Or just play the dang thing.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 10, 2024 9:49:31 GMT -5
If fact, I forgot that I had already done the "unrelic" thing. Ash MJT Strat body that didn't have a particularly nice sunburst, so I sanded it down and finished it off with tinted shellac. ![](https://i.ibb.co/4gxjXxG/20231102-113523.jpg)
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Post by Mike the marksman on Jun 10, 2024 10:04:51 GMT -5
I've thought about going the MJT/Musikraft route and building my own vintage-spec strat or tele. Almost none of the vintage nitro finishing services even offer a NOS/Like New finish option. You must get at least some grade of "relic" finish.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 10, 2024 10:24:33 GMT -5
I've thought about going the MJT/Musikraft route and building my own vintage-spec strat or tele. Almost none of the vintage nitro finishing services even offer a NOS/Like New finish option. You must get at least some grade of "relic" finish. I have several MJTs and in order to get a clean finish I had to custom order it. The first was a very specific greenburst Strat and they nailed it, looked like new. The last was a sonic blue and it arrived far from the same quality as the other. No nicks or checking, but really no clear coat and depth. There's a guy on ebay that goes by the name of Bloomdoom that used to work for MJT and seems to offer like new finishing in lacquer. I haven't seen his work in person but have read a number of positive reviews.
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Ryder
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Post by Ryder on Jun 10, 2024 12:09:32 GMT -5
Well, at first I thought you were talking about me...close to a relic if not actually one.
As for guitars, no thank you. Like someone else said, I hate when I ding one of my own. If I buy used I usually look for mint!
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