Murphy Lab Guitars

I'm still in the camp of needing to be convinced. I have custom shop strats that are great, and American Standards/Deluxes/Performers/(Fill in Name), that are better. Also, don't like someone faking wear on my guitar. Do have a VOS LP that has less shiny hardware which I like. I have some LP's that are fine, and really care about how it plays, not how it looks. Would really have to see God while playing it to pay 12k

I have a Murphy R8 VOS and it is all that and a bag of chips. I did not pay stupid money for it...I paid an ign'int seller because he (a dealer) didn't know what he had. 

I think it's not worth what they're currently going for, but it certainly is worth what I paid for it.  A few months after I bought it, the dealer contacted me and asked if he could buy it back for a little more than I paid.  Nope.  An educated buyer is a happy buyer.

Ask where that display case it located. 🤣

Being the owner of a 43 year old Les Paul Custom that was "naturally reliced", I wasn't impressed with the Murphy treatment.


Then again, I've only seen the one.

You could always get a straight-up Custom Shop Les Paul for like 5k and pay yourself 7k to play the sh*t out of it

THAT is a great idea! 

I've always had the idea that some people who buy these relict guitars must be telling the unknowing of the 'stories' about this guitar through the ages that are as phony as their aged appearance. The other thing I think about is, why would anybody pay that kind of money for a beat up guitar when you could pay less for a new one and beat it up yourself! However, I will not put a label on these folks because of the impression I have. There are many good reasons to purchase said relicts...I'm sure. 

I have a couple of naturally aged guitars, one being a PRS I bought new back in '09. The finish on it is falling apart so it has the 'aged', falling apart, look. I guarantee you, I did not pay for that premature action. And then, there is the '67 Ric 366 I have. I bought it in '02. It has maintained it's newish look through the ages so it has a less aged look with some 'worn' results. It also has an aged sound to it that my other Rics do not share. 

^^^THIS.

Beware of any 'pristine' old guitar: there's probably a reason why it didn't get played much and spent the last 40 years in a case under a bed.

Maybe it was purchased by a casual player or hobbyist with some disposable income who wanted a "nice" guitar, but was never that serious about it or eventually lost interest? I'd wager MOST guitars aren't purchased by regular gigging or pro guitarists. 

The idea that an old guitar is a dog because it isn't worn to bare wood from years of constant gigging in smoke-filled bars seems a bit silly and mythical to me, since that isn't how the vast majority of guitars owned are used. 

I did this just because. Now excuse me while I go stand in front of a mirror and convince myself that it was 40 years of playin' hard in smoke filled, booze soaked dives that aged this old beauty. Later I'm gonna lie to my 7 year old grandson about it's history. Boy, won't he be surprised when he tries selling it on Craigslist, haha...

Its funny how the disdain for relic guitars has to extend to their owners.  I mean its just a guitar.  Some people put bling on theirs, stickers, skull knobs. All while playing covered in ink and pierced with hardware in various places.  I don't like flying vee's, I seriously dislike them.  But I would never infer someone's a Richard Cranium for owning one. 

-Auf, not out to fool anyone, just likes shiney, new, old, weird and yes, fake vintage guitars.  

Nobody made that claim. I stated "beware of..." because it applies to some guitars. Same goes for battered guitars: some are still gems despite their appearance, and some are dogs. I've seen both types for sale many times.

I think “Vintage “ can look like just about anything really. So many people have owned them over the years for so many reasons. I doubt someone buying a “ reliced” guitar really cares if it looks vintage , but there are plenty of people bothered by them. I bought my 59 Journeyman ri strat because I loved the guitar the moment I picked it up and played it , and still do. Come to think of it I have an AVRI thin skin 59 reissue strat and I’ve never cared whether it resembles a real 59 , but I love the specs. Slab rosewood board , vintage style tuners , nice contour of the body that makes it very comfortable , 6 point trem, all of it .

During my quest for Televandalism I Googled a lot of images of vintage Telecasters. Vintage, like relics, is all over the place. Some look almost new until you zoom in here and there, some look like they were dug up from a demolition site.

My first partscaster is a 2 TSB 50's inspired Strat I bought from Gregg Rogers. I would call it "closet clean" and almost 20 years later it now bears some honest wear I earned in the twilight of my gigging years. Of my 12 electrics, 9 are unadulterated and plan to stay that way.

I'm sure no relic hater has ever been convinced to embrace them via internet discussion. Those are themselves to this day great replicas of Harmony Central circa 1999. But I've heard a few change their perspective after playing a few.

BTT. The Murphy treatment is about all I'd endure for a LP or any Gibson. Unlike a Tele/Strat, the worn thru finish on a Gibby makes me recoil a bit, even if its honest wear. Go figure.