NGD 408 Standard Relic

[justmund]

All I can say is why















not?

I dig it, you definitely own that guitar!

 

[Dancing Frog]

Here are a couple more. Still overcast, but I don't know if you'd want direct sunlight. White blows out all the highlights. I had to tamp down on the exposure to get any hint of detail. You can see the difference with the two backs below. One is -1/3, and the other is -2/3. The ISO is better, so more detail is apparent.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Sooooo, you gave it to Frankie for a weekend to get that relic look?

Nah... Would've come back with a Con-Flag and Iron Cross sticker residue if that was the case.

Wow! Even treated the tuners too! I'm willing to knock the sh!t outta that headstock for ya next time I'm in MD if you want. The rest of y'all are busters bustin' on my boys Bangin'! 408. :box:

 

[ChrisCst22]

I would rock that for sure. Love it. I guess the plus side to being relic'd is now any accidental bumps mean absolutely nothing. I mean that I would love to play that out and just go nuts and not be concerned about it whereas when I do end up playing the HB out, I am going to be super super careful.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Can you feel the finish checks on the back of the neck when you play?

 

[Dancing Frog]

Can you feel the finish checks on the back of the neck when you play?

Yeah, slightly. It's not speed bump bad, but you can feel it's there. It's actually regular enough that it's like having another set of fretboard markers. That being said, that's the only complaint I have about what the guy did under the direction of The Guitar Sanctuary. I don't mind the relic process as long as it doesn't intrude too much on the playability. That choice was close to the line.

 

[Dancing Frog]

Nah... Would've come back with a Con-Flag and Iron Cross sticker residue if that was the case.



Wow! Even treated the tuners too! I'm willing to knock the sh!t outta that headstock for ya next time I'm in MD if you want. The rest of y'all are busters bustin' on my boys Bangin'! 408. :box:

Thanks, but I think I'll do it the natural way. Bashing it into my music room ceiling and banging it on the recording desk a couple of times ought to do it.

 

[crgtr]

very cool!

 

[prsrocker1988]

Oh man I love that!

I love relics...I have too many guitars to play each one that long to get it to look and feel the way I want. I change daily what guitars I use. So I really love relics. I can speak with certainty that my Tele Relic has fooled many people into thinking it's a vintage one and want to buy it from me.

Thin finish (which Paul is good about nowadays) to let the wood breathe (yes I'm a big believer in the unplugged tone and resonance of electrics and believe in tonewood, so shoot me), no gunky finish on the back of the neck to gum it up, and a neck that feels broken in. Gotta love it.

Very cool and congrats.

 

[WeFixFlats]

Three Words: Black Pickup Rings.

 

[JTroska]

How was that done? I didn't think a modern finish would check like that.

 

[László]

How was that done? I didn't think a modern finish would check like that.

I know that some of the folks who relic guitars use razor blades to simulate the checking, and that's followed with a patina so the lines look old.

Patina is also applied to the nicks and dings so they look like they've been there a long time, instead of looking like new wood. They'll also use abrasive to remove the shine on the finish and plated parts, and other tricks.

i recently relic'd my Private Stock 30th Anniversary model, which has a nitro finish, by tying the guitar to the trailer hitch on my van and dragging it about a mile down the beach on Lake Michigan. Put lots of very natural looking dings on it, and the sand took the shine right off. I got the nitro to check by putting it in a freezer overnight and then taking it right out into the sun on a July day.

i even got the guitar to smell old with a mixture of stale beer, cigarette ashes, and horse pucky. It's perfect now!

I'm still working on the leather case. Never mind that it says 30th Anniversary on the headstock inlay, and so no one's actually fooled into thinking it's old. I just enjoy the smell more than anything else.

 

[Goldfixer]

I know that some of the folks who relic guitars use razor blades to simulate the checking, and that's followed with a patina so the lines look old.

Patina is also applied to the nicks and dings so they look like they've been there a long time, instead of looking like new wood. They'll also use abrasive to remove the shine on the finish and plated parts, and other tricks.

i recently relic'd my Private Stock 30th Anniversary model, which has a nitro finish, by tying the guitar to the trailer hitch on my van and dragging it about a mile down the beach on Lake Michigan. Put lots of very natural looking dings on it, and the sand took the shine right off. I got the nitro to check by putting it in a freezer overnight and then taking it right out into the sun on a July day.

i even got the guitar to smell old with a mixture of stale beer, cigarette ashes, and horse pucky. It's perfect now!

I'm still working on the leather case. Never mind that it says 30th Anniversary on the headstock inlay, and so no one's actually fooled into thinking it's old. I just enjoy the smell more than anything else.

I buried my PS in the back yard a couple of months ago. I can't stand the wait.......

 

[tabl10s]

Not my thing unless or occurred naturally. Don't forget to puke, spill beer and have some drunk urinate on it.

 

[László]

I buried my PS in the back yard a couple of months ago. I can't stand the wait.......

Hah! I shoulda thought of that!

 

[Dancing Frog]

How was that done? I didn't think a modern finish would check like that.

I didn't think it would either, but any thin finish should check if you put enough of a thermal gradient on it. I have no idea how this one was done. Maybe razor blades like Les said. Maybe canned air, or something more exotic, LN2. Or some combination of scoring with razor blades to provide imperfections for crack initiation followed up by cold gas. I think it would be hard to make the check look natural with razor blades, and this one looks pretty natural.

 

[watelessness]

So, if you plug it in, do you scream "it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!", and then name it Frankencasper?

 

[G-Man]

Ok….going out on a limb here but this is a razor blade job for two reasons.

1. The neck and headstock would have been impacted if it was a thermal job I think?
2. The recessed areas around the knobs remain new looking and the distress across the pickup switch is very linear.

Needless to say, there was a lot of work that went into this job to make it look old and beat up and is one of the better relicing jobs I have seen that looks convincing or at least how I would think an old bar worn PRS would age over years of playing wit the "Good old Boys". If you don't get to, you are too old.

Nice work but stay away from my Custom 22 and CE 24. They are staying virgins as long as i own them…..

 

[G-Man]

…too young I mean….I'm too old….

 

[Raven17]

Dig it. I'm not usually into "relics" just for the sake of relic, but that looks cool. Gold tops and white usually look pretty cool.

For me the only way I'd buy a gold top was if it was a "relic". Maybe that's why I do own a gold top , I hyper sensitive to how my gear to maintained. I have a few that I don't even let people look at, ala Nigel Tuffnal of Soinal Tap.