Relics? I don't get it

[Mixstar]

I would buy a well worn used guitar

And me, I was looking longingly at a '64 Strat some time back that could only be described as "road worn but in good working order", basically it looked knackered. I eventually got to try it on and it was sweet but the £14,000 tag on it put me off

 

[László]

My son picked up a real '64 Melody Maker in NYC at Rudy's for under 2 grand, all original, and in about the shape my '65 SG Special is in. Didn't have the original case, but they supplied a decent copy.

Everything works, plays great. The real ones are out there, if that's what you want.

 

[mezzio]

Unless it's used, I don't understand paying for a new guitar that looks old... Of course I say the same thing about clothes (yes I'm looking you Kanye).

That being said, I do take care of my guitars to a point. I maintain them, dust them, even polish them occasionally... I don't make a big deal out of scratches, small dings, or wear too much. Really the only time I get upset is when the wood itself gets damaged.

 

[Whitecat]

There are some builders out there who charge more for a pristine, un-reliced guitar. I assume the upcharge covers buffing & polishing time...

So if you want to get your hands on a guitar made by someone who does that but want to keep the cost as low as possible, a relic is the only option.

 

[Goldfixer]

Well, there is some more labour put into it for one...

I disagree, it's just different labor. Instead of spending time making the guitar look incredibly new, they spend time time making it look incredibly used.

 

[JMintzer]

Exactly, now where is the white one? I know its stashed around there somewhere, and don't sass me with any of the Mary Kay stuff!

No Olympic White. Just a Mary Kay...

 

[JMintzer]

Has anyone noticed that there are no obviously "reliced" Stradivarius or Guarnerius instruments? Hmmm, must be a reason for that... . I don't think that the one offered for $999,999.99 has that affliction.

Actually, violin makers have been making new violin "relics" for ever...

 

[JMintzer]

A professional session player (many of you know him), played my Cunetto Nocaster and declared it was as good and any vintage tele he'd played (and he's played a ton of them). They are spectacular instruments. From the ultra thin finish, to the broken in necks, to the rolled fretboard, it all just works.

It most cases, it's not just the cosmetics...

And to those who don't get them? Nothing I say will change your mind. Just as nothing you'll say will change mine...

 

[László]

No Thanks!

Is that better Les?
Doesnt feel as fulfilling though.

I know. It's much more fun to rant. Which I'm very guilty of myself here, as you know.

 

[Michael_DK]

I disagree, it's just different labor. Instead of spending time making the guitar look incredibly new, they spend time time making it look incredibly used.

I seriously doubt production protocols for reliced instruments are very different until they actually start the relicing process.

 

[László]

A professional session player (many of you know him), played my Cunetto Nocaster and declared it was as good and any vintage tele he'd played (and he's played a ton of them). They are spectacular instruments. From the ultra thin finish, to the broken in necks, to the rolled fretboard, it all just works.

It most cases, it's not just the cosmetics.

Of course, it would have sounded just as good had it not been relic-ed, and felt as good if that much attention was paid to rolling the fretboard edges, finishing the neck to feel broken in, etc.

It's great that you dig relics, and never a bad thing to be happy with what you have!

I like stone-washed jeans. They feel nice, and look better than dark blue, brand new blue jeans to me. I guess they're the relics of blue jeans.

But tell me, do you also relic your PRSes?

 

[JMintzer]

Of course, it would have sounded just as good had it not been relic-ed, and felt as good if that much attention was paid to rolling the fretboard edges, finishing the neck to feel broken in, etc.

It's great that you dig relics, and never a bad thing to be happy with what you have!

I like stone-washed jeans. They feel nice, and look better than dark blue, brand new blue jeans to me. I guess they're the relics of blue jeans.

But tell me, do you also relic your PRSes?

No need. They play great as is...

 

[The Viking Gangster]

Breaking my own pie here because this needs addressing:

Actually lots of people look up what's been talked about before, in fact one of the more recent threads on relicing started out with "I searched but couldn't find anything".

I called pie early not just because of the done-to-death-topic, but also the way it was delivered. Calling people "poseurs" and "weirdos" for liking a reliced guitar, and the guitar being little more than a fake, is just going to get people riled up. You know:

"You're a weirdo poseur"
"No, you're a weirdo poseur"
"You are"
And so on.

(Actually that was the censored version)

There's never any need for name calling, and it's something we don't encourage around here.

I wasn't telling people what they can and can't talk about, and when they can or can't do it, I simply asked (nicely) that we not let this one go on further. I'm hoping that me calling pie has kept this thread a little more civil than it has turned out before (on this forum and others).

I for one, do, and always will encourage posts by anyone, regardless of how long they've been around, what their post count is, or how many guitars they own (I've said this recently), but I'll always have an issue with name calling.

You have a point about not calling people names. I apologize for jumping the gun.

 

[Parralax view]

It certainly is a polarizing topic. Some love it, some detest it. I'm in the "I politely don't like it" camp, but then again my wallet isn't coming out for one. Now, I'm 68 yrs. old, and I could pull it off with a bit of BS about all the road houses I've played in, but when you're 18 and sporting one of those it just doesn't add up very well. Again, money talks and buys what the individual wants.

 

[Mixstar]

 

[Alan Manning]

Pay's your money take's your choice. that's fair enough. "BUT, BUT" Anyone comes near my Prs's with a blade be warned I'll set the WIFE on em!!!!.

 

[coyote]

I'm OK with it as long as the relic is caused by my playing. Not into the fake stuff.

I've beat a number of Stratocasters into submission onstage. But those aside I've always taken as much care as possible to prevent even buckle rash on my better guitars. So no, I don't 'get' artificial relic artifacts. Even with the abused Strats, the point was not the way the guitar looked afterward but the sonic and theater effect of the performance itself.

But to each their own.

 

[coyote]

Relic'd guitars are a fad that will eventually die out. It can't happen soon enough, though.

I mean I would never tell them this, but this is, uhhh, this is a fad

The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin....

 

[JMintzer]

This "so called fad" has been going on for over 20 years...

 

[vchizzle]

I like some of them. There was a PRS goldtop that had been finish checked and it looked righteous. I don't care what people do to their guitars for the most part. The one in the vid is a bad relic job. If I saw a really cool one that grabbed me, I might buy it. I can't say I'd pay to have it done to a guitar. I prefer to just have them fall off pool tables onto concrete floors!