Rotten Relics

[Rob]

"Maybe my vintage Jazzmaster isn't worth $13,000 after I ruined it with a rotten relic job. No... no, it's worth $13,000 because I ruined it with a rotten relic job. Dignified."

[Nico]

That heavy relic fad was just one stupid phase.

It's funny to say but I never had the money to buy a factory relic'd guitar like a CS or from a boutique builder... I could only afford nicely aged vintages or AVRI reissues.

Looking back at the trend now, I have to admit that pretty much all of CS relic jobs are pretty disgusting and completely unrealistic. And another thing; WHY would you want a guitar that upstages any rock legend REAL relic'd guitar?

[marqueemoon]

Very natural looking wear around the tuner posts and the edges of the headstock.

[Embenny]

Very natural looking wear around the tuner posts and the edges of the headstock.

It's like they thought the headstock is played like a wine glass or something.

[Wucan]

Relicing is just romanticized wear. I'll have a sliver of respect for shops churning these guitars out when they beat the shit out of the back with a belt buckle and file the frets until they are flat. And if they're Gibson style guitars, break the headstock then glue it back together.

[LVC]

Very natural looking wear around the tuner posts and the edges of the headstock.

Well, the seller does mention it has an aura.

[Shorty Medlock 5151]

Okay...I have always been one of those guys that takes good care of my guitars and equipment....so this whole relic guitar deal has miffed.

Would I buy a new $50,000 car/truck then bash it in so it looked 40 years old? Not likely. Buy a new house then smash the windows and drywall to make it look lived in?

So I guess I not the one to buy a multi thousand dollar guitar and put a grinder and hammer to it.

But wait....maybe I sould buy a new $5k amp, take a grinder to the tolex, punch a hole in the speaker and soak the chassis on salt water thus creating a whole new segment in the music biz...

Comments?

[JSett]

This subject has been thrashed enough on forums and message boards enough for the last 20+years I don't think we need another one, do we?

And yes, I've seen people buy $50k hotrods and deliberately 'Rat Look' them. It's a thing. Bad example.

[DeathJag]

Here's a thread with mine and others thoughts on it!

[JSett]

Dan gets very angsty about it. As he is entitled to thanks to the beauty of differing opinions.

I am relatively indifferent to it, as long as it's not done poorly. Which is think is the general consensus around here. I am currently in the middle of some light aging of one of my guitars. I used it 'in battle' for over a decade and had earned its many, many wounds and a recent refin left it feeling odd. So I'm painstaking recreating it's previous honest wear - just in its new colour. Do I feel like a fake? No. Do I care? No. Is it your guitar? No. So should you care? No.

Now go play your guitar

[marqueemoon]

Denim is the best analogue I can think of. Corny fake wear has been a thing forever, and on the opposite end of the spectrum you have the raw denim zealots.

Relicing is not what I would call important to me, but I have two guitars with some intentional dings and scrapes and they’re good instruments for reasons that don’t have anything to do with that, so I’m glad I didn’t rule them out.

[Telliot]

I've gone ahead and merged 15 years' worth of relic threads for your convenience.

[JSett]

I've gone ahead and merged 15 years' worth of relic threads for your convenience.

Amazing

[Embenny]

I've gone ahead and merged 15 years' worth of relic threads for your convenience.

You can't just make a giant, old thread. You have to break in a new thread slowly over time or it all just looks wrong.

[Telliot]