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I wish everything in my life was going along so well I had the capacity to care about people buying relic guitars.
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02-18-2024 03:17 PM
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Some of the Fender and Gibson variants have spec/features that aren’t available on other production models. So I guess that can be part of the appeal. E.g, a friend of mine has a relic’ed Fender custom shop strat with a very thick neck unique to this model (or so he was told). Personally, I don’t get it and don’t think it sounds or plays any better than my nothing-special American Standard (or even as well, TBH, for those that prefer modern Fender necks).
But to each his own. Anything that adds to your enjoyment of a guitar strikes me as OK. If it doesn’t, there are plenty of alternatives.
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In my book, relic is applied most just for the looks of the surface. Relic is just not the same as honest playwear and age. Guitars that are well played, taken care off and loved are amongst the best.
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I find it interesting that there is such a large market for the relic sort of finish since it aggravates me so much when I put a scratch on one of my own guitars. Still.. a good relic finish is an expensive addition at the Fender custom shop. World is a big and diverse place and we are reminded daily that our perspective is so often myopic and we should keep an eye out for better insights and broader understanding.
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I love the way that Nachocaster looks!! The “relic-ing” looks very authentic to me. Don’t know why the fretboard radius is 9.5” instead of the original 7.25” - but if I had the money, I would certainly think about buying it.
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The first time I put a ding in my 175 I was upset for a week.
By the third time I couldn’t care less, I just thought of it as authentic relic’ing.
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I met a guy who had purchased a "Nacho" Telecaster after being awarded an insurance payout. I had no idea what a Nachocaster was, in spite of their being made here in Valencia (apparently), and noticed how resonant it was unplugged; light, and with a nice, worn-in feeling neck. I guessed somewhere in the region of 2-3K Euros/Dollars and when he said (a lot) more due to the relic-ing work, I squinted and handed it back to him. That's something I'll never get, personally. Nice guitar, though.
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Rare Guitars: Rory Gallagher'''s 1961 Fender Stratocaster
Stolen & dumped under a bramble hedge for a couple of weeks (it rains a lot in the emerald isle) followed by a few decades of 250+ gigs a year & famously 'acid' sweat..
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Real or relic?
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Wrong chair.
Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Fender used a variety of neck dimensions including different depths, profiles, and radii. Not all of them anre 7.25 deep U or soft V necks. Every Nacho neck is based on an actual vintage blackguard neck. This one has a more “modern” profile but was based on an actual neck measured by nacho. This particular neck is from a blackguard built on 10/30/1950. Originally Posted by vernon
I love the way that Nachocaster looks!! The “relic-ing” looks very authentic to me. Don’t know why the fretboard radius is 9.5” instead of the original 7.25” - but if I had the money, I would certainly think about buying it.
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Sorry if this post sounded like a criticism of Nachos' work, I have read nothing but great things about them, sound wise and authenticity wise. Indeed, they do NOT look over the top, and it is an attractive guitar.
I was only musing out loud about the mostly fictional characters and history that might reside behind the fiction of an extreme relic job. That's just the kind of rabbit hole my mind goes down when confronted with an artistic trend. Could also be epaulets on a shirt that do absolutely nothing, cable tie downs on a repro muscle car hood, spikes on a poodles collar, etc.
Plus, unless it was Hendrix, Stevie Ray, or Muddy Water's hand me down, I would question the personal habits of the previous owner sufficient to take a pass. Even then, I'm tidy enough to want to refinish Rory's strat, if it ever came into my possession. Sacrilege, but it's a mild form of mental illness.
The worst thing Wes ever did was wear out the spot where he anchored his middle finger on the bout. Joe Pass didn't seem to be into relicing. Kreisberg and Bernstein's wear patterns are from thousands of hours of love and exploration. Even BB's guitars always looked shiny and presentable in public.
So, I get it, I respect it, not making anyone wrong for what they like. I just find it interesting.... verrrry interesting...
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Classic Relic. Originally Posted by Bop Head
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My violin has this on the back and is varnished over to seal everything up. I love it in that situation, doesn't bother me a bit. I guess it's on a case by case basis with me.
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Wut? Originally Posted by yebdox
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In general, I firmly believe that the Fender and Gibson pushed the desirability of relicing in the late 2000 / early 2010s because their custom shops couldn't grow any further on the back of evermore "authentic" plain reissues of Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls. With relicing, they could suddenly get the customer to pay an additional $1000 and more for an instrument that they would have sold anyway.
Personally, I would never pay for a cheap relic, because it will look ridiculous. And if I buy a high-end instrument new, I expect it to be delivered to me without dings and scratches. If there is to be faded paint and wear, it is going to come about through my own filthy sweat.
That being said, the Nachocaster's relicing is as tasteful as it gets - no doubt about that. It is just really not for me.Last edited by Schwoop; 02-19-2024 at 09:40 AM.
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Beer and/or margarita mix.... get your mind out of the gutter Originally Posted by Litterick
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I want to know! Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Fake is fake. Is there any discussion?
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How about Rory Gallagher's guitar (Blues Guitarist.)
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see post #33 Originally Posted by Doug B
How about Rory Gallagher's guitar (Blues Guitarist.)
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Originally Posted by Hammertone
OK, real. '52. Relic? Non-relic? Red, green, gold, 'burst or blonde? I don't really care, so long as it feels good and sounds good. Originally Posted by Phil59
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Mostly because of the hilarity of the topic of those willing to pay absurd amounts of money for these guitars. Equally entertaining are the people who think you shouldn’t be able to think it’s absurd. Batchit crazy… just who I’m looking for as endorsees!! Originally Posted by icr
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Actually.. you do have kind of an objective point there. But you could see it as a replica or tribute. Originally Posted by icr
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I have never been too fancy about my guitars. I will let anyone play it if they ask and I don’t care if it gets scratched. However having a relic guitar means never having to worry about that first scratch which might be a relief to some folks. Plus they look cool when done right.
The Pre-War Guitar Company (acoustics) purposely “checks” the finish. They claim it relieves surface tension on the top and makes them sound better.
Besides Nacho Dan Strain of Danocaster fame does a fine relic job too.
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