for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

NFT: Fender Guitars Pre-Aged/Worn

Motley Two : 6/20/2017 9:32 am
OK BBI guitar players, who is buying these things?

I don't understand appeal here. I remember some years back now when they first started doing this, thinking it was a terrible idea that wouldn't last, but they're still churning them out. I've never seen one in the wild. Only in music shops & online.
A lot of people are buying them...  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 9:37 am : link
and a ton of Fender's highest, most expensive Custom Shop models are "relic'd".

They are all over the gear forums I read and post on. I guess the story goes that sometime in the mid nineties Keith Richards wanted to retire one of his old Teles, so he asked one of the builders over at Fender to make a replica of it that looked exactly like his. I guess somebody saw what they were doing and asked if they could do it for their guitars, and then another, and then another. It caught on, so they made it an option.

Personally, I wouldn't seek one out, but if it played great, I wouldn't be against owning one. But they are selling a TON of them.
this is $4200 guitar?  
Motley Two : 6/20/2017 9:40 am : link
Yeah....  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 9:46 am : link
That's what a lot of people like...
RE: A lot of people are buying them...  
Motley Two : 6/20/2017 9:47 am : link
In comment 13504586 Britt in VA said:
Quote:
and a ton of Fender's highest, most expensive Custom Shop models are "relic'd".

They are all over the gear forums I read and post on. I guess the story goes that sometime in the mid nineties Keith Richards wanted to retire one of his old Teles, so he asked one of the builders over at Fender to make a replica of it that looked exactly like his. I guess somebody saw what they were doing and asked if they could do it for their guitars, and then another, and then another. It caught on, so they made it an option.

Personally, I wouldn't seek one out, but if it played great, I wouldn't be against owning one. But they are selling a TON of them.


See, I didn't know that! I was just looking at the custom shop & noticed a good number of them are relic'd. So they are selling a ton of them? That's wild. I'm sure they sound fantastic (I'm a Fender guy), but I just see them out or know anybody who buys them. The same ones have been hanging in my local guitar shop forever it seems like.
RE: RE: A lot of people are buying them...  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 9:49 am : link
In comment 13504593 Motley Two said:
Quote:
In comment 13504586 Britt in VA said:


Quote:


and a ton of Fender's highest, most expensive Custom Shop models are "relic'd".

They are all over the gear forums I read and post on. I guess the story goes that sometime in the mid nineties Keith Richards wanted to retire one of his old Teles, so he asked one of the builders over at Fender to make a replica of it that looked exactly like his. I guess somebody saw what they were doing and asked if they could do it for their guitars, and then another, and then another. It caught on, so they made it an option.

Personally, I wouldn't seek one out, but if it played great, I wouldn't be against owning one. But they are selling a TON of them.



See, I didn't know that! I was just looking at the custom shop & noticed a good number of them are relic'd. So they are selling a ton of them? That's wild. I'm sure they sound fantastic (I'm a Fender guy), but I just see them out or know anybody who buys them. The same ones have been hanging in my local guitar shop forever it seems like.


Yeah, I've seen a couple that don't look too bad, and there are varying degrees of relic, from light to heavy. What you posted was a heavy relic.

That said though, when I buy my guitars, I don't like them to have a scratch on them (unless I'm buying used), and any relic'ing that occurs I want to be by my honest play wear.
And I'd consider myself a Fender guy as well....  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 9:50 am : link
An American Deluxe Tele is my number one.
My first "real" guitar was a used '63 Mustang  
Motley Two : 6/20/2017 10:04 am : link
I bought in high school. It has less wear & tear then these new relic guitars. It sounded great, but it would have to be tuned after every song. I was an idiot and sold it. Cobain came along and made them very popular & very expensive. I haven't sold a piece of gear since (20+ years). Lesson learned.
I just bought a Fender American Standard Strat.. a 1998  
Tom from LI : 6/20/2017 10:12 am : link
in see through white...

I am going to relic her...relic her hard.. lol

I am also building one with a custom neck and body made by musikraft.com

That one will be painted with slate gray chalk paint and then a red chalk paint on top.. then I will sand it back to wood in spots.. ..

It will have a 1984 Floyd Rose.

I am calling her Lucy... short for Lucifer..

Strats are really the only guitars I like relic'd.


I just bought one of my grail guitars recently....  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 10:16 am : link
A very early numbered (263/1000) 1991 Tom Petty Signature Rickenbacker 660/12.

Not a nick on her. The owner was a collector, not a player, and she came to me as perfect as she did when she left the factory floor.
My son bought a Relic. It's modeled after a '63 Strat.  
smshmth8690 : 6/20/2017 10:22 am : link
He absolutely loves it.
Between the two of us, there are about 15 guitars in the house, and the Relic is his favorite. I believe it was just over 2K, expensive, but he feels it was well worth it.
Just for comparative info we have a late 80's Japanese Strat, a newer Tele, newer Les Paul & Les Paul Jr,, 63 Gold Top, and a 69 SG, plus a pair of custom made Hawley Jersey Guitars, beautiful guitars from a local guy here in NJ. (I know it's a Fender thread, but I'll put up a link to HJG)
Hawley Jersey Guitars. - ( New Window )
..  
Named Later : 6/20/2017 10:26 am : link
Britt--
That's a beautiful guitar -- and what a sound !! What amp are you playing it through ?

I keep an eye out on craigslist, under the mistaken impression that I can swoop in a get a bargain on a Rick before anyone else sees it....yeah right !!

RE: ..  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 10:30 am : link
In comment 13504653 Named Later said:
Quote:
Britt--
That's a beautiful guitar -- and what a sound !! What amp are you playing it through ?

I keep an eye out on craigslist, under the mistaken impression that I can swoop in a get a bargain on a Rick before anyone else sees it....yeah right !!


Thanks, I'm playing it through a 1969 Fender Vibrolux Reverb.

I put a Janglebox compressor in between them and I get Byrds and Petty jangle and sparkle for days.

Nice Britt  
Johnny5 : 6/20/2017 10:37 am : link
I'm a tele guy, but I wouldn't pay Fender for their custom shop stuff, relic'ed or no. I'm particular about the necks and pickups, so I'll generally buy a something cheap like a Classic Vibe tele, etc. and then swap out the pickups with Fralins, Cavalier, or whatever flavor I feel like trying... and then I'll buy a boat/fat and wide neck with bigger frets and a nice flat radius from either USACG or Warmoth.

Then I have a guitar that competes with their custom shop stuff for about 1/5 the price (well, even less when you factor in selling the original neck and pickups).
I agree with Johnny5  
Tom from LI : 6/20/2017 10:47 am : link
I wouldn't pay Fender for their custom shop stuff..to be honest I think most fender guitars are overpriced.

You could build your own for minimum 1/5 the price. Like this place over in Jersey, Musikraft.. you pick everything you want in and on the neck and guitar. Then you finish it and assemble it.

My flavor of guitars are the Music Man Axis (I have 2) and a Peavy HP SPecial...(I have 3)..

The Peavey HP Special are by far one of the best guitars on the market that nobody knows about. Too bad they stopped making them..
Yeah, that's COOL AS HELL!!!  
x meadowlander : 6/20/2017 11:43 am : link
I'm going to also relic my car and house - buying a belt sander away to make both look like they've been through hell!!

I don't get it. I have guitars I've owned for 30+ years, and they still look pretty much like the day I bought them.

Why would you want your guitar to look like shit? I don't get it.
Nope.  
Kootch : 6/20/2017 11:54 am : link
Count me in as one of the guys who just don't get the appeal of a fake worn guitar. If it's old and worn out from playing, then great.
Hell, I'm a huge Hendrix fan and I still cringe when I see footage of him burning the guitar on stage....or Townshend smashing one to bits.
A lot depends on the relic job  
Mike in Marin : 6/20/2017 12:20 pm : link
Some are just done terribly (not Fender CS for the most part) or way overdone.

I have done 2 relics. 1 mid-80s MiJ Strat that I stripped and refinished to surf green (have since swapped neck from rosewood to maple fretboard).

I also built a tele from with a Bigsby that I relic'd the surf greenish blue body, the hardware, and used antique lacquer to "age" the neck.

I like them relic'd. My main fender is a road worn black tele Keef-style that though is road worn, is really only slightly worn and not relic'd.

Certain builders do an amazing job with Fender relics like Nash guitars. Probably a lot cheaper than Custom Shops.
Fenders  
Mike in Marin : 6/20/2017 12:37 pm : link
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Link - ( New Window )
This guy makes a replica of SRV  
Tom from LI : 6/20/2017 12:55 pm : link
relic strat
SRV - ( New Window )
I don't dig relics...  
x meadowlander : 6/20/2017 1:01 pm : link
...BUT I understand why someone would want a repro of a Gilmour or Hendrix or SRV strat.

Personally, I'd love one of the 'Old Black' repro's - bizarre pickup configuration, Bigsby and all...


Old Black Tribute - ( New Window )
RE: This guy makes a replica of SRV  
Britt in VA : 6/20/2017 1:48 pm : link
In comment 13504929 Tom from LI said:
Quote:
relic strat SRV - ( New Window )


That was cool to watch, thanks.
RE: RE: This guy makes a replica of SRV  
Tom from LI : 6/20/2017 2:23 pm : link
In comment 13505066 Britt in VA said:
Quote:
In comment 13504929 Tom from LI said:


Quote:


relic strat SRV - ( New Window )



That was cool to watch, thanks.


Thanks Britt!

I love this stuff..

I told my wife we are opening a guitar orphanage... :-)
Cosmetics are personal tastes  
Sonic Youth : 6/20/2017 2:26 pm : link
Don't see the big deal... as long as the pickups, wood, construction, etc are on par with the price, the cosmetics are secondary (at least IMO).

My favorite Fender I have isn't even one that's super high end, but is tough to find - one of the American made Fender Toronados, I believe from 2002 or 2003.

Amazing guitar. My roommates are jealous that I own it, as its they're favorite after playing it as well.

Beats the hell out of my Custom Shop semi-hollow (looks kinda like a semi hollow jaguar) w/ P90s. That guitar is a little too dark sounding for my liking...I like brightness and clarity with hi gain.
I'm not too familiar  
phil in arizona : 6/20/2017 4:08 pm : link
with 'road worn' guitars. I could definitely see some value in them if they can recreate the feeling of a 'played-in' neck. Cosmetically, to each their own. I think more variety is a good thing.

I will say that I think it's insane that manufacturers will ask/get 5 figures for a remake of some famous guitar.
RE: Yeah, that's COOL AS HELL!!!  
Gman11 : 6/21/2017 7:53 am : link
In comment 13504763 x meadowlander said:
Quote:
I'm going to also relic my car and house - buying a belt sander away to make both look like they've been through hell!!

I don't get it. I have guitars I've owned for 30+ years, and they still look pretty much like the day I bought them.

Why would you want your guitar to look like shit? I don't get it.
You have to play it while wearing your new torn jeans and torn t-shirt. It's the thing to do.
Back to the Corner