I would like to get other guitar players opinions on the subject of "RELIC" guitars.In otherwords guitars that are beat up and made to look aged and worn on purpose.For example Fender Custom shop sells Stratocaster's and Telecasters's for thousands more than a regular non aged guitar.

What do you think of this idea.Some people love it and say that it gives them a chance to own something that looks like they have owned for 30 yrs or more.But others think it is a travesty and wonder who would pay to have a guitar pre-beaten up when they could buy a new one for less.

here are some examples of the Fender Custom shop relic Strat.Keep in mind these are "New Guitars" shown in these pictures.

If I recall well, J made some sort of "custom beated" Strat like that last year or so, as a fun project. I personally think that buying one like this is stupid. Let it age by itself imo. But you know how opinions are.

im old school..
natural wear n tear only, whats the point in owning a "battered" 2008 guitar? if someone asks how old is it, you gonna lie and say "1970" ??

artificial aging is sooooo fake!

buy a new one now and in 30 or so years itll look just like those pics.

regards,
jim.

im old school..
natural wear n tear only, whats the point in owning a "battered" 2008 guitar? if someone asks how old is it, you gonna lie and say "1970" ??

artificial aging is sooooo fake!

buy a new one now and in 30 or so years itll look just like those pics.

regards,
jim.

Thanks for the reply Jim.
You brought up an interesting point....what do you say when someone asks you how old it is?.If you say oh it's not old its a 2008 they would instantly loose interest in it.

Hey here is something funny i found this on Ebay a guy did his own awful relic job and wants $1799 for it!!.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/57-54-Stratocaster-Relic-Swamp-Ash-Sunburst-Distress_W0QQitemZ290225839607QQihZ019QQcategoryZ2 384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks for the reply Jim.
You brought up an interesting point....what do you say when someone asks you how old it is?.If you say oh it's not old its a 2008 they would instantly loose interest in it.

Hey here is something funny i found this on Ebay a guy did his own awefull relic job and wants $1799 for it!!.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/57-54-Stratocaster-Relic-Swamp-Ash-Sunburst-Distress_W0QQitemZ290225839607QQihZ019QQcategoryZ2 384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

he wants bundles of money for a what?...bastardized strat that has a good chance of being a snide! no way!

and if you want a "proper fender rory" strat, you gotta part with £2000+ !!

not for me.

regards,
jim.

he wants bundles of money for a what?...bastardized strat that has a good chance of being a snide! no way!

and if you want a "proper fender rory" strat, you gotta part with £2000+ !!

not for me.

regards,
jim.

Gottcha...thats the only one i could see buying.at least it is the pinicle of the Beat Up strats. Rory Galagher (sic) relic Stratocaster.

First off,..if you try and do a relic job yourself!!,..don't expect it to look like a relic unless you really know what you're doing. I did one about a year ago,..and don't get me wrong,..it came out ok,..but not like Fender would do on their guitars. They know how to do it good and make them look very real. But!!,..who gives 2 craps! I don't know,..if you purchase a NEW relic,..it's still new but looks old,..and it will always be that....ya know what I mean!!? Yes,..it looks great as an old looking guitar but it's still a new guitar made to look old. If this is something that you're looking for,..by all means go for it. I used a Squire to try it out on and like I said its ok,..but for the most part it's looks like I did it. It just doesn't have that old look about it! I also have a Red Squire that I gig with all the time (3 or 4 times a month),..and it has some great battle wounds that happened just by playin it all the time. I'll post some pics of it later along with the other relic job I did on the other guitar. IMO,..just play your guitar,.. it will get beat up on it's own. I'm really not a guy who takes care of my guitars,..(cleaning them ever) I use mine at gigs and get sweat on them beer dropped on them from time to time,..accidently slam them into mic stands and so on,..but ya know what,..I don't give a shit because their mine and I don't mind when things like that happen to them. It gives them character. Yes,.I do have them re-fretted and set up from time to time when in need,..but my guitar tech knows not to clean them when doing this. That's just me! So,..no I would never buy a relic unless,..it was sold for a real price. I can't see paying for something that's made to look old,..but isn't! JMO....


Johnny