Very impressive James regardless of being your first attempt. You will only get better at it the more you have fun with it. For pickguards I use a combination of the finest mesh pads to take away sheen, introduce swirls and micro scratching then use kitchen spices and keep washing off to check intensity. Just like the body, don’t go to nuts at any one time as that’s when it starts to look too forced. Awesome job man 👍
For the forearm wear area on the face of the body, you could have used a rag lightly dampened with lacquer thinner to smooth the transition between wood, first finish and second finish. Remember, "Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry" (DOW Chemical Slogan from the 1930s) EDIT: Forgot to add, looking good Sir.
I just did not have the heart to deliberately abuse a guitar body, but I wanted to have the old timey look so I rubbed the colors of the burst into the wood using stain, and then shot a clear coat over that, hoping that it would relic itself in about 10 years. It did it in 3. My clear coat was too thin, and my thinner was too hot and the lacquer flashed too soon. It looked great for a year or two, and then it started rubbing off really fast. Now it looks about 60 years old, and I'm ok with that, but I wish it would have happened more slowly. Most everybody who sees it digs it, and since it plays and sounds fine, I'm cool with it too.
I relic'd a B.C. Rich Warlock properly. By owning it for 30 years. :p LOL. Sorry, I'm just not a fan of ruining new guitar finishes. The only advantage is that you can't tell how bad it was treated so it's easier to hold it's after market value. Your final product looked good though. A nice naturally worn look. Way better than the chips, wear, and dings in my 30 year old guitar. ;) I also can't hate on a charity project. That makes you a legend. 👍
This was way more interesting than it had any right to be. Feels like you're revealing the secret to a magic trick, very cool thank you! Quick tip from one of your early comments - lean a guitar with the strings/fretboard down against the amp. Much more stable than the rounded back of the neck, and no slipping! Unless, of course you're trying to "naturally relic." Looks fantastic, someone is going to be very happy!
nice job James looking good, when I did my white nitro finish strat for the armrest area I taped some fine wet and dry to my contact arm area and just played the guitar for a while worked a treat.
Nice job, James! I appreciate your attention to capturing your process. I'd say it's coming along very nicely, well done especially for first relic! I'm really interested to see what you do to the back of the neck and how you go about it. The best aged custom shop necks that I've played just feel so broken in and comfortable - rolled edges and everything has a smooth/satin feel. But I'm not crazy about how certain brands will make the back of the neck super dark across most of it and then right at the headstock it abruptly transitions to the regular glossy finish. Nash is an example. Lovely guitars overall, but the back of the necks look so bad imho
Monty's relic wax works wonders on that light colored wood and it looks awsome in the checking too! He used it on that pedal show and I had him send some all the way to michigan and I love using it on my relics. Please try it you will love it
I personally love the relic look, I don’t give a shit why a guitar looks worn. As long as it plays awesome and I can throw it in my car without worrying about messing up the paint. A relic neck feels awesome, and for those anti relic people, the new nitro finished guitars will never look like the vintage guitars used to, even with a lifetime of play and wear.
Great job! Surprised how fast the checking happened with the spray… One idea I had a while ago for speeding up the ageing process would be to assemble the guitar then wrap yourself in sandpaper and play it for a while… speed up the erosion of the paint… not sure how comfortable that would be though! 😂 Also, Instead of stain for the underlying wood, the vinegar and steel wool trick might provide a more natural oxidation and patina?
I would finish the `fade' ,the edges of the forearm wear particularly,with maybe cutting compound as real wear would be a result of skin and cloth rubbing against the finish,as you said. I had to blend out chips in a Japanese Squier Strat as it was a really sharp edge( poly finish) Otherwise,very artistic,I know some will see it as fake and wasteful but to each their own
Great job! I’m about to try this for the first time myself! I have an Aztec Gold Nitro Strat that is on its way to be a relic naturally, but I want to accelerate it so it looks like it’s more on purpose than just the fact that I’ve trashed my once brand new and beautiful guitar:)
Thanks! Aztec gold is one of my favourites. I saw a factory 1962 gold strat at the london guitar show and it was gorgeously aged. Good luck! If you want a pic of that strat let me know
For a relic yo be authentic you need to snap the neck in half and then glue it back together making sure the joint is visible...I'm surprised gibson and fender haven't thought of this...or one better for an extra £700 you can can it pre broken with a bent tuning gears so you can take it yo your preferred Luther...lol...kidding aside if its an real vintage guitar then that's cool...but all this pretend stuff is beyond me...and some of my older guitars look a bit tatty...but for me to start putting pretend wear would be like splashing water on my face and t shirt and grinding some wear on my trainers and pretending I'm a runner..lol
I think for everyone that loves it they see it as an art form, more like getting new trainers and having them customised rather than splashing some mud on them to make it look like they tried to run. I mean loads of great touring musicians by relics for the same reason. I’d pay double for a headstock break relic of course 😉
To each their own. I don’t understand the whole relic thing, but apparently, many others do. Play what you like, and don’t worry about what others think.
Very good for a first time doing it! I've tried it on one guitar, you've done much better than I did. Should be good with some stain. Thanks for posting
YUP YA DID! lol Just to be clear, relicking is that of wear patterns from the geetar players tenancies; this is imaginary! lovely...Now that geetar is worth $0.00 lol I can afford any guitar, however, It will be a new one foSHO!
Right near the end the close up videos definitely show it. I’ll post a few pics on instagram at some point so hopefully something in that. Actually - let me put a pic on my youtube community posts later this weekend after more people have seen the video 👍🏼
When it comes to relicing some people are naturally talented. I am one of those people and so are you it's very obvious. Keep at it you're doing good work man
Wrong...First of all, you have to age the paint (first darken the wood) .. then add to the color a few drops of brown amber - this will age the paint. Relic guitar that has a nice color.....uafff. Good luck
Not all old finishes amber, depends how they’ve been kept. This is a charity project, and we are making from scratch another guitar which does have an ambered pink finish.
aaah please, HORRIBLE, I don't know, for me my instruments should look immaculate, pristine, shiny and untouched, who thought of destroying an instrument to look finished, busy, or "cool"? How can something ugly, neglected and abused be "cool"? I can't imagine J.S. Bach grabbing his harpsichords, cellos, violins and trumpets with sticks or chops or hammer blows, or any classical or modern musician burning, cutting or sinking the integrity of his instrument to show it in some way, there is undoubtedly a mental distortion in the head of someone who likes to show off ugly and abused instruments, I can already imagine how they have their own life, plenty of chaos, or what their wives or girlfriends are like, full of pircin, tattoos, cuts from fights and their arms all punctured by doses of drug hahahh
This takes longer, but.. Play it, play the fuck out of it. Dont use a case. Where a buckle. It will relic on its own in a couple years. But I guess good job for the first time.
Dude, I'm sorry but we call this a Stolen Valor guitar. Those kinds of marks are supposed to be earned. I know this is becoming very popular but personally I don't understand it. It's like claiming you've been to battle but never been in the military. To each his own I guess.
That’s the most ridiculous analogy and frankly offensive to people who have been in the military. If you don’t get it, you don’t. Think up a better way of making sure everyone knows you don’t… because, you know, we are all waiting to hear another person say they don’t like relics 🤦🏻♂️
@@JamesOnGuitar Hat's off James....well said It's loads of fun I've done a couple I actually rub a little potting soil in the checking to bring it out a bit Cheer's
It’s funny how people think relicing a guitar is easy. It is easy to relic a guitar but to make it look good is really hard and took me a lot of time money and fuck ups.
OH IT BREAKS MY HEART
TO SEE THOSE STARS
RELIC'ING A PERFECTLY GOOD GUITAR
- John Hiatt (or something like that)
It’s just really fun randomly f$&king things up.
Very impressive James regardless of being your first attempt. You will only get better at it the more you have fun with it. For pickguards I use a combination of the finest mesh pads to take away sheen, introduce swirls and micro scratching then use kitchen spices and keep washing off to check intensity. Just like the body, don’t go to nuts at any one time as that’s when it starts to look too forced. Awesome job man 👍
So proud to see the work!
This was great fun… highly recommend giving it a go if you like a relic 🤟🏼🔥 SEE PART 3 HERE ruclips.net/video/u56eZ1JOOtI/видео.html
For the forearm wear area on the face of the body, you could have used a rag lightly dampened with lacquer thinner to smooth the transition between wood, first finish and second finish.
Remember, "Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry" (DOW Chemical Slogan from the 1930s)
EDIT: Forgot to add, looking good Sir.
@@hkguitar1984 oh, interesting - thank you! 🙌
Praying for you and your Bride my Friend. God Bless you Both
Why the clean shiny new pick guard on the Heavy relic Strat ?
I just did not have the heart to deliberately abuse a guitar body, but I wanted to have the old timey look so I rubbed the colors of the burst into the wood using stain, and then shot a clear coat over that, hoping that it would relic itself in about 10 years. It did it in 3. My clear coat was too thin, and my thinner was too hot and the lacquer flashed too soon. It looked great for a year or two, and then it started rubbing off really fast. Now it looks about 60 years old, and I'm ok with that, but I wish it would have happened more slowly. Most everybody who sees it digs it, and since it plays and sounds fine, I'm cool with it too.
I relic'd a B.C. Rich Warlock properly. By owning it for 30 years. :p LOL. Sorry, I'm just not a fan of ruining new guitar finishes. The only advantage is that you can't tell how bad it was treated so it's easier to hold it's after market value. Your final product looked good though. A nice naturally worn look. Way better than the chips, wear, and dings in my 30 year old guitar. ;) I also can't hate on a charity project. That makes you a legend. 👍
I really like your videos, hope you keep going and keep growing.
This was way more interesting than it had any right to be. Feels like you're revealing the secret to a magic trick, very cool thank you! Quick tip from one of your early comments - lean a guitar with the strings/fretboard down against the amp. Much more stable than the rounded back of the neck, and no slipping! Unless, of course you're trying to "naturally relic." Looks fantastic, someone is going to be very happy!
Haha, thanks! Yeah with fenders i’m often hoping for those slight falls these days 🙌🤟🏼
Oh - and i did check that all this stuff was out there in the world first, otherwise the guild of master relic’ers would be after me!
Grande Pep, que aparte de entrenar hace relic en guitarras!
Always wanted to try this. Thanks for the inspiration haha.
Do it! 🔥
11:39 Do y'all put straps on the bottom horn?
nice job James looking good, when I did my white nitro finish strat for the armrest area I taped some fine wet and dry to my contact arm area and just played the guitar for a while worked a treat.
That’s a great idea 😂🤟🏼
great stuff. thanks for sharing this project
Nice job, James! I appreciate your attention to capturing your process. I'd say it's coming along very nicely, well done especially for first relic! I'm really interested to see what you do to the back of the neck and how you go about it. The best aged custom shop necks that I've played just feel so broken in and comfortable - rolled edges and everything has a smooth/satin feel. But I'm not crazy about how certain brands will make the back of the neck super dark across most of it and then right at the headstock it abruptly transitions to the regular glossy finish. Nash is an example. Lovely guitars overall, but the back of the necks look so bad imho
Monty's relic wax works wonders on that light colored wood and it looks awsome in the checking too! He used it on that pedal show and I had him send some all the way to michigan and I love using it on my relics. Please try it you will love it
Looks good. Your videos look awesome. Are you using a filter on the lens?
can we get an update on this beautiful guitar?
I personally love the relic look, I don’t give a shit why a guitar looks worn. As long as it plays awesome and I can throw it in my car without worrying about messing up the paint. A relic neck feels awesome, and for those anti relic people, the new nitro finished guitars will never look like the vintage guitars used to, even with a lifetime of play and wear.
Great job! Surprised how fast the checking happened with the spray…
One idea I had a while ago for speeding up the ageing process would be to assemble the guitar then wrap yourself in sandpaper and play it for a while… speed up the erosion of the paint… not sure how comfortable that would be though! 😂
Also, Instead of stain for the underlying wood, the vinegar and steel wool trick might provide a more natural oxidation and patina?
It’d smell of fish and chips though, and i’d get hungry. I’ll try the sandpaper suit though 😂
@@JamesOnGuitar very true… would love to see a video on the sandpaper suit 😂
I would finish the `fade' ,the edges of the forearm wear particularly,with maybe cutting compound as real wear would be a result of skin and cloth rubbing against the finish,as you said. I had to blend out chips in a Japanese Squier Strat as it was a really sharp edge( poly finish) Otherwise,very artistic,I know some will see it as fake and wasteful but to each their own
Great job! I’m about to try this for the first time myself! I have an Aztec Gold Nitro Strat that is on its way to be a relic naturally, but I want to accelerate it so it looks like it’s more on purpose than just the fact that I’ve trashed my once brand new and beautiful guitar:)
Thanks! Aztec gold is one of my favourites. I saw a factory 1962 gold strat at the london guitar show and it was gorgeously aged. Good luck! If you want a pic of that strat let me know
Was that a nitro or poly finish? Great work!
Nitro, thanks :)
For a relic yo be authentic you need to snap the neck in half and then glue it back together making sure the joint is visible...I'm surprised gibson and fender haven't thought of this...or one better for an extra £700 you can can it pre broken with a bent tuning gears so you can take it yo your preferred Luther...lol...kidding aside if its an real vintage guitar then that's cool...but all this pretend stuff is beyond me...and some of my older guitars look a bit tatty...but for me to start putting pretend wear would be like splashing water on my face and t shirt and grinding some wear on my trainers and pretending I'm a runner..lol
I think for everyone that loves it they see it as an art form, more like getting new trainers and having them customised rather than splashing some mud on them to make it look like they tried to run. I mean loads of great touring musicians by relics for the same reason. I’d pay double for a headstock break relic of course 😉
I sprayed a real thin clear coat on mine and it reliced itself in about 3 years. Nitro lacquer is weird like that.
To each their own. I don’t understand the whole relic thing, but apparently, many others do. Play what you like, and don’t worry about what others think.
Very good for a first time doing it! I've tried it on one guitar, you've done much better than I did. Should be good with some stain. Thanks for posting
Thank you 🙌 kind of you to say. Cheers
I thought there was another color below the pink?
Where's the under layer of mystery color ?
Fun to watch, I agree the undercoat color choice was a bit underwhelming.
Looks really good!
Thanks!
YUP YA DID! lol Just to be clear, relicking is that of wear patterns from the geetar players tenancies; this is imaginary! lovely...Now that geetar is worth $0.00 lol I can afford any guitar, however, It will be a new one foSHO!
Luckily this one raised a decent amount of money for charity and the new owner loves it 🤟🏼
Can't appreciate the checking, would be nice if you could capture a clearer image to see how it resulted.
Right near the end the close up videos definitely show it. I’ll post a few pics on instagram at some point so hopefully something in that. Actually - let me put a pic on my youtube community posts later this weekend after more people have seen the video 👍🏼
Well done: for a first job, it's a nice one ! 🎸🔨🛠✒👍🏻 I am NOT trying this at home 😉
Thanks! Haha 😂
When it comes to relicing some people are naturally talented. I am one of those people and so are you it's very obvious. Keep at it you're doing good work man
I have to admit not bad for first try, are you planing to stain the bare wood parts?
🤟🏼 i definitely mentioned that in the video 😂
@@JamesOnGuitar whoops missed it sry XD
Wrong...First of all, you have to age the paint (first darken the wood) .. then add to the color a few drops of brown amber - this will age the paint.
Relic guitar that has a nice color.....uafff. Good luck
Not all old finishes amber, depends how they’ve been kept. This is a charity project, and we are making from scratch another guitar which does have an ambered pink finish.
This is for guys that cant play. I am very seldom impressed with a player with a rellced guitar.
Doing this to ANY guitar is fucking it up! PERIOD! That Strat body was anice classic Shell Pink from the 60's and you destroy it? Why?
Relicing is just as stupid as the people that do this shit, but not as dumb as the people who pay extra to ruin their guitars.
aaah please, HORRIBLE, I don't know, for me my instruments should look immaculate, pristine, shiny and untouched, who thought of destroying an instrument to look finished, busy, or "cool"? How can something ugly, neglected and abused be "cool"?
I can't imagine J.S. Bach grabbing his harpsichords, cellos, violins and trumpets with sticks or chops or hammer blows, or any classical or modern musician burning, cutting or sinking the integrity of his instrument to show it in some way, there is undoubtedly a mental distortion in the head of someone who likes to show off ugly and abused instruments, I can already imagine how they have their own life, plenty of chaos, or what their wives or girlfriends are like, full of pircin, tattoos, cuts from fights and their arms all punctured by doses of drug hahahh
I think you need help 🤣
This takes longer, but.. Play it, play the fuck out of it. Dont use a case. Where a buckle. It will relic on its own in a couple years. But I guess good job for the first time.
Dude, I'm sorry but we call this a Stolen Valor guitar. Those kinds of marks are supposed to be earned. I know this is becoming very popular but personally I don't understand it. It's like claiming you've been to battle but never been in the military. To each his own I guess.
That’s the most ridiculous analogy and frankly offensive to people who have been in the military. If you don’t get it, you don’t. Think up a better way of making sure everyone knows you don’t… because, you know, we are all waiting to hear another person say they don’t like relics 🤦🏻♂️
@@JamesOnGuitar Hat's off James....well said It's loads of fun I've done a couple I actually rub a little potting soil in the checking to bring it out a bit Cheer's
@@JamesOnGuitarI don't like relics at all and he said nothing offensive about the military !
I’m going to relic one just to upset these anti reliecers 😜
Why would you click on a video about relicing a guitar if you don’t like it?
It’s funny how people think relicing a guitar is easy. It is easy to relic a guitar but to make it look good is really hard and took me a lot of time money and fuck ups.