@@AzathothsAlarmClock funny, because the one i bought is "lightly" reliced. and looks exactly as you described. i just couldn't afford a real one. i wanted a '63 in my collection but wasn't gonna pay 30 grand for one. 5 grand was plenty and it was built by a master luthier at the fender custom shop.
I feel the same way about relics as I do about everything in life. Not for me, but i don’t judge anyone who likes that. Room in this world for all of us to coexist
Great comment. I see so many narrow-minded guitarists in the comments of every video featuring a relic'ed guitar spouting the same old nonsense "I could just drag my guitar behind my truck", "stolen valor", "why pay more to make a guitar look worse?". Glad to see folks like yourself that may not like the whole "relic thing", but don't look down on the people who do.
@@Ottophil It’s not just the Chinese made fakes hence the name Chibson, but for me it’s the high end forgeries as well if they put the Gibson logo on it.
Well... I was a gigging young lad in the mid-'80s, and us metal and pop and glam guys were distressing our own guitars to emulate the homemade looks of guitars like the Frankenstrat. It started with us sanding the backs of our necks, then moving to the fretboards, as we realized it would dirty up the wood faster if the lacquer was thinner (or gone). Soon, we were cutting away sections of the pick guards and screwing the pickups to the wood. That quickly led to taking a hammer to the comfort cuts to crack the enamel so we could get some sanding going there, too. I knew guys who dragged their guitar bodies behind their bicycles to beat them up. The Skate Metal dudes in particular, were always beating the hell out of their instruments to hasten the worn-in look. There was a whole relic subculture going back before my time, to at least the late '70s.
I'll buy that. I've always been a purist and looked down my nose at relic guitars but this seems to cast a different light on them. Still not for me but I don't feel so judgy towards them at least! Thanks!
My 1964 Hagstrom ii is my only relic'd guitar. Natural relic from time and my Dad recording & gigging with it. My other 10 guitars are being slowly relic'd by me over a long period of time. Great vid man
I never got the appeal of relics til I played my 57’ reissue gold top. It looked cool but more so it felt amazing. It felt like a well loved and played guitar.
I used to think relics were lame. But now that I have one (Yamaha custom shop Pacifica), I love it! It's very liberating not having to worry about scratching or dinging a new guitar. I can see a Fender Rory Gallagher custom shop strat in my future (extreeeemly reliced to mimic Rory's iconic guitar).
I’m not a big relic guy but Novo Guitars’ relic jobs are bad ass, particularly the finish over finish stuff that they do. I will eventually cough up the money and own one.
I personally like relic because you can "care less" When you have a new PU guitar, if you hit it, you will blame youself for months When you hit a relic guitar... who cares? It's more "just play it" feeling
Les carefull with a guitar that cost thousands of dollars more then a no relic…. Makes no sense. Seeing that you can get a fender custom shop for like low 3000 and a heavy relic for 5000……
@@MaisPatrux saves money for sure but I personally don’t like to start with a beat up guitar. I want to look at it and know it came from me. Remember how a dent got there or a scratch. But that just me.
I don't beat myself up over the little dents & dings I'm responsible for. I feel bad for a little while but I know they happen. I take care of my guitars but I kinda like the dents and dings. They add character.
A nice old looking fender is like a comfy pair of slippers. Whether it's actually old and worn or relic'd make no difference to me really. Both lovely.
I’m with you. I love both, but typically the relics (and in Fender’s case especially the Mexican made Road Worns) are usually substantially more affordable than an older instrument that has aged naturally.
I will never purchase a brand new relic guitar. With that said Mr. fluff, I did purchase a 1978 Gibson RD custom and I love that guitar. It is relict but for good measure because somebody put the time in on it. I also have about 17 other American made guitars That over the time of my existence playing and enjoying them, they will eventually become relict. Keep up the good work.
A good relic goes beyond finish checking and dings. Bindings are filed, fretboards are smoothed etc. A good relic feels like it was played for a long time. I do prefer the real deal - but I can't afford it 😉
Great video, I didn't know from where it comes from. I remember when the first reliced guitar came out I didn't understand what people would buy a brand new guitar with "damages", I though it was so dummy. Fast forward, now my three must beloved guitar are reliced :D. It demand a real craftsmanship knowledge and this talent has to be paid.
You forgot about the fakes that rose up in the 80s, and peaked in the early 90s. When Gibsons and Fenders became nostalgically collectible to the point the Japanese where coming over and buying up truck loads of guitars, there were a lot of fakes made or the early fender(after the take over) guitars that were made on the same equipment that were reliced and sold as vintage. There were also many goldtop conversions to 59 spec.. I remember guitar shows in the early 90s, every guitar was in question as if it was real or not.
I can't wait for the 90s relics. It'll just look like a 1998 strat with a super heavy body and a perfect polyester finish, cracked/loose neck pockets, cheap ceramic single coils with worn in maple fretboards.
I heard a story, that it started with Keith Richard's getting a new guitar from the custom shop, but wanting something that didn't look so new. So, they relic'd it and it went from there.
It’s great to see a popular guitar personality like you made this video. Now if only the relic hating masses would understand that there is an art to aging guitars and it’s not just throwing keys and screws at it and sanding off paint.
@@MusicAuthority-b9r ok. But most relic jobs are so well done that an NOS guitar wouldn’t ever look like that naturally. It’s not dishonest if no one is trying to pass it off as real wear. I’ve never met someone who owns a relic who tells people it’s all natural.
I would buy a relic'd guitar (if I had the money, which I don't) that was made to look like a revered instrument. Greeny for example. I'm less enthused about generic relicing. But... if I was looking for, say, a vintage spec Telecaster, and I had the opportunity to pick up a Road Worn Tele for a great price, the fact that it's roadworn would not be a deal breaker.
One of the best at relicing guitars is Dave Johnson. I once played a relic'd Les Paul that he did. It was convincing, looked like a 50's Paul that has been played for years and years. It didn't look fake..
I've been playing Nash basses since 2006 and MJT since 2017. If you're into relics, the most authentic looking would easily be 1. MJT. They simply do masterful relic jobs that look totally legit. 10/10. 2. Fender Custom Shop. My '64 Jazz bass looks the part but pricey. 8.5/10. 3 Nash. Light or Medium aging is the way to go. Heavy and Extra Heavy just look like they were dragged behind a dirtbike but his build quality is second to none. Best necks in the business. 8/10 4. Danocaster looks really good and on par with MJT's work. I have played them but I cannot justify any instrument north of $3500.
I relic my guitars every day. My 93 deluxe plus Strat still looks too new. Just starting to get wear out on the paint but the metal parts got the sweat wear on them. Now my L P studio looks so beat up. I even changed various metal parts (gold plated) and already looks worn. (Cheap plating). But on looks alone both look much older than they are.
i just bought a Fender custom shop ';63 strat, reliced and i love it! i wish i could have bought an original but i just couldnt afford the $30,000 they want for one of them!
Done well....a relic’d guitar has a comfortable, broken in feel that it can be very inspiring to pick up and play. They just feel.....”good”. The thin lacquer or satin finish on most also seem to just vibrate more and don’t feel as sterile as a brand new guitar with 50 coats of poly. I have several Gibson’s and I get so nervous about dinging them up, I rarely play them live unless the venue has a bigger stage and I don’t have to worry about the headstock of a Fender P-bass crashing into my Standard’s AAA top!!! 😭
Personally not a fan of reliced guitars, but I get the appeal of them to folks. I'm just a crappy player/collector, so I get bummed when I ding or scratch up one of my guitars. Love the Fazio Electric tee.
It’s not my thing, but hey why not if that’s what you like. As others, I will relic my own guitars I have bought used guitars that are already beat up to some degree, and added my own through use, so in sense I bought a relic, but a natural relic.
Its the snobbery over labels like "murphy lab" and up to 2x price tag that gets me. Can't say im really for or against a relic guitar, some have mojo and some look like they were chained to the back of a van and taken for a joyride. I do however love a good ebay listing that has a "personalised custom relic job" almost always a guaranteed laugh
Agree that some of the prices are out of hand, Murphy Lab especially. I know making a guitar look legitimately old is an art form, but charging an additional $2500 for a heavy relic Les Paul is kinda nuts. The $500 upcharge for an "ultra light" relic is perhaps even more egregious as I believe they're just sticking those guitars in a freezer for a few hours to get the lacquer checking. That said... I still kinda want one hahaha
The difference between a relic and a vintage guitar is a 0 at the end of the price tag. The custom shop guitars have top of the line woods, components and built by the best Luthiers.
People don't care if the instrument is old, looks old, or is new and pristine. People watch and admire musicians because of the way they play and get their attention, not because they play a new or reliced guitar.
All Murphy labs I played when looking for this "special guitar" felt sticky and not really pleasing to the touch. I instead went with a Custom Shop R9 and it's great and much cheaper.
The same reasons why someone would buy faded and ripped blue jeans: look and feel. A relic guitar feels played in; it’s more comfortable, no sharp edges. A relic guitar also has a more authentic look that was pioneered by SRV and Rory Gallagher. Before SRV and Rory, a scratch or finish blemish on a used guitar would send the value plummeting! (Recall that at one time there were just “used” guitars, “vintage” guitar category didn’t exist yet.) A beat up guitar was like wearing dirty clothes: it signaled to the audience that the performer was not a professional (due to decades of primped and preened music acts taking the stage, a la The Beatles). To have a beat up guitar was uncouth. Now, it is a mark of authenticity and respect. Compare and contrast with leather garments.
@@DrewKane These comments always crack me up. Someone's a "poser" because they like the look of an old guitar and are willing to pay to have it made to look old? Are you this myopic about everything or are you only this narrow-minded about relic'ed guitars?
Thankfully relic'd isn't as ubiquitous as it was. A decade ago, you'd go into craigslist. Someone would have guitar that has been in his closet for four years while they were away at college. The thing would have been beat to shit by younger brothers, getting moved around, knocked over, etc. It should have dropped the value $300, instead they ask $200 more and call it "relic'd." A lot of people say that they like the broken in feel, which I agree feels great. I just don't understand why they don't make a new guitar with thinner finishes, neck carves that have more of that feel, etc. I know they used to do "closet classics," and things like that, buy you could do it and still make it look new.
It was started by unscrupulous repair people long before Fender as a way to fake antiques. The guitar world embraced it because it puts that look in the reach of people with regular jobs.
I like the look of relic guitars but only when it’s naturally done by me. The guitar tells a story amd you see where I rest my hand, all the dings and wear. But when you have someone relic a guitar and charge way more for it then what’s the point.
I prefer authentic dents and dings I add myself. Each mark tells a story. Authentic wear adds character. To each his own though. If somebody wants to pay for fake wear it's their money.
To each their own, but definitely don't get the desire to pay more for a new guitar that looks like it's been beat up. I'd rather brand new looking and love and play it myself, or actually buy vintage if I ever could afford it. To me, it's goofy.
relic guitars , nah , honest play wear , yep . strange thing is that with like oldtimer cars and bikes most owners spend a lot of money to make it look new , and then a some guitarist or bassist ( i don't now wich other instuments are beeing reliced , copper instuments like an sax or trumpet maybe ? ) spend a lot off money to get a beat up guitar , it's funny this "relic "thing .
@@feeeeeed Aged finishes have been used in the violin industry long before it even became a thing in the guitar industry. In fact, aging violins might even predate the creation of what we consider a guitar today.
Honestly, I just don’t like how new shiny guitars look. I don’t even like wearing new shoes 😂… but the way guitars are made now, theyll basically look the same for 50 years… I love me a good relic.
There's a reason people buy vintage cars and rebuild them to look brand new, the same reason people don't buy new cars and wreck them on purpose... Relic'd guitars are the silliest gimmicks imaginable.
Not everyone who buys older cars or motorcycles restores them to like new condition. Rat rods are currently a very popular trend in the car and motorcycle community.
I'm against relicing guitars. first it's dishonest. and I can identify even some of best reliced guitars. and I believe a guitar should get it's battle scars naturally.
Hmmmm, they don't bother me. Some you guys just live in a dreamland where you think you'll put 30 years on touring and yer guitar will tell everyone you've been somewhere. Put that thought into actually what comes out of it and that should tell a much broader interesting story. Some players just like the way it looks and feels, get over it. You wanna pretend you are SRV and take yer strat and rub your ass on it, cuz thats more honest, go for it.
I would never buy a new guitar made to look like it's trashed. I prefer to have a guitar as close to new condition as possible. As a guitar collector even when I buy used guitars I will go over it if it's too beat up and it's cheap I will consider it because it will become a project guitar. The worse part of the whole relic scam is they charge so much more for them than they do for a new in new condition. I am not a big fan of signature guitars either. Doesn't matter who might have owned or played the replica/sig guitar it's not going to make you play any better or even sound exactly like the guitar it's ripping off.
If anyone has a custom shop les paul I’ll custom relic it by dragging it behind my van for a couple miles, I’ll only charge you $2,000 for this service
Cool. If I ever want my guitar to look like it was dragged behind a van, I'll hit you up. Personally though, I'd prefer my guitar look like it was played for 50 years. I doubt your van can do that.
@@davedavid7061 "Something something something stolen valor." "Something something something posers." 🤣 These anti-relic dudes must have a script or something.
@@reverb508 something something headstock break, something something my $300 partscaster, something something messed up new car. I wouldn't probably buy a relic, but I can't play 10 hrs a day for 30 yrs to get natty
Relicing is a plague that needs to die. Have any of you ever bought a new car and asked the dealer to "scratch and dent this up for me real good"? Didn't think so. Every ding, chip and scratch should tell a story that adds to the uniqueness of that instrument. Now, if you're recreating a VH Frankenstein or other artist's guitar that's one thing, but dinging up new guitars to look aged is fake and lame. IMO.
There have always been numerous parallels between the automotive industry and the electric guitar industry. I think the fact that Rat Rods exist is proof that there would be a market for “aged” new cars. However, it’s the two major differences between the automotive industry and the electric guitar industry that will prevent “aged” cars from ever happening. 1. Unlike guitars, there are absolutely zero new cars being built today by major manufacturers that look identical to cars they produced in the 50s, 60s, or even the early 70s. The closest thing in cars would be the British brand Morgan. A company that still builds cars the same way they always have in the same location, but in recent years the exterior designs have finally evolved from the long running designs of the originals. The guitar manufacturers have always built shiny new guitars that look identical to the original designs at all different price points (overseas production has even allowed those manufacturers to produce identical looking shiny new guitars at the exact same price the originals were when new), so it was only natural that eventually they would start producing “aged” versions of those same guitars when prices of the aged originals started to soar. 2. The Fender and Gibson Custom Shops can produce aged examples of their vintage guitars that look, feel, and sound almost identical to the original for a small fraction of the price of an original. If, for example, Chevy introduced a brand new recreation of the 57 Bel Air there would definitely be a market for it. I could see there being a demand for everything from shiny new to “barn find” finish. However, regardless of “finish” choice it would be a low volume car that Chevy probably would have sell for close to and maybe even more than the price of real ones (which are pretty expensive now) to even make a profit. It just wouldn’t be economically feasible for car manufacturers to even try it.
I don't like relics so much as I don't like brand new looking instruments, I vastly prefer used instruments for that reason because it feels like it has a 'personality'. Fenders especially new look way too plasticy to me brand new
I always say about "Relic" look. Do the new car owner say, "I want dents, patina...faded paint on my new Corvette, Ferrari car." No they want a shinny glossy looking car! It's a the guitar companies pushing such stupidity! Suckers buy and guitar companies make the money!
I don’t get why people buy relic guitars, it’s basically a real expensive gimmick! Not my cup of tea, if I spend a lot on a guitar, I want it to look good, preferably new, as you know, if you play it, it’ll get wear on its own.
Personally, I am not a fan of ANY reliced guitars. I think it is ridiculous. I am not going to buy a Porsche with dings, rusted chassis, and oxidized paint..IMHO
scratcing up the deck and trucks of a skateboard so people think you do rail slides and grinds all day is the equivilent of relic guitars ....its poser
there was no vintage appeal to guitars 80s even 90s, fuck,nobody wanted norlin gibson or 70s fender, the real hero of relic was nuno,bare guitar sweated on,any of the others were played,you cant fake that
Fluff, I love your Chanel. But relic guitars are just ridicules. And to pay extra for a" Murphy lap" is just not right. I feel after buying selling and collecting guitars for 50 years. This is selling the drama, marketing and driving guitar prices up so high that the average guitar player can not even buy a once assessable guitars. The authentic played and dented and dinged road guitars is what we used to buy as used guitars for much lower prices back in the day. They were just used guitars it was the way it was. This guitar market has gone insane with hype and marketing to the point that new guitar players have just excepted $6000.00 guitars as normal.
Reclic guitars is all about the show and being false, like most trendy things. That's a very lame thing and I wonder why people do buy them in the first place.
Please try to keep your hands still when you are speaking. It is very disconcerting to have to watch your hands moving all the time and terribly distracting from what you are saying!!
I have often wondered who came up with such a stupid idea as charging extra for a destroyed finish. Relicing is pathetically stupid, and it's poser. Just buy an old guitar. They are usually less expensive anyway. Oh, well. A fool and his money....
@@reverb508 I'm not speaking in that perspective. The wear is authentic not nostalgic. Authentic wear has Mojo - Nostalgic wear has a Want-to-Be vibe. Be Original
@@warlockbob5518 There's nothing original about playing a mass-produced guitar: relic'ed or otherwise. It's just an aesthetic choice; one that some people happen to like.
I’ll relic my guitars with my own clumsiness thank you.
LMAO!!
@@AzathothsAlarmClock funny, because the one i bought is "lightly" reliced. and looks exactly as you described. i just couldn't afford a real one. i wanted a '63 in my collection but wasn't gonna pay 30 grand for one. 5 grand was plenty and it was built by a master luthier at the fender custom shop.
@@dave32173 yeah, I got a 1970 Goldtop. It’s turning green and looks dope.
As it should be
@@thefilthygringo9228 yep
I feel the same way about relics as I do about everything in life. Not for me, but i don’t judge anyone who likes that. Room in this world for all of us to coexist
Great comment. I see so many narrow-minded guitarists in the comments of every video featuring a relic'ed guitar spouting the same old nonsense "I could just drag my guitar behind my truck", "stolen valor", "why pay more to make a guitar look worse?". Glad to see folks like yourself that may not like the whole "relic thing", but don't look down on the people who do.
@@reverb508chibsons are stolen valor, i don’t care that people play them. But fakes are fake
@@Ottophil
It’s not just the Chinese made fakes hence the name Chibson, but for me it’s the high end forgeries as well if they put the Gibson logo on it.
@@charlesbolton8471 i meant chibson as a generic term for forgery. I don’t care where its made, thats the only guitars i have a beef with
Well... I was a gigging young lad in the mid-'80s, and us metal and pop and glam guys were distressing our own guitars to emulate the homemade looks of guitars like the Frankenstrat. It started with us sanding the backs of our necks, then moving to the fretboards, as we realized it would dirty up the wood faster if the lacquer was thinner (or gone). Soon, we were cutting away sections of the pick guards and screwing the pickups to the wood. That quickly led to taking a hammer to the comfort cuts to crack the enamel so we could get some sanding going there, too. I knew guys who dragged their guitar bodies behind their bicycles to beat them up. The Skate Metal dudes in particular, were always beating the hell out of their instruments to hasten the worn-in look. There was a whole relic subculture going back before my time, to at least the late '70s.
I'll buy that. I've always been a purist and looked down my nose at relic guitars but this seems to cast a different light on them. Still not for me but I don't feel so judgy towards them at least! Thanks!
In a world where every custom shop has some level of “relic-ing” I tend to lean towards the “NOS” level.
My 1964 Hagstrom ii is my only relic'd guitar. Natural relic from time and my Dad recording & gigging with it. My other 10 guitars are being slowly relic'd by me over a long period of time. Great vid man
I never got the appeal of relics til I played my 57’ reissue gold top. It looked cool but more so it felt amazing. It felt like a well loved and played guitar.
I used to think relics were lame. But now that I have one (Yamaha custom shop Pacifica), I love it! It's very liberating not having to worry about scratching or dinging a new guitar. I can see a Fender Rory Gallagher custom shop strat in my future (extreeeemly reliced to mimic Rory's iconic guitar).
I love relic'd guitars! 🤩🎸
thanks for the info. I did not know the history at all
I heard Keith Richard was one of the first ones to order a relic from The Custom Shop
Indeed that's what I also remember - he wanted one that felt like his old worn ones.
What would you have to do to relic a young man to look like Keef??
I’m not a big relic guy but Novo Guitars’ relic jobs are bad ass, particularly the finish over finish stuff that they do. I will eventually cough up the money and own one.
I personally like relic because you can "care less"
When you have a new PU guitar, if you hit it, you will blame youself for months
When you hit a relic guitar... who cares? It's more "just play it" feeling
Les carefull with a guitar that cost thousands of dollars more then a no relic…. Makes no sense. Seeing that you can get a fender custom shop for like low 3000 and a heavy relic for 5000……
@@thefilthygringo9228 I build/refinish my own guitars
@@MaisPatrux saves money for sure but I personally don’t like to start with a beat up guitar. I want to look at it and know it came from me. Remember how a dent got there or a scratch. But that just me.
I don't beat myself up over the little dents & dings I'm responsible for. I feel bad for a little while but I know they happen. I take care of my guitars but I kinda like the dents and dings. They add character.
Not a fan of relic-ing but this was really interesting. I had no idea it all started with blending repairs on vintage axes. Very cool.
A nice old looking fender is like a comfy pair of slippers. Whether it's actually old and worn or relic'd make no difference to me really. Both lovely.
I’m with you. I love both, but typically the relics (and in Fender’s case especially the Mexican made Road Worns) are usually substantially more affordable than an older instrument that has aged naturally.
I will never purchase a brand new relic guitar. With that said Mr. fluff, I did purchase a 1978 Gibson RD custom and I love that guitar. It is relict but for good measure because somebody put the time in on it. I also have about 17 other American made guitars That over the time of my existence playing and enjoying them, they will eventually become relict. Keep up the good work.
Very Cool, Thankyou. Awesome Episode, Cheers.
A good relic goes beyond finish checking and dings. Bindings are filed, fretboards are smoothed etc. A good relic feels like it was played for a long time. I do prefer the real deal - but I can't afford it 😉
What a fantastic video have a good weekend
Great video, I didn't know from where it comes from. I remember when the first reliced guitar came out I didn't understand what people would buy a brand new guitar with "damages", I though it was so dummy. Fast forward, now my three must beloved guitar are reliced :D. It demand a real craftsmanship knowledge and this talent has to be paid.
You forgot about the fakes that rose up in the 80s, and peaked in the early 90s. When Gibsons and Fenders became nostalgically collectible to the point the Japanese where coming over and buying up truck loads of guitars, there were a lot of fakes made or the early fender(after the take over) guitars that were made on the same equipment that were reliced and sold as vintage. There were also many goldtop conversions to 59 spec.. I remember guitar shows in the early 90s, every guitar was in question as if it was real or not.
I can't wait for the 90s relics. It'll just look like a 1998 strat with a super heavy body and a perfect polyester finish, cracked/loose neck pockets, cheap ceramic single coils with worn in maple fretboards.
I heard a story, that it started with Keith Richard's getting a new guitar from the custom shop, but wanting something that didn't look so new. So, they relic'd it and it went from there.
It’s great to see a popular guitar personality like you made this video. Now if only the relic hating masses would understand that there is an art to aging guitars and it’s not just throwing keys and screws at it and sanding off paint.
It's still dishonest. and I can identify a relic guitar at first sight. and I believe a guitar should get it's battle scars naturally.
@@MusicAuthority-b9r ok. But most relic jobs are so well done that an NOS guitar wouldn’t ever look like that naturally. It’s not dishonest if no one is trying to pass it off as real wear. I’ve never met someone who owns a relic who tells people it’s all natural.
I would buy a relic'd guitar (if I had the money, which I don't) that was made to look like a revered instrument. Greeny for example.
I'm less enthused about generic relicing. But... if I was looking for, say, a vintage spec Telecaster, and I had the opportunity to pick up a Road Worn Tele for a great price, the fact that it's roadworn would not be a deal breaker.
You should see mine strat and RR somewhere around 1995-1996 real roadworn ,that pearl white strat is now more like pearl yellow...
One of the best at relicing guitars is Dave Johnson. I once played a relic'd Les Paul that he did. It was convincing, looked like a 50's Paul that has been played for years and years. It didn't look fake..
I've been playing Nash basses since 2006 and MJT since 2017.
If you're into relics, the most authentic looking would easily be
1. MJT. They simply do masterful relic jobs that look totally legit. 10/10.
2. Fender Custom Shop. My '64 Jazz bass looks the part but pricey. 8.5/10.
3 Nash. Light or Medium aging is the way to go. Heavy and Extra Heavy just look like they were dragged behind a dirtbike but his build quality is second to none. Best necks in the business. 8/10
4. Danocaster looks really good and on par with MJT's work. I have played them but I cannot justify any instrument north of $3500.
I love relic guitars. Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, SGs. They look great.. However, if its a pointy 80's metal guitar - They need to be clean and shiny.
I relic my guitars every day. My 93 deluxe plus Strat still looks too new. Just starting to get wear out on the paint but the metal parts got the sweat wear on them. Now my L P studio looks so beat up. I even changed various metal parts (gold plated) and already looks worn. (Cheap plating). But on looks alone both look much older than they are.
interesting. gonna have to check one of these out
Which guitar is better for metal between 68 and custom with 498 pickup？
i just bought a Fender custom shop ';63 strat, reliced and i love it! i wish i could have bought an original but i just couldnt afford the $30,000 they want for one of them!
Done well....a relic’d guitar has a comfortable, broken in feel that it can be very inspiring to pick up and play. They just feel.....”good”. The thin lacquer or satin finish on most also seem to just vibrate more and don’t feel as sterile as a brand new guitar with 50 coats of poly. I have several Gibson’s and I get so nervous about dinging them up, I rarely play them live unless the venue has a bigger stage and I don’t have to worry about the headstock of a Fender P-bass crashing into my Standard’s AAA top!!! 😭
Personally not a fan of reliced guitars, but I get the appeal of them to folks. I'm just a crappy player/collector, so I get bummed when I ding or scratch up one of my guitars. Love the Fazio Electric tee.
Yeah, me too!!
Relic hater checking in.
It’s not my thing, but hey why not if that’s what you like.
As others, I will relic my own guitars
I have bought used guitars that are already beat up to some degree, and added my own through use, so in sense I bought a relic, but a natural relic.
Both my guitar and me are relics.
Its the snobbery over labels like "murphy lab" and up to 2x price tag that gets me. Can't say im really for or against a relic guitar, some have mojo and some look like they were chained to the back of a van and taken for a joyride.
I do however love a good ebay listing that has a "personalised custom relic job" almost always a guaranteed laugh
Agree that some of the prices are out of hand, Murphy Lab especially. I know making a guitar look legitimately old is an art form, but charging an additional $2500 for a heavy relic Les Paul is kinda nuts. The $500 upcharge for an "ultra light" relic is perhaps even more egregious as I believe they're just sticking those guitars in a freezer for a few hours to get the lacquer checking.
That said... I still kinda want one hahaha
@@reverb508 yeah, all said and done I wouldn't say no to being given one 😂
The difference between a relic and a vintage guitar is a 0 at the end of the price tag. The custom shop guitars have top of the line woods, components and built by the best Luthiers.
People don't care if the instrument is old, looks old, or is new and pristine. People watch and admire musicians because of the way they play and get their attention, not because they play a new or reliced guitar.
Natural relic is great man, i really love to see my guitars getting beated up, but just because thats the actual way of how i play them
All Murphy labs I played when looking for this "special guitar" felt sticky and not really pleasing to the touch. I instead went with a Custom Shop R9 and it's great and much cheaper.
Never understood why people bought reliced guitars.
Why not relic them through actual playing?
The same reasons why someone would buy faded and ripped blue jeans: look and feel. A relic guitar feels played in; it’s more comfortable, no sharp edges. A relic guitar also has a more authentic look that was pioneered by SRV and Rory Gallagher. Before SRV and Rory, a scratch or finish blemish on a used guitar would send the value plummeting! (Recall that at one time there were just “used” guitars, “vintage” guitar category didn’t exist yet.) A beat up guitar was like wearing dirty clothes: it signaled to the audience that the performer was not a professional (due to decades of primped and preened music acts taking the stage, a la The Beatles). To have a beat up guitar was uncouth. Now, it is a mark of authenticity and respect. Compare and contrast with leather garments.
Because they're posers. It's literally that simple.
@@WilliamHaisch so ultimately they are for people whom have more money than intelligence.
@@DrewKane These comments always crack me up. Someone's a "poser" because they like the look of an old guitar and are willing to pay to have it made to look old? Are you this myopic about everything or are you only this narrow-minded about relic'ed guitars?
@reverb508 Yup you got it. That is the definition of a poser.
Awesome guitar 🎸
I would love a MAMM history
Thankfully relic'd isn't as ubiquitous as it was. A decade ago, you'd go into craigslist. Someone would have guitar that has been in his closet for four years while they were away at college. The thing would have been beat to shit by younger brothers, getting moved around, knocked over, etc. It should have dropped the value $300, instead they ask $200 more and call it "relic'd."
A lot of people say that they like the broken in feel, which I agree feels great. I just don't understand why they don't make a new guitar with thinner finishes, neck carves that have more of that feel, etc. I know they used to do "closet classics," and things like that, buy you could do it and still make it look new.
I am pretty sure that Fender released the SRV number 1 copies in 92 or 93.
Not relic’d
Restoration>Relicing
It was started by unscrupulous repair people long before Fender as a way to fake antiques. The guitar world embraced it because it puts that look in the reach of people with regular jobs.
So: If a "New-New" guitar has scratches on it, I ask for my money back; If it's relic'd, I pay...more?
I like the look of relic guitars but only when it’s naturally done by me.
The guitar tells a story amd you see where I rest my hand, all the dings and wear.
But when you have someone relic a guitar and charge way more for it then what’s the point.
Ah yes, Lez Paul, creator of the Lez Paul guitar.
It's like jeans with holes in them👖
Remember when that was popular
@@davedavid7061
Apparently, it’s still popular with some people because the option still exists.
If they are on an attractive female, they would look great, whether they were reliced or not reliced. It is in the eye of the beholder!!
I hated relic guitars as I’m a player … however I just got a reliced novo and I live the s out of it
I prefer authentic dents and dings I add myself. Each mark tells a story. Authentic wear adds character. To each his own though. If somebody wants to pay for fake wear it's their money.
The Murphy Lab should be a service, not a feature.
Why's that fretboard look rosewood? 2012 model? Lol granadillo Era was an interesting time
Yep it’s rosewood
@@RiffsAndBeards figured...that was a crazy time for gibson
Still amazes me that people actually buy relics... let alone the price they go 😂😂
To each their own, but definitely don't get the desire to pay more for a new guitar that looks like it's been beat up. I'd rather brand new looking and love and play it myself, or actually buy vintage if I ever could afford it. To me, it's goofy.
relic guitars , nah , honest play wear , yep . strange thing is that with like oldtimer cars and bikes most owners spend a lot of money to make it look new , and then a some guitarist or bassist ( i don't now wich other instuments are beeing reliced , copper instuments like an sax or trumpet maybe ? ) spend a lot off money to get a beat up guitar , it's funny this "relic "thing .
In violin it’s a thing as well.
@@feeeeeed
Aged finishes have been used in the violin industry long before it even became a thing in the guitar industry. In fact, aging violins might even predate the creation of what we consider a guitar today.
Honestly, I just don’t like how new shiny guitars look. I don’t even like wearing new shoes 😂… but the way guitars are made now, theyll basically look the same for 50 years… I love me a good relic.
There's a reason people buy vintage cars and rebuild them to look brand new,
the same reason people don't buy new cars and wreck them on purpose...
Relic'd guitars are the silliest gimmicks imaginable.
Not everyone who buys older cars or motorcycles restores them to like new condition. Rat rods are currently a very popular trend in the car and motorcycle community.
I'm against relicing guitars. first it's dishonest. and I can identify even some of best reliced guitars. and I believe a guitar should get it's battle scars naturally.
Really valuable vintage instruments are the ones that have been kept in mint condition through the ages, everything else is just a nonsensical trend.
So it was literally born from necessity
Hmmmm, they don't bother me. Some you guys just live in a dreamland where you think you'll put 30 years on touring and yer guitar will tell everyone you've been somewhere. Put that thought into actually what comes out of it and that should tell a much broader interesting story. Some players just like the way it looks and feels, get over it. You wanna pretend you are SRV and take yer strat and rub your ass on it, cuz thats more honest, go for it.
Really? man... where is Schecter California Classic review?
I’m not a fan of relic guitars. Especially when these dudes have necks that look like they’ve never cleaned the fretboard.
Heh yeah, that looks ff-in' gross to me. Wear? sure, but they don't have to be so dirty.
I would never buy a new guitar made to look like it's trashed. I prefer to have a guitar as close to new condition as possible. As a guitar collector even when I buy used guitars I will go over it if it's too beat up and it's cheap I will consider it because it will become a project guitar. The worse part of the whole relic scam is they charge so much more for them than they do for a new in new condition. I am not a big fan of signature guitars either. Doesn't matter who might have owned or played the replica/sig guitar it's not going to make you play any better or even sound exactly like the guitar it's ripping off.
If anyone has a custom shop les paul I’ll custom relic it by dragging it behind my van for a couple miles, I’ll only charge you $2,000 for this service
I’ll throw it in the marsh behind my house and drag it over some oyster beds for $1000🤘
Do you supply any other cliches also
Cool. If I ever want my guitar to look like it was dragged behind a van, I'll hit you up. Personally though, I'd prefer my guitar look like it was played for 50 years. I doubt your van can do that.
@@davedavid7061 "Something something something stolen valor." "Something something something posers." 🤣 These anti-relic dudes must have a script or something.
@@reverb508 something something headstock break, something something my $300 partscaster, something something messed up new car. I wouldn't probably buy a relic, but I can't play 10 hrs a day for 30 yrs to get natty
Relicing is a plague that needs to die. Have any of you ever bought a new car and asked the dealer to "scratch and dent this up for me real good"? Didn't think so. Every ding, chip and scratch should tell a story that adds to the uniqueness of that instrument. Now, if you're recreating a VH Frankenstein or other artist's guitar that's one thing, but dinging up new guitars to look aged is fake and lame. IMO.
There have always been numerous parallels between the automotive industry and the electric guitar industry. I think the fact that Rat Rods exist is proof that there would be a market for “aged” new cars.
However, it’s the two major differences between the automotive industry and the electric guitar industry that will prevent “aged” cars from ever happening.
1. Unlike guitars, there are absolutely zero new cars being built today by major manufacturers that look identical to cars they produced in the 50s, 60s, or even the early 70s. The closest thing in cars would be the British brand Morgan. A company that still builds cars the same way they always have in the same location, but in recent years the exterior designs have finally evolved from the long running designs of the originals.
The guitar manufacturers have always built shiny new guitars that look identical to the original designs at all different price points (overseas production has even allowed those manufacturers to produce identical looking shiny new guitars at the exact same price the originals were when new), so it was only natural that eventually they would start producing “aged” versions of those same guitars when prices of the aged originals started to soar.
2. The Fender and Gibson Custom Shops can produce aged examples of their vintage guitars that look, feel, and sound almost identical to the original for a small fraction of the price of an original.
If, for example, Chevy introduced a brand new recreation of the 57 Bel Air there would definitely be a market for it. I could see there being a demand for everything from shiny new to “barn find” finish. However, regardless of “finish” choice it would be a low volume car that Chevy probably would have sell for close to and maybe even more than the price of real ones (which are pretty expensive now) to even make a profit. It just wouldn’t be economically feasible for car manufacturers to even try it.
I don't like relics so much as I don't like brand new looking instruments, I vastly prefer used instruments for that reason because it feels like it has a 'personality'. Fenders especially new look way too plasticy to me brand new
Relic guitars are stolen valor.
I always say about "Relic" look. Do the new car owner say, "I want dents, patina...faded paint on my new Corvette, Ferrari car." No they want a shinny glossy looking car! It's a the guitar companies pushing such stupidity! Suckers buy and guitar companies make the money!
Hey, do me a favor and search up RatRods for me. KTB
I don’t get why people buy relic guitars, it’s basically a real expensive gimmick! Not my cup of tea, if I spend a lot on a guitar, I want it to look good, preferably new, as you know, if you play it, it’ll get wear on its own.
I don't get the appeal. Would you buy a "relic'd" automobile?
Some people buy RatRods
Personally, I am not a fan of ANY reliced guitars. I think it is ridiculous. I am not going to buy a Porsche with dings, rusted chassis, and oxidized paint..IMHO
scratcing up the deck and trucks of a skateboard so people think you do rail slides and grinds all day is the equivilent of relic guitars ....its poser
there was no vintage appeal to guitars 80s even 90s, fuck,nobody wanted norlin gibson or 70s fender, the real hero of relic was nuno,bare guitar sweated on,any of the others were played,you cant fake that
Fluff, I love your Chanel. But relic guitars are just ridicules. And to pay extra for a" Murphy lap" is just not right. I feel after buying selling and collecting guitars for 50 years. This is selling the drama, marketing and driving guitar prices up so high that the average guitar player can not even buy a once assessable guitars. The authentic played and dented and dinged road guitars is what we used to buy as used guitars for much lower prices back in the day. They were just used guitars it was the way it was. This guitar market has gone insane with hype and marketing to the point that new guitar players have just excepted $6000.00 guitars as normal.
Kind of cheesy to buy relic very poser
Esp when people are willing to buy a 5000 dollars reliced guitar but won’t buy a scratched b stock guitar.
Its more poser to care what other people play actually
@@Ottophil 😂 No not really
What's really cheesy is deriding people for liking something that you don't like. What are you, 12? Grow up, dude.
@@Ottophil Heh, now THAT is a good one. Cheers.
I hate relicing.
Reclic guitars is all about the show and being false, like most trendy things. That's a very lame thing and I wonder why people do buy them in the first place.
I'm a judgmental ass i'll admit. I don't respect relic'd guitars.
Please try to keep your hands still when you are speaking. It is very disconcerting to have to watch your hands moving all the time and terribly distracting from what you are saying!!
I have often wondered who came up with such a stupid idea as charging extra for a destroyed finish. Relicing is pathetically stupid, and it's poser. Just buy an old guitar. They are usually less expensive anyway. Oh, well. A fool and his money....
Not a fan of relic guitars. It's like, blue jeans with holes already in them, not earned.
What if you buy a vintage guitar. YOU didn't earn those scratches either. Are you opposed to buying vintage?
@@reverb508 I'm not speaking in that perspective. The wear is authentic not nostalgic. Authentic wear has Mojo - Nostalgic wear has a Want-to-Be vibe.
Be Original
@@warlockbob5518 There's nothing original about playing a mass-produced guitar: relic'ed or otherwise. It's just an aesthetic choice; one that some people happen to like.
@@reverb508 LOL I think we found the sucker who wasted a lot of money on relic'd guitars, guys.
@@DrewKane I think I found the dolt who doesn't understand the concept of "personal preference", guys.
Rat rod cars and relic guitars suck.