Reliced Guitars - WTF

guitars4you

crunchman said:

guitars4you said:

An additional point - For all those who don't buy into the aged format, the sales of aged to non-aged, regarding Custom Shop,  is not even close - I bet I sell 20/25 aged to 1 NOS (non aged)

Equally I fully appreciate it is the customer who decides which they prefer to buy

The customer has to buy what is in stock.  I had a Custom Shop Tele a few years back.  It was a relic because that was all that was available.  I would much rather have had one that wasn't beaten up, but I didn't have the option.

Most dealers seem to have one or two token NOS Custom Shop Fenders, but they are never in the colour or spec that you want.  If they actually had a decent amount of them, then I suspect that ratio would be a lot lower.

I wouldn't mind if Fender did a version of the Gibson VOS finish.  I'm not too fussed about it looking shiny, but relics just don't look right.  The one I had just looked fake.

The problem with all CS models is the vast amount of options available - So be it aged or not, if you have a customer who has a 'pre-prepared' shop option, based on what he believes he wants, then chances are no dealer has all the options on one guitar actually in stock - Some customers shop this way - Some customers try 2-3-4-5 guitars and buy the one that matches their expectations

We have ended up with less NOS stock for a reason - I say we, as I dare say all other UK dealers have gone down the same route - We use to stock more, but they never sold - Very rarely have I ever made a profit selling an NOS guitar from stock - Many times I've made a loss - I've just about given up stocking them for a reason - It has taken me 10 years to get to this - Not a hunch, but factual info - The last 2 NOS Guitars I had in stock, around Feb 2019, I had to offer a 50% discount to sell them 

Yet today, all guitars are only available on a custom ordered basis - So we order our spec and wait 6 months - So any dealer who has ordered NOS stock is a braver man than me - Of course the customer can spec and order his dream machine in the same way, if required - Even on this basis my ratio is still around 20 to 1

AlexC

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Bridgehouse said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Damn you @ICBM ! Your bloody thread has brought the sleepers out. We’re in for months of these twits posting “relic vs nos” and “nitro vs poly” nonsense! Hang your head in shame man!

Now now, at least he didn’t mention tonewood or high end hifi cables..

Well... I’ll be the bigger man here and not raise those points.

But... I will say that one of those pesky relic guitars I made is at the Milton Keynes Stadium tonight

https://i.imgur.com/4akxF18.jpg

Oh I like that! May I enquire who’s the player?

SRich

I dunno, but he's never gonna give you up...

Bridgehouse

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Bridgehouse said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Bridgehouse said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Damn you @ICBM ! Your bloody thread has brought the sleepers out. We’re in for months of these twits posting “relic vs nos” and “nitro vs poly” nonsense! Hang your head in shame man!

Now now, at least he didn’t mention tonewood or high end hifi cables..

Well... I’ll be the bigger man here and not raise those points.

But... I will say that one of those pesky relic guitars I made is at the Milton Keynes Stadium tonight

https://i.imgur.com/4akxF18.jpg

You should hang your head in shame at the self promotion of a relic like that... 

..your punishment is a 6 paragraph essay on the virtues of ash vs alder for sonic resonance

You know what... I’d actually do that. It shall be titled “Tonewood - WTF”.

Looking forward to moderating the thread afterwards

Bridgehouse

SRich said:

I dunno, but he's never gonna give you up...

Possibly the most subtle rick-rolling ever?

GoldenEraGuitars

 @AlexC this beauty belongs to Adam Evans who plays for Rick Astley. It really is a stunning guitar to play. 5lb too.

KrisGee

Mark1960 said:

I have a 35 year old guitar, and I spend time and money periodically upgrading it with new parts to keep it looking like new...

I find that weirder than buying relics

AlexC

GoldenEraGuitars said:

 @AlexC this beauty belongs to Adam Evans who plays for Rick Astley. It really is a stunning guitar to play. 5lb too.

Thanks.

jonnyburgo

GoldenEraGuitars said:

 @AlexC this beauty belongs to Adam Evans who plays for Rick Astley. It really is a stunning guitar to play. 5lb too.

Bloody hell, that’s cheap

sw67

The guitar in my sig is my main guitar for gigs. It just feels worn in and I don't worry about marks or dings at pub gigs. That said I only like relic telecasters. My other guitars are mint. 

Axe_meister

One thing I must say about reliced guitars I have played is that they seem to be alive compared to a new looking guitar.
The necks are slippery and so easy to play.
Reliced guitars also tend to be based on nitro finishes and made even thinner and sanded down to next to nothing.
Now the question is why can't they make a new guitar with a very thing finish and a neck without any finish which will relic itself very quickly

GoldenEraGuitars

@Axe_meister we’re already doing that for some customers and tbh when it comes to my own 54 Strat build I won’t be heaping the nitro onto the neck. It’ll get the minimum amount of tint to cover it and left alone. Should age very very quickly with some playing.

Jalapeno

Nitefly said:

guitars4you said:

Springsteen has now retired his 50's Esquire and now tours with an aged replica - As he said, you can't play rock n roll, wearing jeans, black leather jacket, t-shirt and a new shiny guitar

Why not?

Because he's THE BOSS !!!!!!!!

JezWynd

Axe_meister said:

Now the question is why can't they make a new guitar with a very thin finish and a neck without any finish which will relic itself very quickly

Don’t Fender do that with their thin skin finishes?

I agree that relicing makes a lot more sense when you get to play them and feel the neck wear - makes them easy to play. Still not that taken with faux body wear though.

Freebird

And of course the irony is people will sell a genuinely reliced guitar cheaper, and describe it as being players grade 

Jez6345789

I am with the OP I am happy to see a genuine worn old guitar but most of the repro stuff leaves me cold.

i also think their is a certain irony to the people who think having a fake aged guitar makes them look more authentic journey man type of player. the Bruce Springsteen comment is fairly typical.

there are certainly a good few relic owners talk about my image my type of music would not be seen dead play a shiny PRS etc etc.

in the end each to his own.

GoldenEraGuitars

Jez6345789 said:

i also think their is a certain irony to the people who think having a fake aged guitar makes them look more authentic journey man type of player. 

The only people who say this are the people who don’t like aged stuff. Not one of my customers has ever said “Scott, I want to have a guitar that makes people think I’ve been on the road for 20 years non stop.”

But, it’s always funny to read. Next, you’ll be drawing comparisons between relic guitars, ripped jeans and battered cars.... or has that already been done in this thread

Fuengi

In the Architectural content, the best description I have heard of "quality materials" is 'something that improves with age'. Think stone floors wearing under foot, timber beams warping and cracking, copper domes becoming verdant. 

The same could be said for guitars, the wear and tear of the body and neck are testimony to its original design and show that it is fit for purpose. 

A good guitar, like the quality materials it is made from, improves with age.

prowla

Nitefly said:

guitars4you said:

Springsteen has now retired his 50's Esquire and now tours with an aged replica - As he said, you can't play rock n roll, wearing jeans, black leather jacket, t-shirt and a new shiny guitar

Why not?

I wish he wouldn't.

ToneControl

Personally, I don't even like naturally reliced guitars
Give me an old guitar that's been well-cared for any day, but even then I don't prefer older guitars per se

I can see the attraction of a luthier rolling the edge of the fingerboard, matting the finish on the neck, or artificially aging magnets to get a sound you are after.

However, to me artificially-aged guitars are the same as ripped jeans - a bit of a poseur thing. I assume with guitars the implication being that you own an antique guitar that has more mojo and cost more than shiny new guitars. I don't believe instruments have mojo, they are just good instruments or not.

The only exception I am prepared to allow is when a long-standing star needs a replacement tour instrument for their long-famous recognisable instrument