Today’s Ebay king of comedy

carlos

Devil#20 said:

I really don't get this relic'ing thing and paying over the odds from a factory fresh guitar. Your guitar is going to pick up the odd knock and will get play wear on it anyway eventually. 

You're assuming people who buy guitars actually play them outside their bedrooms, more than once a month and then don't promptly put them back in their case.

Rich210

I don't think I've actually seen actual wear and tare on a guitar to the extent of the relics you see. 

hoops

Don't actually mind it but not at that price obvs.

Loobs

BeardyAndy

Thats Custom Shop money, I guess it's good to have a dream!! 

scrumhalf

I'd buy it.

With imitation banknotes that have been roughed up a bit. 

Philly_Q

WezV said:
i don't mind the unrealistic look as a style - i love this ESP
https://www.relicartguitares.fr/385

Wow, look at the before and after at the bottom of the page!  I do like what he's done, but it looked nice to begin with, to be honest.

JezWynd

WezV said:

i don't mind the unrealistic look as a style - i love this ESP
https://www.relicartguitares.fr/385

Style? Are we looking at the same thing?!!



(unleashing woodpeckers appears to be the house modus)

I realise that relicing is down to personal opinion - my personal opinion is it's got way out of hand and a lot of it looks like s**t dressed in the emperor's new clothes. If you want a worn guitar either buy an old one or play one until it looks that way.

It's pretend "I'm such a down home monster of a player that I've worn this guitar out". When truth is "I've got a load of spare cash and too much time on my hands for poring over guitar porn on the internet".

Strangefan

Loobs said:

Indeed. 

Philly_Q

JezWynd said:
I realise that relicing is down to personal opinion - my personal opinion is it's got way out of hand and a lot of it looks like s**t dressed in the emperor's new clothes. If you want a worn guitar either buy an old one or play one until it looks that way.

It's pretend "I'm such a down home monster of a player that I've worn this guitar out". When truth is "I've got a load of spare cash and too much time on my hands for poring over guitar porn on the internet".

"Play one until it looks that way".  Yes, buy a guitar that you don't like the look of, then play it really hard - but not unreasonably hard, and no cheating with big metal belt buckles, it has to be "genuine wear" - for 40 years.  Then when you're about 85 it'll look just the way you wanted it to.  Super.

"Buy an old one".  Is that really honest?  You're taking advantage of someone else's "genuine wear" and passing it off as your own.  Perhaps you should have a little disclaimer sticker on it saying "not my own genuine wear".

This has been gone-over so many times, but why are people who don't like relics so obsessed with the notion that people who buy them are "pretending" to be grizzled, road-worn blues journeymen?  Why do they have to be so vocal about it?  It's just a finish.  I don't go on people's NGD threads saying they're nice mate, but they're too clean and shiny.

WezV

JezWynd said:

WezV said:

i don't mind the unrealistic look as a style - i love this ESP
https://www.relicartguitares.fr/385

Style? Are we looking at the same thing?!!



(unleashing woodpeckers appears to be the house modus)

I realise that relicing is down to personal opinion - my personal opinion is it's got way out of hand and a lot of it looks like s**t dressed in the emperor's new clothes. If you want a worn guitar either buy an old one or play one until it looks that way.

It's pretend "I'm such a down home monster of a player that I've worn this guitar out". When truth is "I've got a load of spare cash and too much time on my hands for poring over guitar porn on the internet".

If you understand its a personal preference, why do you feel the need to challenge mine? 

Yes, unrealistic wear is a style choice on a guitar finish just like it is on clothes, furniture or cars.

I like a realistic relic, i like an over the top unrealistic one sometimes too. I have done both.  Well, I like to think i got some kinda realistic, i definitely did some over the top ones.    I do firmly believe i can out do a hell of a lot of stuff that comes out of the Gibson Custom shop.... 


I even occasionally really like a shiny new finish

edit - i also think a lot of the stuff from this guy doesn't look right, i'm not defending his attempts at realistic heavy wear and sometimes i think his colours are off (i follow him on instagram). 

I do think his style  of wear suits the "battleworn" look of the ESP. I  don't think the same style suits this at all
https://www.relicartguitares.fr/259

prowla

crunchman

Philly_Q said:

JezWynd said:
I realise that relicing is down to personal opinion - my personal opinion is it's got way out of hand and a lot of it looks like s**t dressed in the emperor's new clothes. If you want a worn guitar either buy an old one or play one until it looks that way.

It's pretend "I'm such a down home monster of a player that I've worn this guitar out". When truth is "I've got a load of spare cash and too much time on my hands for poring over guitar porn on the internet".

"Play one until it looks that way".  Yes, buy a guitar that you don't like the look of, then play it really hard - but not unreasonably hard, and no cheating with big metal belt buckles, it has to be "genuine wear" - for 40 years.  Then when you're about 85 it'll look just the way you wanted it to.  Super.

"Buy an old one".  Is that really honest?  You're taking advantage of someone else's "genuine wear" and passing it off as your own.  Perhaps you should have a little disclaimer sticker on it saying "not my own genuine wear".

This has been gone-over so many times, but why are people who don't like relics so obsessed with the notion that people who buy them are "pretending" to be grizzled, road-worn blues journeymen?  Why do they have to be so vocal about it?  It's just a finish.  I don't go on people's NGD threads saying they're nice mate, but they're too clean and shiny.

The problem is that the relicing is so unrealistic.  I had a Custom Shop Fender Tele Heavy Relic for a while.

In the shop, I thought it looked quite cool, but after living with it for a bit, I realised that the wear was totally unrealistic.  That wasn't the main reason I sold it, but it did annoy me.

I wouldn't buy another relic.  I'd prefer NOS, but could stomach a "Closet Classic", but I don't like having all the finish sanded off the back of the neck, and I definitely don't like the unrealistic relicing.

Philly_Q

@crunchman Which is absolutely fine, nobody's saying you have to buy a relic.  I just don't understand why some people get so worked up about other people buying them.

I'm not saying "all relics good, all shiny things bad".  Lots of relics look awful - lots of Masterbuilts look particularly awful, and they cost £6k or more.  But I like guitars that look and feel a bit broken in, that have had a bit of the shine taken off them.  I like being able to pick up a guitar without agonising over accidentally giving it its first ding. 

I like what Patrick Eggle and Nik Huber do - no dents or dings or missing paint, but aged hardware and a semi-gloss/satin finish.  It just seems more "friendly" to me than a pristine glossy squeaky-clean guitar which seems almost too perfect to touch.

idiotwindow

I'm not sure people do get worked up about other people buying relics. Most of those getting worked up seem to be those who don't like the opinion of those who dislike relics. Personally I'm ambivalent about the whole relic thing. Some look ridiculous, some look fine. I certainly like some of the aged acoustics I've seen.

DesVegas

Wish someone would touch me up.

mbe

Allow me to air the eccumenical argument against the buggered up guitars.

Please have some respect and stop using the word "relic" in relation to electric guitars. A true relic is a piece of the remains of a saintly person and sometimes thereby is an association with miracles.

A more apt description of these battered instruments would be "roughened" or "damaged". 

Amen.

SPECTRUM001

 

"Buy an old one".  Is that really honest?  You're taking advantage of someone else's "genuine wear" and passing it off as your own.  Perhaps you should have a little disclaimer sticker on it saying "not my own genuine wear".

My 1978 Precision was bought secondhand, and was very "worn in". I needed a decent bass pronto, and couldn't afford anything new. I wasn't passing it off as if I had been a hellraiser - it was just a second hand guitar, and very beatup.

I then rehearsed, toured and recorded with it, adding to its history and lustre - so it now has even more wear.

The main difference between genuine and prescribed reliccing would probably be the neck (ie my Precision's neck has dings, scrapes, and fretwear - whilst new relicced guuitars probably have perfect necks - is that right, as I have never played one).

Ahhhh, I am soon taking it for only its second set up in the 30 years I have had it - Rock 'n Roll !!!

Philly_Q

SPECTRUM001 said:

The main difference between genuine and prescribed reliccing would probably be the neck (ie my Precision's neck has dings, scrapes, and fretwear - whilst new relicced guuitars probably have perfect necks - is that right, as I have never played one).

Correct.  Relics may have the finish removed from the back of the neck, and dirt added, but there'll no dents or dings.  On maple boards there's "wear" on the fretboard, but no divots.  And the frets will be perfect.

(And I wasn't suggesting you or anyone else is passing themselves off as a hellraiser - just making a point to those who think that's why people buy relics. )

Fortheloveofguitar

Be quick guys. there must be a lot of interest as the price has just increased by £200. Now at £3450