Anyone else frustrated with the whole relicing thing?

[ghostnote]

Somebody must be buying 'em, or they wouldn't be making them. Relicing would not be the reason I bought a guitar, but if it sounded great, it wouldn't be the reason I didn't, either.

[Bluside]

Not my taste. But, look how many people buy ripped jeans. I don't understand that either.

[blue]

I'll play anything. Really, I will... IF the price is right. And by right I mean that there is no way I won't at least pay for shipping if I end up re-selling it. I bought an un-refined (from the Ken Parker days) Parker Fly Deluxe in almost mint condition in th early 2000's for under $800. Still not sure I want to keep it... But I play every couple weeks trying to decide

Legend has it that we can blame Keith Richards for relicing. That he ordered a custom shop Fender as a backup for stage and commented "You make great guitars, but I hate how new they look". Not a exact quote, but the spirit is how it was reported.

[Morrill]

Distressed flooring and furniture sells very well so why not instruments? Not my cup of tea but folks are always trying to grow their share of the pie. Can't fault them for trying.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I would never buy a guitar that had purposely been beat up just to make it look old or well used. But some people like the look. If no one were interested in these guitars, makers would not keeping making them. Somebody wants these guitars.

To me, it's not worth any personal frustration. It's simply another buying choice, one I'm not interested in.

- Glenn

Glenn speaks for me too. I think it is a little silly, but my last tech specialised in making "relicked" solid electrics and sells them world wide.
Ok.

[FoxHound4690]

Originally Posted by blue

I'll play anything. Really, I will... IF the price is right. And by right I mean that there is no way I won't at least pay for shipping if I end up re-selling it. I bought an un-refined (from the Ken Parker days) Parker Fly Deluxe in almost mint condition in th early 2000's for under $800. Still not sure I want to keep it... But I play every couple weeks trying to decide

Legend has it that we can blame Keith Richards for relicing. That he ordered a custom shop Fender as a backup for stage and commented "You make great guitars, but I hate how new they look". Not a exact quote, but the spirit is how it was reported.

Apparently Keith Richards had something to do with it Yes because he was looking at these new guitars fender had built for the stones upcoming tour but he didn't like how they looked brand new so he personally requested that the builders beat them up to make them look old like the rest of their instruments because Keith thought it would look silly playing an old guitar for a song or two then switching to a brand new shiny one on stage....

But from what i've read online, the real thing that kicked off Fenders relicing craze was they took a couple of prototype guitars with relic finishes to NAMM in 1995 and they put them on display in glass cases like they were pieces of art and everyone who was walking by looking at them thought they were true original vintage guitars and when they found out they were actually brand new instruments everyone was shocked.

Before they knew it, Fender were getting orders for relic guitars coming in left, right and center and it even got to the point where I think I remember reading they had to open up a whole new workshop and it was that workshop that eventually became the Fender custom shop.

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by FoxHound4690

Apparently Keith Richards had something to do with it Yes because he was looking at these new guitars fender had built for the stones upcoming tour but he didn't like how they looked brand new so he personally requested that the builders beat them up to make them look old like the rest of their instruments because Keith thought it would look silly playing an old guitar for a song or two then switching to a brand new shiny one on stage....

But from what i've read online, the real thing that kicked off Fenders relicing craze was they took a couple of prototype guitars with relic finishes to NAMM in 1995 and they put them on display in glass cases like they were pieces of art and everyone who was walking by looking at them thought they were true original vintage guitars and when they found out they were actually brand new instruments everyone was shocked.

Before they knew it, Fender were getting orders for relic guitars coming in left, right and center and it even got to the point where I think I remember reading they had to open up a whole new workshop and it was that workshop that eventually became the Fender custom shop.

The Keith Richards part of that is probably true. Probably some truth to the NAMM part. None at all to the third part, as the Custom Shop has been around a lot longer than relicing.

[Rmccamey]

I keep saying, send me your guitar and $300 (a bargain) and I'll give you a bang-up relic job. So far, no takers

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

The Keith Richards part of that is probably true. Probably some truth to the NAMM part. None at all to the third part, as the Custom Shop has been around a lot longer than relicing.

According to the articles below :
https://guitar.com/guides/essential-...r-custom-shop/
The custom shop started officially 1987 some 8 years prior to Fender actually offering Reliced guitars as part of the line.

The Custom shop had done some "one offs" of what they called at the time "Pre Aged" for a few artists but apparently Keith Richards was not one of them

https://guitar.com/guides/essential-...-untold-story/
"This flies in the face of a widely told apocryphal tale that Fender’s Relic Series was begun after Keith Richards tried a new Custom Shop guitar and liked it, but said he’d only play it if they “bashed it up a bit”. This is a total myth – one that has been thoroughly debunked by all parties involved in the founding of the Relic Series."

Although it could be argued Richards has championed the highly relic'ed look on Rock guitarists, faces




As far as the OP ?? Personally I can't imagine wasting the energy getting "frustrated" over someone else's personal finish preference

[DukeX]

I just don't pay any attention to it. There are too many other nice guitars to appreciate and GAS over.

[Bob Womack]

I like new-looking things. They are pretty. It take care of my instruments. Even the forty-six year old Les Paul that I've put forty-two years worth of wear on looks better to me than than the relic'd things I see.

I'm not frustrated. I just get tired of it - it appears to be musical virtue signalling to me.


Bob

[Tnfiddler]

I will say that if I had the extra cash laying Around(I don’t, unfortunately) I’d get a ‘37 D28 Authentic Aged and learn to live with the neck!! I’m still haunted by the one I played at NAMM! I don’t mind that relicing, AT ALL!!

[blue]

Originally Posted by Rmccamey

I keep saying, send me your guitar and $300 (a bargain) and I'll give you a bang-up relic job. So far, no takers

Yeah. I'm sure a lot of potential customers are put off by your patented "15 year long, all natural, relicing process" using your Playware™ technology.

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by KevWind

According to the articles below :
https://guitar.com/guides/essential-...r-custom-shop/
The custom shop started officially 1987 some 8 years prior to Fender actually offering Reliced guitars as part of the line.

The Custom shop had done some "one offs" of what they called at the time "Pre Aged" for a few artists but apparently Keith Richards was not one of them

https://guitar.com/guides/essential-...-untold-story/
"This flies in the face of a widely told apocryphal tale that Fender’s Relic Series was begun after Keith Richards tried a new Custom Shop guitar and liked it, but said he’d only play it if they “bashed it up a bit”. This is a total myth – one that has been thoroughly debunked by all parties involved in the founding of the Relic Series."

Although it could be argued Richards has championed the highly relic'ed look on Rock guitarists, faces




As far as the OP ?? Personally I can't imagine wasting the energy getting "frustrated" over someone else's personal finish preference

Good info, thanks. FWIW, my point was that the Custom Shop we around long before relics became a trend, an important part of the product line, although I really had no idea they'd done "one-offs" as early as the nineties.

[stephenT]

Originally Posted by FoxHound4690

I know the whole relicing thing is strictly personal preference, but is anyone else frustrated by the whole thing? My local store has had lots of different custom shop fenders in over the years and every time i look at one and see the price tag i roll my eyes at it.

A brand new guitar that's just been beaten up to deliberately look old and worn and then charge customers 3 times as much as what a regular new guitar would cost.... I just can't see the point... is "fake wear" really what people think is appealing on a guitar?

Every time I see a thread disparaging a relic finish choice I roll my eyes AND click my tongue. I might even throw in a tisk tisk tisk.

No matter how it got there, there is no such thing as fake wear. Intentional,.. but hardly fake.