WSJ article on relic'ed guitars

lyle_from_minneapolis · Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:43 am

I think you're right.

But always, always stay safe and keep your shirt untucked...otherwise you might scratch off your buckle rash.

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:57 am

What happens when you go to insure these & the agent wants to see photos!

You tell him/her: "No, really, it's worth more this way!"

They probably won't 'get it'.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:38 pm

I don't get it either.

ealdrett · Post by **ealdrett** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:18 pm

"Quote:
"Before assembling and shipping out "relic" guitars, Mr. Eldred's employees at Fender Musical Instruments Corp.'s Custom Shop will use powerful industrial solvents to create worn spots in the paint, and the subfreezing accelerant from aerosol cans to mimic the subtle "weather checking" cracks that spider across old lacquer surfaces."

No expense is spared, even the environment, it seems!"

It seems to me that Phoenix EPA laws must be really lax. Money talks in the wild west.
Can't wait to live there. I hear some housing communities discourage the utilization of solar panels because they are "ugly". Gotta keep them energy bills high.

Looks like I'm boycotting Fender products in my household.

mgauction · Post by **mgauction** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:26 pm

Edgar - I live near the Fender management offices here in Scottsdale. Thanks god none of the manufacturing is done there. I think it is still done in CA. Energy bills high here? You better believe it! Housing communities might even BAN solar panels -- I'm not sure, though, but I could see it.

kenposurf · Post by **kenposurf** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:41 pm

At their worst, a relic guitar looks like a bad high school shop project...I take that back..the worst are ones that cost a fortune and look contrived. At their best, they are like a pair of old Levis...I have a couple that look great "beat up" and are excellent players. btw: this weekend I learn how to reduce the size so I can post some darn pics!

ealdrett · Post by **ealdrett** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:52 pm

Mike,
So manufacturing is still done in Upland/Ontario?
It just doesn't make sense where there is a lot of sun and people can take advantage of solar energy that companies and the government would discourage the use of such technology. But hey, it's the wild west and someone's got to get rich from it.

So would that explain why Fender has a lot of their instruments made in countries where they have no stringent EPA laws? Like Mexico, Korea, Indonesia. I think Japan has changed theirs in recent times?

winston · Post by **winston** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:52 pm

I had the privilege of playing on stage with Rory Gallagher. His Strat was very beat up but it was a players guitar. I loved that old guitar. It sang the blues like few others could do.

Thanks to the fact that Donal Gallagher (Rory's brother) loaned Fender Rory's guitar, the Fender Custom Shop has since produced the Rory Gallagher Stratocaster seemingly perfect in every detail. I have often wondered if they managed to capture the magic of the original though?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:59 pm

Manufacturing is done in Corona, in Riverside County. Fits right in with meth labs and mixed-usage ugly sprawl. What's another 55-gallon drum of "industrial solvent" among neighbors?

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:15 am

I prefer that my guitars be naturally reliced by me.

gray · Post by **gray** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:50 am

My 77 4001 came pre-reliced by previous owners. Judging by the higher price tag incurred by the relicing process, I figure all the extra character upped the value on my bass by at least $500!

Say, I wonder if they take a nail set and tap in a few worn-out frets, too.

lennon211 · Post by **lennon211** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:39 am

It's almost reached the point where the "to each his own" argument no longer justifies this. I've defended this practice on other forums saying things like "if it inspires someone to play, then so be it", but this is just going to far. To be able to go into a guitar shop and purchase an instrument off the rack, whether it be a Ric, Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, etc, and then play it, play it when you can, and be able to recall how it got it's different battle scars is something special. Buying a relic guitar like buying a car that's already scratched so that you don't have to feel stupid the first time you do it yourself. I think that most of these guitars do look like ****. Hands down, they look like instruments that I wouldn't touch because I like to start from scratch (pardon the pun) with a new pristine guitar. I think that if anything, the Fender Custom Shop has become the place to work if you're a burnt-out luthier that wants to beat the sh*t out of all of the Strats, Teles, and others that come through. Personally, I think that the Custom Shops would be best suited to limit themselves to one-offs for artists and those who can pay, and doing what they should do best: producing accurate reissues of models from different eras. Where is the logical end to this relic phenomenon? Duct-taped, wired together cases with peeling Tolex? Amps with frayed tweed covering and split grill cloth? Amp cables that are split and fraying at the ends? What about guitars with 90's era destruction and relic wear: peeled off bumper stickers and finish damage from ****** stands with orange tubing on an orange Curt Kobain Jag-Stang? How about relics that showcase all of the engineering disasters of some companies vibrato systems and weak neck joints? Or pickups that sound like ****? As the Beatles once said: "It's all too much."

SixtyFour · Post by **SixtyFour** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:55 am

another fine example:

SixtyFour · Post by **SixtyFour** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:59 am

btw, MSRP >>>$15k<<<

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:52 am

"Where is the logical end to this relic phenomenon? Duct-taped, wired together cases with peeling Tolex? Amps with frayed tweed covering and split grill cloth?"

Here you go: Fender's new "relic" '59 Bassman reissue @ $999.00. Not a bad price, for a change!