Vintage/relic/cheap/WTF? does anyone go for this crap?

[Icetech]

Recently i started hanging out and reading at one of the bigger amp/guitar pages on the net.. and i was kinda shocked by alot of people.. well.. shocked that fender can actually get people to buy guitars that are "relic'd" for 5x what the guitars are actually worth..

Now thing thing bout nitro laquer vs. poly finishes.. "I prefer nitro to poly, as nitro feels more natural, and poly feels like the guitar is plastic" Im paraphrasing but you get the point...

When is the last time you cut down a tree in your back yard and found the inside perfectly smooth and covered in laquer?

When this bubble bursts i hope these tards are sitting on guitars they paid 7k for and cant off for 3:) The thought of paying more than like 1500 for any fender is silly to me... fenders started life as a cheaply made production line guitar and are now exhaulted into some godly realm...

Anyway... i realize this is more of a rant, but if i were to post it in other places i would be beat down with a original 1957 string that was actually not used til 1983... then replaced in 87... would you like to buy it for $1800? ill throw in a knob for 3k also:)

[teleamp]

Icetech, its all about "percieved market value". And in my opinion the relicing was started so Fender could sell "blems" without losing any money. What resulted was used "player" guitars escalated in value becoming collectable. And it totally pisses me off.

I saw an old Rickenbacher solid state amp sell for over $1200 on fleabay, just the way it was presented. There was nothing special about the amp.

MikeY

[ApexJr.]

A good term...

"YOU SELL THE SIZZLE NOT THE STEAK"

Look at the old tube amps and there prices...

Steve @ Apex Jr.

[keithrick]

Icetech, I agree, I am relicing my guitar naturally. I just leave it on the stand next to where my kids play! LOL.

Don't lie....you know you pay extra for those stonewashed Levi's!

[Icetech]

Nope.. my levi's were $17 from Kmart:)

[HeeBGB]

Relics are generally made with higher quality materials AND more of the process of construction is done by hand rather than by machine resulting in an overall better product. The decision to sell pre-relic'ed guitars more than likely stemmed from the high cost of vintage originals being out of reach of most average people.

While I understand your aversion to relics you cannot deny that they are a successful product line. So much so that other manufacturers (Gibson) have started doing it as well. Just because YOU don't like them doesn't make them bad. If you can't get past the asthetics to see a really good guitar...That's your problem!

Also if you think that people are judging you based on whether you relic'ed a guitar naturally or artificially.....maybe YOU have some poser issues. Seek some help!

[rfgordon]

My job sends me out to Las Vegas several times a year (a hearty Thanks to all you taxpayers who make it possible.)

Anyway, one day we got off the range early last year and I was hanging out at Cowtown Guitars--an awesome place. The owner told me lots of interesting stuff, including his perspective/experience with the "relic" phenom. He's noticed two kinds of buyers. 1. Guys that gig and want the stage presence of a road-dog guitar, but don't want to leave a true vintage piece on the stage whilst taking a leak on a break. and 2. Guys who "had a guitar just like that in high school" sort of thing. The way I see it, paying for a new guitar that's been beat to hell is like having a jail-bait girlfriend who already has bad teeth, saggy boobs and a walker.

On the topic of the vintage market as a whole, he told me of a relatively recent development. Individuals and investment companies faxing in lists of instruments they want. People who don't even play are building portfolios of guitars as pure investment. Crazy, man, just crazy. Seems to me the same sort of thing happened with real estate in the mid 80's. At some point the poor shmuck who's paying several hudred grand for a '58 Paul will wake up in the middle of the night and say, "Oh, man, it's JUST a guitar!"

Kinda like Elvis' underwear--one man's treasure is another man's second hand skidmarks.

yaba daba doo
Gordo

[Buschman]

I can't help it man-I would love to have a Rory Gallagher strat! The vintage stuff is not for players anymore. They are now a collectable piece of American history. Just saw a 59 burst go for 220K on ebay. That makes the relic stuff fun. Most of it is from custom shops & has been given much more settup & love.

[Bear]

Some practical aspects on the relics, and also about the Fender "closet classic" models:

If you pre-ding the guitar at the manufacturing side, you can actually do the finishing nice and thin and not entomb the thing in clear coats that look nice and shiny. And also . . .

A thin finish that doesn't weigh down the wood too much will ding in use. If you put a ding in a new $2k or more guitar, it does bad things to the value. If you get one that's a little dinged or really dinged, you don't need to fear using the instrument as a factor in killing resale. While there is a market for vintage "player" instruments now, they don't command the prices that similar instruments in great shape will. On custom shop Fenders, the relics are probably more competitive.

On nitro - the stuff dries out over time and becomes brittle. Thinner finishes do this faster. Finish checking is a good thing. Why is this good? The finish is working with the wood in vibrating rather than damping it. At least that's the theory. Poly finishes are supposed to be pretty hard to start, though, so if they are thin enough that they don't damp too much, they should be okay. One of those things where it shouldn't "age" and become progressively better, but I heard that about my cedar-topped accoustic and that's a load of baloney there. So this is what the finish theory is that I've read.

Bear

[CaseyJones]

I'd rather play a "relic" 'cuz I like nice stuff but I feel bad about nice stuff gettin' beat up. If the guitar has had the crap beat outta it I don't have to worry about puttin' the first scratch in it. And although I like nice stuff I usually only can afford beat up crap so I'm glad fashion has finally caught up with me!

Quarter million dollar Les Pauls are silly, though. I guess stuff is priced at what the market will bear but it really is true, money changes everything... and not for the better! It would be great if talented musicians could afford really nice vintage instruments but unfortunately all the good stuff is gettin' stashed not played. The good news is that years from now there will be minty perfect instruments re-emerging.

Check the price of a Stradivarius lately? It's the original "Strat"!!

[rfgordon]

I wandered into Charlottesville Music the other day and Billy, the owner, was wandering around the store playing a Render relic Strat. He had just gotten it in, and he couldn't put it down. He said it was the best playing, feeling Strat he'd ever played, but he couldn't really put his finger on why. Unplugged it had amazing resonance, so they must have picked a great chunk for the body wood.

A little extra effort can make a huge difference, I suppose, and some guitars just fit/feel better than others. I had a friend make mine for me, and it's amazing to play a neck that was contoured for your hand. I've attached a picture. Quilted maple over chambered black Korina, Bolivian rosewood neck w/ ebony board. Rio Grande pups, Tone Pros hardware, etc. BTW, it's onlt the second guitar my friend Pearce (who was 19 when he built it) had done. Scary talent in those hands. Anyway, rock on.
Gordo