natural wear and tear on a poly finish

twangman · #1 08-22-2011, 12:43 PM

is this even possible?
i've seen some relic basses, then took a closer look and it seems so unnatural. i havent seen a good bass these days with some real wear and tear on them.
what the ????????

john grey · #2 08-22-2011, 01:39 PM

Polyurethane stays fairly glass-like for a VERY long time. It CAN wear at certain pointed contact areas over a very long while and you would see a very subtle "thinning" of the finish and perhaps a slight clouding but NOTHING like a spider-web clear nitro-cellulose clear coat from the 60's and earlier.

The "contact areas" would be few on a guitar body. The clouding would appear where there may also have been sweat contact.
Occasionally some people use a power screw-driver on the neck bolts and that can result in nasty cracks that appear to got into the wood - even though they may not actually: they look like the neck-pocket is cracking and can detract from a instrument's re-sale: as most people would want to see the neck off the body to even consider buying it. That is one of Poly's serious issues that should be remembered.

twangman · #3 08-22-2011, 06:36 PM

Mama Mia! Sounds very risky. I was thinking about removing it if possible. But it was just an idea. More curiosity than anything. I don't mind it, even if it feels sticky when it's hot, that would be the only downside. So do the relic basses also have this glass like finish? Anyone know. Well, time to finish watching "Tangled". Ill be back in a few

john grey · #4 08-23-2011, 08:26 AM

Depends on who did the "relic " paint, etc. There are some people who can do a straight up forgery so well that if they were held side by side with an original it would be seriously tough to tell the real one. There are even web sites where decals and serial number range are matched with finish composition and color. nitro finish is not an easy thing to get right for a serious copy "relic" but it can be done. "Speed aging" with nitro-cellulose lacquer is almost an art. Original GM paints of period can still be obtained and is distinctive as the body will have a "thin-finish" feel to the painted surface.
The toughest thing to copy is the frets of the period as they were soft, much more so than today (also had a golden hue to them, etc).

There are some people who can make serious copies of originals - not factory "relic-type" copies, but many bases covered, right down to serial number & electronics. There was a company in Cihna that sold "Original" decals. It really IS a "buyer beware market" in some areas of the country & some independent auction or person to person sales.

fhm555 · #5 08-23-2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john grey

...There are some people who can do a straight up forgery so well that if they were held side by side with an original it would be seriously tough to tell the real one...

Which is why there is only one guy on earth I'd trust to tell me if an old fender is actually what it's claimed to be.

It would take something of verified authentic historical value for me to get up off more than a couple grand for a bass, but to pay north of 20K of an old fender just because it's an old fender is IMHO madness of the first order.

It's as crazy as paying in excess of 100K for an old chevy just because it's got a fiberglass body on it.