New Year's Day- Relic Watch

[Rip Topaz]

I bought my 60th Anniversary P at the beginning of 2012.

This bass has Fender's "thin-skin" lacquer, and over the last year I've watched it pick up dings and chips and scratches. The mojo is really starting to show. You can just barely see the wear spot starting where my thumb rests while playing. There's a strip of wear along the outside of the E string, where my thumb floats depending on playing position.

So I figured I'd take a pic of what she looks like now, sans pickguard, and then come back to this thread at the beginning of 2014 and see where the relicing is at!!

Here's what she looks like today.

A few dings and marks, and a slight bit of yellowing in the lacquer. You can really see it when you take off the pickguard.

Ok, pickguard is back on, bass is wiped down. We'll look again in 2014!!

Add your "relic in progress", and lets check again in a year.

[TN WOODMAN]

Is that white blonde? I thought they were all butterscotch or 2TS. Nice.

[Diesel Kilgore]

Looks good to me. Happy 2013.

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by TN WOODMAN

Is that white blonde? I thought they were all butterscotch or 2TS. Nice.

It's what they call Blackguard Blonde. Nowhere near as yellow as the 51 reissue. Almost looks white blonde in some pix. Around the edges of the pickguard is starting to show yellowing.

I leave it on a stand in the living room, so it gets some sun every day.

[Rip Topaz]

I'm gonna add my other main player as well. This one is a cheap knockoff with a finish that seems to be almost plastic. I believe it's some sort of poly, next to impossible to scratch.

Lets see what this one looks like in 12 months. Here's now:

The only wear right now is a little bit of the finish chipped away around some of the screw holes for the bridge and pickup covers.

[the art guy]

I like the idea. Wish I had a relatively new bass so I could join in.

[RockBobby]

Very nice. I appreciate an earned relic. Unlike the pre bashed up silliness you see these days!!!

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by RockBobby

Very nice. I appreciate an earned relic. Unlike the pre bashed up silliness you see these days!!!

No fake relicing here. Every nick and chip has been the result of real world use (not abuse).

The lacquer on the Fender is so fragile that I've caused chips by accidentally hitting the metal frame of the case!! If you breathe too heavy near it, it gets a new mark. There's actually a small amount of checking on the back near where my elbows sits when I play.

The Dillion SCPB is nowhere near as fragile. It feels like a really hard epoxy finish. Not sure what it is. Both basses get almost equal playtime. Even though the Fender is a much higher end bass, the Dillion's tone is so much different that I play it just as much.