Artificially aged (relic) basses, what's the point?

[Wiremessiah]

Sometimes I say to myself "What's the point of a sunburst bass?" - and then I remember different people like the way different things look. I think this applies to relics too.

never been much of a fan of sunburst either, however looking at antique gibson mandolins changed my mind. i like subtle sunbursts with nitro finishes worn down to a matte, my favorite type of finish actually, other than old violin varnishes. Also the shape of the sunburst is important as well, I like a sort of circular sunburst, rather than one that follows the outline of the body.

 

[phillipkregg]

Eh, I used to be against them based off of principle when they first came out. But I came around.

I currently own a Fender Road Worn P bass, and I've played Nash and Bluesman vintage relic basses as well.

If you get a good one, they actually play and feel better overall than most new basses. So I get the appeal.

The best relic'd bass that I've ever played was a '62 Fender precision. Of course, the relicing was all natural and the bass cost $10,000.

Not everybody has that kind of scratch laying around.

 

[Mark Desmo]

I don't have 50 years to wait for a natural relic finish.

So you've settled for a copy of the worlds least cared for bass?

 

[mcnach]

Could someone please explain why they bought an artificiality aged (relic) bass. I don't get them. I'm not slagging anyone off just curious.

I owned a Fender RoadWorn Jazz for a while. Why? Because it sounded fantastic and I thought it looked good too. I won't go out of my way to buy a 'relic' bass... but if it's not an "electric sander special" and it looks reasonably good, it won't put me off.
I don't like it, however, when they ensure the screws are rusty and you can't even adjust the intonation etc... that's just ridiculous.

 

[fhm555]

I get the personal preference angle, but i struggle with why someone wants fake aging. You don't buy distressed cars, and TBH i can't think of anything besides jeans and guitars that are artificially aged that people are willing to pay more than they would for an unmolested version if the same thing. I've got an MIM J that was honestly beat up by one of those straps with a quick release buckle on both ends. Any place the short sections could reach the finish it is beat up with several largish chunks of finish missing, but the big chunks of missing poly also took some of the underlying wood with it. It plays well but i got it dirt cheap because of the beat up finish.

 

[king_biscuit]

I get the personal preference angle, but i struggle with why someone wants fake aging.

I don't know why anyone would ever eat mayonnaise and yet Wal Mart has shelves full of the stuff...

 

[jFigueroaBass]

People like what they like .. worry about yourself. Stay in your lane

 

[5StringBlues]

I don't know why anyone would ever eat mayonnaise and yet Wal Mart has shelves full of the stuff...

It keeps my coat shiny.

 

[InhumanResource]

I get what you're saying in a casual sense, but please understand that karma is a religious belief. Might want to back off there.

Well, I don't want to... But ok.

 

[InhumanResource]

I can't speak for Mojo, but Karma is a scientifically proven fact:

"For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction." -- Sir Isaac Newton

I'm sure there is another quote illustrating that is not what karma is.

 

[darwin-bass]

Poor man's path to having a vintage-looking instrument?

 

[king_biscuit]

Poor man's path to having a vintage-looking instrument?

Fender did a relic of Jeff Beck's vintage Esquire, several years ago, that was 15k new. I wasn't poor enough to afford one unfortunately

 

[Chrisk-K]

I have zero interest in buying something that is fabricated to look like what it is not.

 

[the federalist]

The relic job on my ESP Vintage 4 looks cool. You would not be able to tell what dings I put on it vs what was originally there. Therefore, I can always sell it as "mint condition for a relic", lol.

I have an ESP Vintage 4, too. I bought it in spite of the relic job because it's a great instrument. I find it cheesy looking and would prefer not to have it, but it's a minor consideration. If this is the worst feature (for me), then I'm in pretty good shape. If another person likes how it looks on their bass, more power to them!

 

[Marikk]

Fender did a relic of Jeff Beck's vintage Esquire, several years ago, that was 15k new. I wasn't poor enough to afford one unfortunately

Not having to worry about dinging it, Priceless

 

[retslock]

In this context, "in good nick" means "in good condition," but it's also a play on words, in as much as one might put nicks in a new guitar to make it a relic.

"In good nick" is a common phrase in Australian English, and probably also British English. "Nick" has multiple meanings in these varieties of English. It can mean "to steal," as in "someone nicked off with (stole) my bike." I can also mean "to leave," as in "I'm going to nick off (leave) work early." If you look up "nick" in an Australian dictionary you'll see half a page of definitions.

Don't forget to "get nicked" also has more than one meaning - to get busted and in polite terms, go away.

 

[Wiremessiah]

I have zero interest in buying something that is fabricated to look like what it is not.

Guess you never had any dental work done?

 

[BadSanta1281]

Well, I'm new here as of today and really don't have any credibility. But I have to say that I don't understand why it seems to be such a big deal with the relic haters out there. If you don't like the look or the idea of a relic then don't buy one. Disparaging another member's gear because you don't like it seems like wasted time.

My mother told me if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. You're not a poser if you can play your relic well.

But hey, it's the internet.

 

[MoeTown1986]

Because I think it looks awesome. I also buy ripped jeans. Shame on me, right?

 

[Plake]

Guess you never had any dental work done?

Early contender for post of the year.