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Fender Custom Shop Club

#3,361
JCMuziq14 said:
I haven’t played a Pino but I have a FCS Sean Hurley and it’s amazing and slightly cheaper than the Pino. Also, it has hand wound pick-ups, not sure if the Pino does. So I say go with a Hurley!
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+1 on the Hurley. I wanted a Pino for years, never got one but jumped on a used Hurley in the classifieds and forgot all about the Pino. Both great but the Hurley has two advantages IMO: better finish (lightly checked charcoal frost is gorgeous and I don’t love the relic job on the Pino) plus the mute, which I have started using recently and it’s cool. You won’t go wrong with either but take a look at the Hurley if you’re in the market for a CS P.
 
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#3,363
Phfat said:
So, what I don't understand is why someone would pay 5 grand plus for an instrument that looks all beat to hades. "Relic" as they call it...?
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I can truly understand how this may be difficult to digest for some, but a good "relic" job on a bass isn't purely cosmetic. For some, there is an allure of being able to purchase a new instrument that already has the "broken in" feel of the Fenders of yesteryear that are now priced significantly higher than the $5,000 the FCS is asking.

They aren't for everyone, but they're cool for the people that appreciate it.
 
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#3,366
Phfat said:
So, what I don't understand is why someone would pay 5 grand plus for an instrument that looks all beat to hades. "Relic" as they call it...?
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Also, it is an accepted art form all on it's own.
Takes a lot of skill to authentically "Relic".. and different process to do each part of the instrument, including "aging" hardware.

As you can tell, I am a HUGE fan boy and I prefer my Relic instruments to non relic.
It is just an aesthetic that speaks to my style....
I'm not fancy...and neither are my basses....lol!!!

But I really do appreciate Fenders' Relic quality....and my very first Custom shop was a 64 Jazz bass...made in 1997, if I remember correct.
Their first relic style and blew me away.
It was more subtle back then....and was absolutely beautiful.
Wish I had kept it...but only played 5 strings for the next 20 years

It is a wonderful time to have so many options for all tastes in the ART of bass guitars
 
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#3,368
I come from the day when relicing happened to guitars without cases (which were most of them) were tossed in the trunk of a 59 Chevy with beer bottles, tools and driven across country roads. In that case relicing became an "artform" because luthiers had to do restoration on those old instruments. Otherwise it has the same appeal to me as pre-washed jeans - i.e. a posers way to appear to have cred without having cred.

If I want old I'll buy old; if I'm buying new I want it to be like new. YMMV.
 
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#3,369
Verne Andru said:
I come from the day when relicing happened to guitars without cases (which were most of them) were tossed in the trunk of a 59 Chevy with beer bottles, tools and driven across country roads. In that case relicing became an "artform" because luthiers had to do restoration on those old instruments. Otherwise it has the same appeal to me as pre-washed jeans - i.e. a posers way to appear to have cred without having cred.

If I want old I'll buy old; if I'm buying new I want it to be like new. YMMV.
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It's a good thing that players have the choice to decide which is best for them! Don't like relics? Don't buy 'em.:)
 
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#3,370
Pet Sounds said:
It's a good thing that players have the choice to decide which is best for them! Don't like relics? Don't buy 'em.:)
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That’s how I see it. Distressed wood finishes have been around in the furniture industry and wood floors for a long time. No rule against finishing instruments that way. Some people like the look. Some don’t. I suppose some people feel guitar and bass relics are inauthentic, and that’s true, but unless someone is trying to pass off a relic as a real vintage instrument, there’s no harm in someone liking the look.
 
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#3,371
Mastermold said:
That’s how I see it. Distressed wood finishes have been around in the furniture industry and wood floors for a long time. No rule against finishing instruments that way. Some people like the look. Some don’t. I suppose some people feel guitar and bass relics are inauthentic, and that’s true, but unless someone is trying to pass off a relic as a real vintage instrument, there’s no harm in someone liking the look.
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This can be a very touchy thing, and understandably so. I found out recently from posting a FCS relic for reference to a wide dark burst in the Fender pre-CBS Club: pics mandatory! thread. Man, you would have thought I slapped everyone in the face. Lol!
 
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#3,372
murphy said:
Also, it is an accepted art form all on it's own.
Takes a lot of skill to authentically "Relic".. and different process to do each part of the instrument, including "aging" hardware.

As you can tell, I am a HUGE fan boy and I prefer my Relic instruments to non relic.
It is just an aesthetic that speaks to my style....
I'm not fancy...and neither are my basses....lol!!!

But I really do appreciate Fenders' Relic quality....and my very first Custom shop was a 64 Jazz bass...made in 1997, if I remember correct.
Their first relic style and blew me away.
It was more subtle back then....and was absolutely beautiful.
Wish I had kept it...but only played 5 strings for the next 20 years

It is a wonderful time to have so many options for all tastes in the ART of bass guitars
Click to expand...
IMG_0798.JPG
 
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#3,377
Verne Andru said:
I come from the day when relicing happened to guitars without cases (which were most of them) were tossed in the trunk of a 59 Chevy with beer bottles, tools and driven across country roads. In that case relicing became an "artform" because luthiers had to do restoration on those old instruments. Otherwise it has the same appeal to me as pre-washed jeans - i.e. a posers way to appear to have cred without having cred.

If I want old I'll buy old; if I'm buying new I want it to be like new. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Is this gonna be a new finish option? It seems cool.

"Journeyman Relic with illegal open containers"
 
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#3,378
Phfat said:
well okay, but looking old and being old are two different things entirely.
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True. However, most custom shop orders are relics, and most of them are custom ordered by customers. Personally Im not crazy crazy for them but it’s why we have options. I for one am glad we live in a world where relic lovers and haters can both be satisfied in todays guitar market.
:)
 
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#3,379
Phfat said:
well okay, but looking old and being old are two different things entirely.
Click to expand...

… which is why if you like a well-worn look but with modern construction and parts, a relic is a much smarter choice to make. Not to mention usually much more affordable.
 
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#3,380
murphy said:
Also, it is an accepted art form all on it's own.
Takes a lot of skill to authentically "Relic".. and different process to do each part of the instrument, including "aging" hardware.

As you can tell, I am a HUGE fan boy and I prefer my Relic instruments to non relic.
It is just an aesthetic that speaks to my style....
I'm not fancy...and neither are my basses....lol!!!

But I really do appreciate Fenders' Relic quality....and my very first Custom shop was a 64 Jazz bass...made in 1997, if I remember correct.
Their first relic style and blew me away.
It was more subtle back then....and was absolutely beautiful.
Wish I had kept it...but only played 5 strings for the next 20 years

It is a wonderful time to have so many options for all tastes in the ART of bass guitars
Click to expand...

Sounds like you had a Cunetto relic. Do you have any photographs of it?
 
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