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Has any one reliced a bass ?

#28
I really love the look of relic'd basses but could never bring myself to actually purposly do it. Therefore I've just been extremely reckless with my instrument and it's getting to where I want it to be.

I've never intentionally done anything to it to make it look beat up, but after four(ish) years of using it as a drum stick on cymbals, rubbing the neck against my guitar players neck, leaving cigarettes in the headstock while practicing and not using strap locks for the first couple years, it has its share of dings.
 
#31
When I was a younger, less productive member of society, I used to hang around the local guitar shop an awful lot. One day I was in there and a guy brought in a pair of Fender Strats. He pulls out the first one and it's a glorious late 50s model. He had owned this one for decades and it had all kinds of natural wear and tear. It looked really great (to me). Most people in the area knew him from seeing him around shows and had always admired his guitar. The going rate on eBay seemed to be around $25k or so, but with sentimental value and all that, who knows what it was worth to him.

He then pulls out the second guitar and it looked EXACTLY the same. The knobs were yellowed. The metal was worn the same way in all the same places. The finish was a mirror reflection of the first guitar. It was maybe a $1500 late 90s Strat. He had paid a guy to duplicate the look of the original on this new one, and he had done an amazing job.

He explained that he loved the guitar, but it made him so nervous to take it to shows at local venues that he couldn't even enjoy himself at a gig. If someone had stolen the guitar or if it had gotten damaged, he would be sick over it. So he commissioned the copy so that he could still play out with his "vintage Strat" with no one even knowing he was playing a copy. He wasn't trying to dupe anyone for profit or anything - just peace of mind.

The job the guy did on making it look like the original was truly a display of artistry. I was so impressed. While some people may not like the idea of an artificial "relic", I can't think of a better reason to create one.

Jacob
 
#32
kevmc28 said:
Lot of defensive butthurt in here... I just think it is a poser move, that's all.

I think the Strummer relic tele Fender did was the funniest one of all.
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If someone were trying to pass off or sell a recently relic'd bass as a genuine old bass, then I get them being shady. However, it's just aesthetics, if you don't like it, fine.

How is it a poser move? Are the people that buy Fodera Yin-Yangs posers? They clearly aren't Victor Wooten, they like the bass and like the look.
 
#35
jbybj said:
I relic'd my 69 jazz bass. I started in 1976 when I bought it, and I'm still working on it. Mostly wearing down the finish, a few paint chips here and there, and some sweet corrosion on the metal parts. The bridge cover is new, but that is the only new part.

FenderWear-2.jpg
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Heyyyy ohhhhhh!!!!!! LOL
 
#37
I personally think the whole "relic" thing was created to get money out of damaged guitars at the manufacturer. What a stroke of genius that would be if it were true. They wouldn't need to disqualify any guitars from going out on the market. They would just take the guitars with flaws and beat them up more and then charge people 3 times as much as a shiny flawless guitar. They increase productivity by not having to "factory second" any instruments. Plus, they end up increasing their profits buy selling them for more money than the original mint version because they are a niche instrument that people will pay more for.
 
#38
I've dropped my P down stairs, kicked it across stages, dropped it on stages, used it as a baseball bat, thrown it into drum kits, dragged it through gravel lots, let it fall from the branches of a small tree only to land on a headstone in a cemetery, stuffed it into the crawlspace of a condemned building, and lightly sanded the arm contour. Does that count as relicing, or abuse?
 
#39
Cosmeticplagues said:
I've dropped my P down stairs, kicked it across stages, dropped it on stages, used it as a baseball bat, thrown it into drum kits, dragged it through gravel lots, let it fall from the branches of a small tree only to land on a headstone in a cemetery, stuffed it into the crawlspace of a condemned building, and lightly sanded the arm contour. Does that count as relicing, or abuse?
Click to expand...

It was relicing until you brought in the sandpaper. That's just abuse. ;)
 
#40
The guy before me tore up my jazz to make it look "roadworn". Some of it was ok, but some was ridiculous and I have spent many hours trying to un-do some of what he did. Deep gouges from what must have been a rodeo champ-sized belt buckle are not the kind of wear most people think looks good. A cigarette burn on the headstock where someone stuck a butt in the strings at a gig (supposedly) looks pretty cool to me b/c I remember when guys did that. Sometimes relicing works, sometimes not so much.
 

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