What I do like in the realm of relicdom is a nice golden maple neck. Sweet !
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I don't hate pre-aging/Relics...
- Thread starter St_G
- Start date
My favorite are the ads for relic basses saying "relic bass, mint condition".... 
I'm not into relics and wouldn't buy one myself, but to each their own. I think of it like that spray on mud that made quick go around some years ago that suv owners could put on their land rovers or whatever to look like they went off road.
This is a weird trend. I’ve got nothing against playing a beat up bass - I have one - but it got that way ‘cos it’s old. I don’t get trying to make a new bass look old....weird. I don’t get in a knot about it. I just don’t get why.
It’s that weird dichotomy on this. Some people love a relic IF it had been done by playing it for years.
So if you took 2 basses side by side with no knowledge on how they got their worn look, but they looked pretty much identical give or take, and they both sounded and played great as well.
1 was a relic finish, 1 was a years of playing finish, and it was really difficult to tell apart.
Would you turn your like into dislike once you found out which one was a relic finish?
I have to say, personally I like a wide range of finishes from solid colours, to relics to exotic woods.
I just like wood and basses I guess.
So if you took 2 basses side by side with no knowledge on how they got their worn look, but they looked pretty much identical give or take, and they both sounded and played great as well.
1 was a relic finish, 1 was a years of playing finish, and it was really difficult to tell apart.
Would you turn your like into dislike once you found out which one was a relic finish?
I have to say, personally I like a wide range of finishes from solid colours, to relics to exotic woods.
I just like wood and basses I guess.
I just leave my practice bass on a stand in the kids playroom. Job done!
My Peavey Foundation has some dings, dents, a bent tuner and pick rash from previous owners. I guess I could call it a "relic" (which in some ways it is) but there's a difference to me between relic and abuse (mine was abused...and still plays great).
When the wear is legitimate while taking care of the instrument or from decades on the road, it tends to come across well. There are some talented individuals who can replicate that and ensure that future wear continues the process but they are few and far between. I know the Fender Custom Shop and Sandberg are both recognized for their relics but many do not continue to age gracefully. Many of them do a relic that won't wear well with time. The real trick with this is to make sure that the process is able to naturally progress instead of creating a fake-feeling wear pattern in 10-20 years.
When the wear is legitimate while taking care of the instrument or from decades on the road, it tends to come across well. There are some talented individuals who can replicate that and ensure that future wear continues the process but they are few and far between. I know the Fender Custom Shop and Sandberg are both recognized for their relics but many do not continue to age gracefully. Many of them do a relic that won't wear well with time. The real trick with this is to make sure that the process is able to naturally progress instead of creating a fake-feeling wear pattern in 10-20 years.
Fake relicing is very much the same as joining a forum and creating a username and avatar to create a perception of something other than what things appear to be. Nothing wrong with that.
One might also ask, what’s the point of a $5000 boutique bass when a good $1000 bass can play just as well? They exists because many people like them and there’s a market, plain and simple.
Of course this comment indicates a complete lack of understanding of modern finishes. I have a few instruments that I've had for 20+ years and they look brand new.
My cab is a ‘68. It’s been recovered and regrilled. It has basslites in it but it’s a real 68
Its kinda opposite of re licking. I mean if you want to re lick it go ahead
Its kinda opposite of re licking. I mean if you want to re lick it go ahead
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