My Opinion on Reliced Instruments

[Aeronut]

After over a decade of having the same stable of gear, this year I changed over instruments. In fact, I sold and replaced all but one guitar that I started the year with. When making this transition I came to appreciate reliced guitars and basses. Among my previous guitars was a 50 year old Les Paul that looked great, played very well, and sounded amazing for rock. In spite of this, I just never bonded with something about it. I had never paid too much attention to it but even after all those years the finish was still pretty much like new with a bit of checking. I owned it for over two decades and played it live during my formative days as a musician, but I parted with it without blinking twice.

As part of my instrument turnover I decided to parts build a replica of a 1952-ish Telecaster. It sounds and feels amazing. I feel inspiration playing it that I never felt playing the LP or another Telecaster. It's just got a feel to it that I found missing from guitars that had shiny finishes on them. So when I went to buy a Jazz bass I was looking at Road Worn models for this reason.

Although I like the Flea Jazz Bass (the Shell Pink is nice), I don't like Flea and couldn't bring myself to have to think about him when I looked at it. I found another Road Worn and Bam!, I got that same inspirational feeling playing it that I did with the replica Tele I built. It was then that I started seeing the shade thrown at reliced instruments and I think that's misplaced.

I don't enjoy playing reliced instruments because I'm trying to convince anyone I'm something that I'm not. I love the look and feel of them. If their vintage counterparts were affordable by anyone that isn't a dentist or hedge fund manager, then I'd grab one of those. I'm just not convinced that the price reflects anything unattainable in modern times. For example, I played a $40k 1950s LP a few weeks ago. It looked great but I know LPs, there was nothing about the tone or playability that I couldn't reproduce in a modern instrument. The only difference was the aesthetics. It had "something" about the vibe that reflected in the feel of playing it.

So, I don't view relicing as f-ing up a perfectly good guitar. I look at it as part of the process of building affordable replicas of great instruments. That wear and tear is as much a part of the playing experience to me as the materials. If I'm correct, that's kind where this all started. Famous guitar players wanted replicas of their favorite instruments that they could take on the road.

They're replicas not relics in my opinion. That's all.

 

[NocoLaw]

I think it’s great that you know what you like, and different preferences are why there are so many options available. I was talking to another bassist the other day who mentioned that a producer or venue person (some third party) commented to one of his band mates once that he had done a nice relic job on his bass - it was a legit 50+ year old bass (mind you, we aren’t even that old yet). That is probably great to the relic crowd, terrible to the true vintage crowd, and amusing to everyone else!

 

[sleddogn]

I too agree they have a place, and i own quite a few myself right now. This will bring the hardliners on both sides getting mad and proclaiming their view is the only correct one, and how dare the others.....buckle up

 

[DrBnz]

You're on point there... But you left out the key feature..... if I bump into something and put a "ding" in my USA bass I instantly lock up, hyperventilate and spew out a long line of curses that I learned back in my Navy days. If I bump my road worn I instantly laugh it off.

 

[Lackey]

Is Flea that distracting?

 

[UntitledProject]

Is Flea that distracting?

You apparently have never been bitten by a flea.

 

[Aeronut]

You're on point there... But you left out the key feature..... if I bump into something and put a "ding" in my USA bass I instantly lock up, hyperventilate and spew out a long line of curses that I learned back in my Navy days. If I bump my road worn I instantly laugh it off.

It may even add character!

 

[Aeronut]

Is Flea that distracting?

I believe he is a phemnomanally talented bass player but the more I've learned about him over the years the more he doesn't come across as a good person, and that matters. So he's not a person I want to be reminded of daily or appear to be emulating.

In addition to this the story of the bass kind of irks me. From what I understand, some dude got a buyout from a job as an executive at a music label. With this money he bought the original bass for the purpose of selling it to Flea after Flea publicly requested a Jazz bass (I guess they were hard to find?). Apparently the bass cost like $35k at the time and Flea claimed to not have that kind of money. Mind you, he didn't need to have it in his wallet as the sale wasn't going to happen until the band returned to the states anyway. So, the dude more or less traded it to him for a bass (possibly more than one) of far lesser value. Flea doesn't come across as the type of guy that followed up later "when he did have the money" to fully reimburse the executive guy.

So, the story of the bass just reminds me of how money only matters to certain people and how Flea is not a good person. Flea could've afforded the bass ten times over but barely paid a dime for it. In fact, he may have traded a bass he received for free for it.

Besides the very cool look of the bass, it's got a pretty crap backstory all around. I also kind of don't like emulating other people in general. I don't like sports jerseys with another person's name on them or signature model anything. It's not just that it's Flea, it's also part of a greater philosophy but this one in particular grinds my gears.

Edit: I know that the LP is technically a signature model, but at this point it's as much more a distinct model than a brand. If I'm correct, he also really designed the thing. It's different.

 

[nonohmic]

Just buy a nitro instrument. Play it and don’t care if you ding it. Boom! Instant relic.

 

[Aeronut]

Just buy a nitro instrument. Play it and don’t care if you ding it. Boom! Instant relic.

What were the Norlin LPs painted with? Mine was 50 years old and had next to no "relicing". I may start wearing emery cloth on my forearms to speed up the process. I also don't have the patience to wait another 20 years for a relic to potentially be born. I'm too old. There may not be enough time.

 

[blacktocomm]

Relic finish basses are cool. Fancy, mint, flawless finish basses are cool. I will say my Fender RW neck was very, very comfy.

 

[fretno]

listen with your ears and it will lead you to great instruments.

 

[Water buffalo]

They're replicas not relics in my opinion. That's all.

I totally agree with you.

However... The word "Relic" in any post title, triggers a search light (ala Batman) that alerts all haters of relic finishes.

If you listen quietly, you can hear the troops gathering.

Like the others, I feel this thread has not long to live.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Relic finish basses are cool. Fancy, mint, flawless finish basses are cool. I will say my Fender RW neck was very, very comfy.

The neck is the best feature, whether relic or natural. To me, nothing beats the feel of a well-played neck where the nitro finish has worn away and the wood is brown from grunge and DNA.

This was true for the extremely-well-worn 1964 Fender Precision I owned for a decade (sold it to my guitarist brother, essentially for safekeeping). The same thing was happening to the Sadowsky in my avatar: Sadowsky necks are finished in nitro, and it was wearing away in places. I decided to (carefully) accelerate the process with sandpaper, and I'm delighted that I did: it now plays more evenly, and "more better" overall!

 

[Fuzzbass]

However... The word "Relic" in any post title, triggers a search light (ala Batman) that alerts all haters of relic finishes.

My guitarist brother, who owns two pre-CBS Stratocasters, used to be a Relic hater... until he played one. He then ordered a relic Nocaster from the Fender Custom Shop, and that's become his go-to instrument.

 

[DuluthDank]

Maybe the best feeling neck I've ever got my hands on was a relic Nash P bass copy. I love the feel of the necks on relic instruments, nice and broken in. To me it's the polar opposite of those sticky from the factory glossy MIM Fender necks I can't stand.

Almost no company makes a heavy relic body that actually looks legit though, and I tend to think that the look is overkill. I'd like to see more light relics. A broken in neck, and the body doesn't look like someone went after it with an orbital sander and a pickaxe.

 

[ajkula66]

What were the Norlin LPs painted with?

Gibson has always been nitro only. The formula changed ove the years due to environmental regulations and other concerns, but it's still officially a nitro of some kind.

 

[Aeronut]

Maybe the best feeling neck I've ever got my hands on was a relic Nash P bass copy. I love the feel of the necks on relic instruments, nice and broken in. To me it's the polar opposite of those sticky from the factory glossy MIM Fender necks I can't stand.

Almost no company makes a heavy relic body that actually looks legit though, and I tend to think that the look is overkill. I'd like to see more light relics. A broken in neck, and the body doesn't look like someone went after it with an orbital sander and a pickaxe.

You're right about the feel of a new, "unworn" neck. To me the shape and feel of the neck is the most important part and a thick finish just doesn't feel right.

You're correct about the heavy relic aesthetic. Besides something like SRV's Number 1, I'm not sure even how common they are from back in the back. I'd imagine it takes an old instrument, played aggressively, very frequently. To the point where that very combination is rare in reality. However, a medium relic is more plausible as a replica of an old axe and checking seems to be very common. Even my 2009-ish Gibson acoustic has significant checking, which probably doesn't speak well of how much that wood has moved.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

My personal take...
I scratch my head just as much by folks who lose their minds over every scratch and ding, who rush to restore those blemishes back to "pristine " condition, as I do those who intentionally scratch and ding new instruments to appear old and worn.
Maybe the combination of hard poly finishes and fanatical care of instruments have drivin those who like the worn look to have to artificially relic to achieve the effect.
Artificially aged things certainly isn't just a guitar thing.
My mom, in the 70s, went all in on "antiquing " furniture with special painting.
And the car guys spend money creating fake rust!
To each, his own.....

 

[Aeronut]

Gibson has always been nitro only. The formula changed ove the years due to environmental regulations and other concerns, but it's still officially a nitro of some kind.

I had a hunch that was true and certainly seems so on my 2009-ish acoustic. The Norlin LP I owned felt very plasticy. I wonder if they weren't in the middle of a formula change and went a little to hard on hardeners. That thing had zero wear in the arm area. I'm not an aggressive player so I didn't expect any above the neck pickup.