Who likes the relic look?

[2saddleslab]

Don't care one way of the other about actual used instruments. Would I ever buy one made to look like a "relic" from the factory? Absolutely not. Just my opinion, but name one other thing you'd buy in life "new" that looks like it had been beaten to hell and not cared for...

I don't and won't understand the relic thing.

Distressed kitchen cabinets, rat rods, exposed ceiling beams, to name a few.

 

[ErikP.Bass]

This thread needs a poll. I like it. Fender nailed it with the Road Worn instruments in my opinion.....goes beyond the artificial wear though.

 

[tr4252]

I wouldn't buy a new reliced instrument, but I've created a few by playing the hell out of them.

I admit, I accidently made a new reliced guitar once. Clamped the finished body to my bench to do some routing; on top of a bunch of wood chips I'd forgotten to sweep off. Instant buckle rash.

Tom

 

[Bass Momma]

Never got the relic idea myself. Now, when I put a new ding on one of my basses, that's different. It's my very own mojo, and just fine. Except the first time I ding my Fodera I am going to weep. That's a different kind of different!
Stay well, all.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I like beat up, good-playing instruments, but I prefer them to be old and worn out, not manufactured. I've seen a few relic jobs that I really liked, but they're rare and expensive.

I'm not morally opposed to relic jobs at all, mind you, they just usually look really fake and crappy. There are some guys who can make you really believe that it's a 50-year-old instrument, and that's just fine by me.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Don't care one way of the other about actual used instruments. Would I ever buy one made to look like a "relic" from the factory? Absolutely not. Just my opinion, but name one other thing you'd buy in life "new" that looks like it had been beaten to hell and not cared for...

I don't and won't understand the relic thing.

Baseball hats, blue jeans, shirts, jackets, hell- I'm pretty sure people even make pre-beat-up boots nowadays. Then there's antiqued furniture, doors, trim, flooring, metal parts for old cars/motorcycles, hinges/knobs/hardware, all manner of stuff. It's not exclusive to instruments by any stretch.

 

[Hambone70]

I really like a good relic job. I'd be far less likely to care when I accidentally bash it against something.

I'd love one of the Sandberg Masterpieces!

 

[bobyoung53]

I had a ~1968 CAR Nitro P bass with a 66 Jazz neck on it from 1977 until about 1995, it was very nice when I first got it, in fact it had one of those plastic body protectors on the back of the body. I played the hell out of that thing over the next twenty years but due to illness I sold it in 1995 to a collector and the guy came up from NH to look at it and said something like "Wow I didn't realize it was that beat up" and gave me 500 bucks for it. Even real relic finishes were not loved back then.

 

[mongo2]

I like some natural playwear relics but not all and I definitely any of haven't liked he fake relics I've ever seen.

One of the funnier things I've seen was when the road worn models first came out and a local shop had 3 RW J basses hanging on the wall next to each other. They looked nearly identical. Same with the 2 RW P basses and 2 RW Strats hanging next to each other.

 

[devnulljp]

Worn in: Good
Deliberately reliced: Bad

This is real wear, and I've seen very very few fake relics that come close

 

[pappabass]

Nope. Like a good finish on a guitar. If I am going to drop $1k on a Fender, it sure will not be a flea bass. It better have a nice finish.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I like it, modern construction, vintage looks. Of course people will say that you should earn the dings, and then show you a bass that they bought. Dinged by someone else.

 

[ruju]

I like relish! Mustard not so much...

 

[Gorn]

What does an "earned relic" mean? That you're clumsy and don't take care of your stuff?

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I personally love the worn-in relic look of basses. Like the Bass of Doom. Or Fender custom shop heavy relic basses. But that's just me.
Fender 1960 Precision Bass Heavy Relic - Aged Black

Sorry, not me. If there are any dings or wear on my bass, I prefer that I put them there. I try to take really good care of my basses to keep them looking as good as I can. Unless it had some over-riding feature that I'd been pursuing for years, I would have no interest in a bass like that Heavy Relic. Some people love 'em...I'm not one of those.

 

[lizardking837]

I like the closet clean barely relic'd relics. Just enough "aging" to avoid "first day of school new sneakers" look. No bare spots or serious dings, but maybe some slight checking and slightly dulled hardware and plastic bits.

Same. Especially when it's the real deal. My MIA P-bass was originally silver, but it's turned green as part of the finish has yellowed. I also never polish my Bass VI in black, because I like it when the finish is a bit 'duller' and less glossy.

 

[Dincrest]

I can dig "relic'd" under the condition that it's genuine. That the instrument truly was a road warrior and that the player can tell me stories about each scar on the instrument. It's kinda like with holes in the jeans. The holes need to be legit from wear and tear. If you bought your jeans pre-ripped from the factory or ripped them yourself with a cheese grater or something, then you have no cool stories to go with the holes and faked it.

What was that old saying? You can't fake the funk.

 

[buldog5151bass]

What I find kinda silly is that some companies do identical relic jobs. I've compared photos of different Roadworn PS, and they have identical aging, down to certain pin hole spots. But some people dig it.

 

[ole Jason]

I like my Roadworn for no other reason than the look of defeat and bewilderment when someone asks me what year it's from and I tell them 2016.

 

[Reiska]

For me, a 3500€ bass that has been scratched In the factory for credibility is the pinnacle of silly consumerism.