Fender CS neck relic process :(

[LeicaBoss]

I'm just here to express frustration with the almost uniformly lazy neck relics coming out of the custom shop. "Sand all the finish off in a straight line from the 1st to 17th frets" Every time. Same look.

Very few old guitars look like this. I love the feel of an old neck - but these fel like "Larry had a Scotch Brite pad" pawnshop necks.

Am I alone here?

 

[Mr Jagsquire]

No you aren't alone. I was considering a treat to myself out of some inheritance last year and looked at some CS Strats. Even the least relic model (Journeyman?) had those awful sanded lines on the back of the neck. I don't understand it because whenever I've looked at an old Fender for sale (on line) they never look anything like that.

It put me off in the end, especially as I couldn't find anything NOS I liked that would have been my other choice.

 

[guitarchaeologist]

It's the one feature of the CS that I cannot support. I really dislike this look... and I like relics!

 

[Murdog]

Looks like they are on "auto pilot"

 

[Kester]

With you all they way. It looks stupid and unrealistic and they tend to do it on even the lightest of relics these days.

 

[nickmsmith]

I’m about 4,000 dollars short of anything CS being a concern for me.

 

[henderman]

almost every guitar i have ever picked up was unplayable to me so don't expect them to get finish details correct also.

why so many people stink at their job is beyond me.

i agree with mr. hand and think everyone is on dope. i gotta go yell at a cloud now.

 

[uncle daddy]

They don't all come stripped back. My 2021 Relic has just a few wear patches on it. Probably built on a Friday when they'd run out of Scotchbrite.

 

[Mr Jagsquire]

@uncle daddy if the ones I'd looked at had a neck like yours then I'd probably own one by now...that's what I'd be expecting, especially on the lighter relic models.

Ironically, when I went to try out the guitar that I did buy with the inheritance, they put me in a room full of CS Teles and Strats, so I had a quick play of a few. They felt better than they looked, though most were heavier relic models anyway, which wasn't what I was after.

 

[Arrested Dev]

Totally agree with all your comments here. I hate the look of the belt sander blasted neck from fret1-17. Played several and they do feel good. But I can't see myself buying one like that. I recently pulled out my nacho Blackard book, and almost none have that kind of wear pattern. I can't believe fender basically does one relic style, or essentially none.

 

[Intune]

These belt sander guitars are know as heavy relics. They are not modelled after the couch potato polyurethane 40 year old strat that still looks brand new.

Sure this “look” isn’t for everyone and I’m not a huge fan either. Most people don’t seem to grasp the fact that there’s so many levels of real wear that it’s almost impossible for fender to get it wrong. Fender does NOS to extreme heavy relic.

Check out this real 56 heavy relic.

 

[LeicaBoss]

These belt sander guitars are know as heavy relics. They are not modelled after the couch potato polyurethane 40 year old strat that still looks brand new.

Sure this “look” isn’t for everyone and I’m not a huge fan either. Most people don’t seem to grasp the fact that there’s so many levels of real wear that it’s almost impossible for fender to get it wrong. Fender does NOS to extreme heavy relic.

Check out this real 56 heavy relic. View attachment 537565 View attachment 537566

I will say this is a rare bird for them. The wear looks like real vintage guitars I've seen. A bit asymmetrical. Rubbed in oils. This feels better than most.

almost every guitar i have ever picked up was unplayable to me so don't expect them to get finish details correct also.

why so many people stink at their job is beyond me.

i agree with mr. hand and think everyone is on dope. i gotta go yell at a cloud now.

Whole other story there. Way too many CS Strats I'm seeing with playability issues. What's the use of nicely polished fret ends when 5 if then are high (as one specific example)

 

[revtime]

They have a machine do this. You dont think these guitars are hand aged do you?
They dont have time for that. Gotta crank em out and make 5k a piece.
Jeez I bet you think an 80k truck is hand built.

Sarcasm on.

 

[Mr Jagsquire]

These belt sander guitars are know as heavy relics. They are not modelled after the couch potato polyurethane 40 year old strat that still looks brand new.

Sure this “look” isn’t for everyone and I’m not a huge fan either. Most people don’t seem to grasp the fact that there’s so many levels of real wear that it’s almost impossible for fender to get it wrong. Fender does NOS to extreme heavy relic.

I actually like the neck on the example you posted, though it's a little heavier wear than I'd prefer at least it doesn't look like it was masked off and just belt sanded. The body I'm not so keen on, but each to his own.

However, I disagree that the 'belt sander guitars' are known as heavy relics; look at the back of the neck in these 'Journeyman' examples (body shown for information). To me they look completely out of place relative to the body 'wear' and don't look anything like an aged guitar for sale on various vintage guitar websites.





Another:




For comparison, a picture of a 1962 Strat I found for sale that I used for a reference when building my own Strat (I didn't relic mine apart from dulling some of the metalwork slightly):



I have a 39 year old JV Squier Strat that I've played a lot. It is finished in poly (or at least the neck is, the body was refinished some years ago in nitro). The poly has worn down in places, but obviously won't wear like nitro. It does feel very comfortable though. I'll try to take some new photos of the back of the neck just for info, but it's more chips and dings, with just the finish worn off the edge of the fingerboard and some of the fingerboard itself at the lower frets as shown. This was after I had it refretted, but he managed to do it without having to refinish the fingerboard:

 

[Intune]

I actually like the neck on the example you posted, though it's a little heavier wear than I'd prefer at least it doesn't look like it was masked off and just belt sanded. The body I'm not so keen on, but each to his own.

However, I disagree that the 'belt sander guitars' are known as heavy relics; look at the back of the neck in these 'Journeyman' examples (body shown for information). To me they look completely out of place relative to the body 'wear' and don't look anything like an aged guitar for sale on various vintage guitar websites.

View attachment 537615

View attachment 537616

Another:

View attachment 537617


For comparison, a picture of a 1962 Strat I found for sale that I used for a reference when building my own Strat (I didn't relic mine apart from dulling some of the metalwork slightly):

View attachment 537618

I have a 39 year old JV Squier Strat that I've played a lot. It is finished in poly (or at least the neck is, the body was refinished some years ago in nitro). The poly has worn down in places, but obviously won't wear like nitro. It does feel very comfortable though. I'll try to take some new photos of the back of the neck just for info, but it's more chips and dings, with just the finish worn off the edge of the fingerboard and some of the fingerboard itself at the lower frets as shown. This was after I had it refretted, but he managed to do it without having to refinish the fingerboard:

View attachment 537620

Yes I don’t get why a journeyman relic would have that kind of wear. It’s like they grabbed a neck from the heavy relic line and bolted it to a NOS or journeyman finish. However certain stores or people ask for the belt sander neck option. It’s one of the build options.

Also the guitar I posted a pic of is s REAL 1956 strat, it’s not a relic. I look a crap ton of real vintage guitars when I’m doing my builds also. There’s a lot of well worn players out there is all I’m saying. Are these real or fake? Either way they all look like trash so how can fender get it wrong? I do like the look of trash!

 

[LeicaBoss]

Yes I don’t get why a journeyman relic would have that kind of wear. It’s like they grabbed a neck from the heavy relic line and bolted it to a NOS or journeyman finish. However certain stores or people ask for the belt sander neck option. It’s one of the build options.

Also the guitar I posted a pic of is s REAL 1956 strat, it’s not a relic. I look a crap ton of real vintage guitars when I’m doing my builds also. There’s a lot of well worn players out there is all I’m saying. Are these real or fake? Either way they all look like trash so how can fender get it wrong? I do like the look of trash! View attachment 537671 View attachment 537672 View attachment 537673 View attachment 537674 View attachment 537675 View attachment 537676 View attachment 537677 View attachment 537678 View attachment 537679

These are all nice pictures but there's only one neck there. And it looks nothing like what Fender's doing lately.

 

[Stratoskater]

 

[Intune]

These are all nice pictures but there's only one neck there. And it looks nothing like what Fender's doing lately.

The first pic I posted of a real 56 that you mistook for a custom shop relic is real. The neck wear looks almost identical to the blue strat you posted.

I get it though, yeah it’s not exact but again what are they going off, they gather up heavy relics. Maybe the 56 I posted with the belt sander look was the easiest to replicate?

 

[LeicaBoss]

The first pic I posted of a real 56 that you mistook for a custom shop relic is real. The neck wear looks almost identical to the blue strat you posted.

I get it though, yeah it’s not exact but again what are they going off, they gather up heavy relics. Maybe the 56 I posted with the belt sander look was the easiest to replicate?

Well, it makes all the more sense then... I said that photo was a "rare bird" for Fender (i.e. looks good!)

 

[Fenderbaum]

I wondered about one thing..
In 30 years down the line, how "worn out" will a heavy relic guitar (that was heavy worn to begin with) look like.?
Will they be unplayable?