How hard is it to really relic a guitar

[msmith886]

I have looked on the partocaster I am really wanting to relic my guitar or sell it for a road worn and wondering how hard is it to relic one ?

Would I do better just to sell the strat I have for a Road Worn ??

I have a MIM Lonestar w 2 Texas Specials and a Pearly Gates Humbucker but I hate the poly on it and want a maple neck. Trying to decide weather to relic it or to just sell it for a road worn

 

[BigDipper15]

To do it properly and make it look legit I think is extremely hard. Anyone can take some sandpaper to a body and make it look like crap.

I would just sell your strat as is and put it towards a road worn.

 

[revor]

I did an almost exact copy of the wear on a local guys '56 neck on a 50's series neck, it took me about 12 hours and it's really not done yet, I figure another 2 hours.
I've never reliced a body, I bought a body that was already reliced, they went over the top with the hammers and chains, so I figure I rescued it...
I stripped a MIM body once, it took 4 hours and another 3 to refinish it. That could have been sped up some I'm sure.

 

[nickmsmith]

I wouldn't do it. Very easy to regret doing it.

You should find yourself a cheap squier to do it on, if you want that look. you can buy a new bullet strat for 120, or used for about 60.

 

[softwarejanitor]

Most home done 'relic' jobs look like the unpleasant end of an equine beast. That is especially true of ones done on poly finished guitars. The Fender factory "Road Worn" guitars still look like crap (and all the same) but they are not nearly as bad as some of the bubba'd abominations I've seen.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

To relic it in a way that is convincing, you would want to strip the poly off the body and even the poly based sealer. Then repaint as though you were doing a good job using the correct color primer. Once that was done, clear it with a nitro clear (the color really doesn't need to be nitro). Give it some time to begin with. Let it cure. This could take a good, long time all by itself. Put the body into a freezer for a few hours, then pull it out. Did the finish check? Does it reseal once it's warm? To me, a guitar doesn't look old and worn by the sanded off portions.....it does by the finish checking. Once you get the checking right, you can start pulling sections off where the criss cross checking forms small rectangles. None of this is easy or guaranteed to work. I'd give it a year to do a decent job.

 

[rcole_sooner]

Like any "art" it will just depend on the artist.

 

[mw13068]

"Relic"ing a guitar is quite easy, it just takes some time.

1. Buy a guitar
2. Play it a lot, travel with it, gig with it, for many years.

 

[ozzmcom]

"Relic"ing a guitar is quite easy, it just takes some time.

1. Buy a guitar
2. Play it a lot, travel with it, gig with it, for many years.

doesn't work like that in the world of poly,

if you'd like to relic a guitar and you have no skills in sanding/crafting you'd probably better off asking for professional help. Most home made relic jobs look fake.

 

[ToneRanger]

Being that your guitar is poly, trying to relic it is NOT a good idea. You don't get natural looking rub marks with poly - what you get is eggshell looking chips. If you try to create fake looking rub marks, often the poly is so thick that it has this stair-step look to it.
Your easiest bet is to go for a Roadworn - not perfect, but a better chance at developing it's own natural wear as the finish is nitro.

The route that Jack mentioned is harder, but will probably get more natural results - finish it yourself and try to go as thin as possible on the finish - once you get some checking it will start flaking like a real vintage strat can, and as you use it it will quickly develop more natural and authentic wear...

 

[mw13068]

doesn't work like that in the world of poly

Oh, but it does. Even a strat covered in poly will gain *real* mojo if it's loved and played for many years. Sure, it may not look like crap (like most artificial "relic" jobs, IMO) but it will have some wear, and the owner will proudly be able to say "I've been playing that strat for years."

There is only one way for a strat to become a "relic."

 

[dazzypig]

To do it properly and make it look legit I think is extremely hard. Anyone can take some sandpaper to a body and make it look like crap.

I would just sell your strat as is and put it towards a road worn.

Yeah man, because the roadworn guitars are like, sooooooooo, believable...

 

[stratman323]

Most home done 'relic' jobs look like the unpleasant end of an equine beast. That is especially true of ones done on poly finished guitars. The Fender factory "Road Worn" guitars still look like crap (and all the same) but they are not nearly as bad as some of the bubba'd abominations I've seen.

Exactly. To make a guitar look like an old, battered nitro finished guitar, you need to start with a shiny new nitro finished guitar. It's very hard to get a relic to look at all convincing if the guitar is poly finished. That's where Fender went wrong with the Road Worns - they skimped & finished the necks in poly - bad mistake.

Take a good hard look at the Fender Custom Shop relics, then compare them with the Road Worns. That's the difference.

 

[Strat edgy]

Yep, You can't relic a Squies or any polt coated guitar, need to start with a nitro paint job and copy ware patterns of REAL relics not other "relicid" projects. start off subtile and remember it is very easy to get carried away and overdo it, as time passes you can always do more, But, you can NEVER take back what you have already done without completely starting over. I wouls start with an aftermarket bare wood body paint it like you were doing a new original "thin skin" style paint job, screw a pick guard in place and begin your relicing process. remember, les is more when it comes to relicing and beliveability

Go here, open the guitar refinishing fourm,click on the "Sticky" relic Q&A moved here. Start reading at the beginning. there is a plethora of useful info. and techniques in there. it is an indespencable tool.

The Guitar Refinishing and Restoration Forum :: Index

 

[stevierayfan91]

Being that your guitar is poly, trying to relic it is NOT a good idea. You don't get natural looking rub marks with poly - what you get is eggshell looking chips. If you try to create fake looking rub marks, often the poly is so thick that it has this stair-step look to it.
Your easiest bet is to go for a Roadworn - not perfect, but a better chance at developing it's own natural wear as the finish is nitro.

The route that Jack mentioned is harder, but will probably get more natural results - finish it yourself and try to go as thin as possible on the finish - once you get some checking it will start flaking like a real vintage strat can, and as you use it it will quickly develop more natural and authentic wear...

or if he wants to go partscaster..what about maybe an MJT nitro body or similar? and keeping the Lonestar's neck and just lightly sanding the neck back ?

I agree that trying to relic the poly Lonestar body might turn out not as good,lol.

 

[Strat edgy]

Most modern nitro bodies, eg. Road worn, H1,MIJs, MIMs even if they are listed with nitro paint have a clear poly under coat / sealer coat that you can't relic through. the H1s and road worns CAN be reliced, But, any "Bare" wood showing will actually be the poly under coat. there are fine examples of that too at the link above.

I am getting ready to do a H1 3 tone burst myself I just got a super deal on the body yesterday.........I'll keep you posted.

 

[bbarott]

"Relic"ing a guitar is quite easy, it just takes some time.

1. Buy a guitar
2. Play it a lot, travel with it, gig with it, for many years.

Ya beat me to it. In fact, its hard to NOT to relic a guitar, a person just has to have a little patience ...

 

[ToneRanger]

or if he wants to go partscaster..what about maybe an MJT nitro body or similar? and keeping the Lonestar's neck and just lightly sanding the neck back ?

I agree that trying to relic the poly Lonestar body might turn out not as good,lol.

Yeah, some of the MJT stuff is pretty cool - it would probably be better to have a "closet classic" relic job if anything from them so that you can develop more your own natural, worn in look...

 

[ekul785]

As others have said, I'd definitely sell and buy a Road Worn.

 

[jeffnles1]

Just do this and you'll be fine. Not hard to do at all...

Seriously, don't do anything, just buy a guitar that feels and sounds good to you, play the snot out of it and over time, the letitimate chips, scratches, dings and bumps will add up. A poly coated guitar will not relic like the nitro finished guitars, but they will get road rash and that's what the honest wear will look like.

Jeff