Is anybody getting bored of "reliced" instruments?

[fretmeister]

I like them when done well.

It's just another colour option. The hate is as logical as hating any other finish option.

As for it being a passing fad - the very first relic Fenders appear in 1995.

20 years isn't a fad.

[Grangur]

I warmed to them a bit, for a while when I was asked by another BCer to build one for him



He bought the body in and sent it to me. I built it and even added to the relicing to get it to look more natural because IMHO it looked a bit like it had been whacked with a black stick.

Edited February 14, 2017 by Grangur

[Grahambythesea]

Can't stand relics it is such a false thing, they don't look good, they look awful. When you look at a genuine old well used instrument they look completely different to a new one to which someone has taken a sheet of sandpaper. I have always tried to look after instruments not wreck them.

[Sparky Mark]

I'm sure you wouldn't kick a Fender Custom Shop Pino Palladino out of bed. 😉

[kevvo66]

Not for me years of playing and gigging will break it in nicely , I like nice nice looking basses not ones that looks like it be thrown up the pup car park at the end of every gig

[Savethedaves]

I have one and I love it. Road worn jazz - plays, looks and sounds amazing (in my opinion!).

+1 to those saying it frees you up not having to worry about another ding!

The way I see it, it's just a paint job.

[LukeFRC]

Done properly like Ricks fine 52's build threads I think it looks good.
I remember wanting a Nash years back- until I saw one!

[radiophonic]

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1487098948' post='3237110']
Radiophonic says:

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The Nate Mendel seems particularly pointless - just an annoying amount of fake damage that you only notice if you look a bit? I'd still have one, but I'd want the body sprayed black! [/font][/color]


[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]And thats what I have done. I was sick of the red colour, so I sprayed it satin black as I was looking for a black P bass. It sounds much better as well [/font][/color]
[/quote]

I just wish Fender would offer that neck profile as an option on other P-basses.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Sparky Mark' timestamp='1487117061' post='3237324']
I'm sure you wouldn't kick a Fender Custom Shop Pino Palladino out of bed.
[/quote]

I would. To me it's dull, boring and ugly in every way.

[BigRedX]

Relicing aside, how do these basses get in such a state anyway?

Up until I sold it last year, one of my main basses was an Overwater Original made in the mid 80s. From when I bought it in the early 90s until I bought my first Gus some 15 years ago it was getting played at least a hour every day, taken to rehearsals twice a week and gigged every other week. I was careful with it, but never precious. I'm also a pretty "physical" player and energetic performer on stage. It might have picked up a ding or two on the way, but nothing noticeable without a close inspection. In fact the most significant wear was that the chrome plating had started to come off a couple of the machine heads. That's for a bass that was over 30 years old and had been well used for the majority of those years.

[Highfox]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487151776' post='3237466']
Relicing aside, how do these basses get in such a state anyway?

Up until I sold it last year, one of my main basses was an Overwater Original made in the mid 80s. From when I bought it in the early 90s until I bought my first Gus some 15 years ago it was getting played at least a hour every day, taken to rehearsals twice a week and gigged every other week. I was careful with it, but never precious. I'm also a pretty "physical" player and energetic performer on stage. It might have picked up a ding or two on the way, but nothing noticeable without a close inspection. In fact the most significant wear was that the chrome plating had started to come off a couple of the machine heads. That's for a bass that was over 30 years old and had been well used for the majority of those years.
[/quote]
I guess a few things could cause wear, extream weather conditions for example, here winter time the weather can be as low as -25, stick your bass in the van outside for a few hours traveling back and forth to gigs, get in there and it gets sweaty hot, I used to have a 70's P that the paint would flake off in the case from I guess extream heat woukd do the same.
But I'm with you, I had a Warwick Streamer that I gigged and was my only bass for over 20 years and apart from a few knocks it was a s good as new, saying that it was a natural finish and had no paint on it.

[CamdenRob]

They are not for me but each to their own, It's your money spend it on whatever you like

What surprises me is not that we have reliced instruments but just how many of them there are... it now seems to be the norm.

I popped into the new GuitarGuitar in Camden last week and as expected they have a reasonable range of mostly Fender instruments. However I reckon well over half were reliced... almost all the custom shop basses had a light relic.

.. Not a lot of options at the higher end for someone who likes their basses to look new.

Also as a side note, the reliced Sandbergs looked awful... the Fenders were much more sympathetic with an genuinely aged instrument.

[FinnDave]

I've had a Fender Jazz classic 60s for the past 4 years, nitro finish, effectively a road worn without the wear. It is slowly picking up the odd [s]dick[/s] (typo!) dent and chip in the paint, another 20 or 30 years and it might start to look road worn, but I doubt that I'll be around to see it. In the meantime, each mark on it is a reminder of a gig, so it is a treasured bass, even though it's not my #1 choice for gigs at the moment.

Edited February 15, 2017 by FinnDave

[LewisK1975]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1487155851' post='3237534']
..... It is slowly picking up the odd dick and chip in the paint..........................
[/quote]

[FinnDave]

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1487156241' post='3237539']

[/quote]

Oops...better make that dent and chip!

[Ghost_Bass]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487151776' post='3237466']
Relicing aside, how do these basses get in such a state anyway?

Up until I sold it last year, one of my main basses was an Overwater Original made in the mid 80s. From when I bought it in the early 90s until I bought my first Gus some 15 years ago it was getting played at least a hour every day, taken to rehearsals twice a week and gigged every other week. I was careful with it, but never precious. I'm also a pretty "physical" player and energetic performer on stage. It might have picked up a ding or two on the way, but nothing noticeable without a close inspection. In fact the most significant wear was that the chrome plating had started to come off a couple of the machine heads. That's for a bass that was over 30 years old and had been well used for the majority of those years.
[/quote]

My thoughs exactly! I bought a Yamaha BB1000S a bit more than a year ago and it looks like it's straight out of the store hanger appart from some discolouration on the chrome in tuners and bridge. the funny thing is that that bass was built in 1985, so 32 years old! I can't see any signs of flaking/worn varnish anywere. The previous owner(s) took really good care of it as it also doesn't have belt rash or major dings appart from the cymbal marks in the headstock

IMO, if a bass gets it's finish so worn out with use after a couple of decades lik ethose vintage Fenders it means that they haven't used a quality finish on the bass, and if they cut costs there then...

btw, here's a few pics of the bass so you see what i'm talking about: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/299081-calling-yamaha-afficionados/page__view__findpost__p__3223389

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 28, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Lw.]

I think the reliced Fenders are trying to reflect the wear on heavily used 50's/60's Fenders - I assume the nitro lacquer that they used back then offered substantially less protection than the very thick poly stuff they (and most others) use now so comparisons to more recent, heavily painted basses from other manufacturers are kind of pointless.

My Warwick has been my main gigging bass for 15 years, the body is absolutely battered - this is kind of hidden by the finish & the grains in the wood but if it had a more traditional body shape & finish I think it would probably look like a medium relic from current providers.

Fender haters are always going to hate & this wouldn't be basschat without a dollop of bitching so it's all good. I'll be in the market for a P-bass at the end of the month (well, I've been trying the market for weeks but I'll have the readies at the end of the month) & it's nice to see if I do like one of the reliced offerings I won't be up against too much opposition.

[gjones]

I know I shouldn't like them but a little light relicing for asthetic purposes never hurt anyone.
A bass that looks like it's been dragged down the motorway, for 20 miles,is not my cup of tea.

[burno70]

I'm not keen on relicing per se, I'd rather have my own battle scars on a bass. But man, I love the Flea sig, it's just phwoarr!

[spectoremg]

Personally I don't like relicing but I think a naturally worn bass increases a players credibility no end.

[attachment=238255:Adam Clayton.jpg]

[Musicman20]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487073048' post='3236716']


But IIRC the "wear" pattern is exactly the same on all the Flea Jazz Basses which doesn't makes them unique at all ;-)
[/quote]

Oh that is true, but the colour/spec and wear is quite something to look at in the flesh, so to speak. Mr Dad isn't a musician and is used to seeing immaculate guitars/basses, and he was impressed with how they had made it look like a vintage Jazz.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1487081135' post='3236834']
probably wondered more about the colour than the wear patterns?
[/quote]

Mixture of both....spent a good 5 mins holding it and turning it over looking at the way it had been aged.

[Musicman20]

Those noting how their basses still look new 10-30 years later, that is entirely possible with pretty decent care and a more modern poly paint.

Traditional Fender nitro doesn't wear like that...at all. In fact, the new Johnny Marr Jaguar has the thinnest layer of nitro and it will wear quicker than you'd expect. It was spec'd like that by the artist.

I have time for both 'styles'....mainly new and clean but the new/old well made Fenders are nice. It definitely feels different to play which I was NOT expecting.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1487237381' post='3238206']
Traditional Fender nitro doesn't wear like that...at all. In fact, the new Johnny Marr Jaguar has the thinnest layer of nitro and it will wear quicker than you'd expect. It was spec'd like that by the artist.
[/quote]

Why on earth do they do that? It's not like an acoustic instrument where the finish has a major impact on the sound.

If I buy an instrument with a finish on it, I'd like that finish to be robust enough to cope with normal playing wear.