Relic-ing: is it still a thing?

[fretmeister]

2 hours ago, Wilco said:

See, that looks kinda cool. Nice one.

See, that looks like a complete & utter dog turd of a finish. Aesthetically completely dreadful in every aspect.

I really like it!

 

 

[SpondonBassed]

21 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

To relic or not to relic. 



In my opinion there is no need to ask the question, what you have is genuine battle damage complete with functional field repairs.

If you can't live with the looks it is just the sort of thing that hapless hipsters fork out a lot of beer tokens for.  Unless you let a restorer talk you down to a price that allows them to make a profit later on post-restoration that is.

As a hack it looks quite respectable.  All this assumes a playable instrument that sounds at least half-decent of course.

Edited March 6, 2019 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

20 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

This for me is the worst kind of relicing. Thomann had two of these until fairly recently, but now have only one, which leads me to conclude that someone has actually bought the other one. The remaining one (below) is priced at just under £13,000 and that is much reduced from what they were originally. I assume this price drop resulted in the sale. I love me a Fodera, but that's just criminal.

 

Talk about taking the wee wee.  This instrument appears to have been defaced!

Let's not try and convince ourselves that it has got that way through years of honest to goodness use as a gigging instrument.

[skankdelvar]

The volume of response to this thread suggests that relic-ing is still very much a thing for generating opinions about whether relic-ing is a good thing.

It is a matter of conjecture whether the actual practice of relic-ing is still a thing.

[fretmeister]

4 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

Talk about taking the wee wee.  This instrument appears to have been defaced!

Let's not try and convince ourselves that it has got that way through years of honest to goodness use as a gigging instrument.

@SpondonBassed

That is actually a replica of Victor Wooten's regular bass that was aged over the years the old fashioned way.

 

So yes, it is a reproduction of genuine wear.

 

Here's the vid:

 

 

[LeftyP]

Sometimes genuine wear and tare can tell a great tale!

 

[SpondonBassed]

9 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Some might say what's the point paying £££ for a '63 bass if it looks like a 2019 bass?

A good point.

My own feeling is that I would like to use the instrument enough to build up my own patina.

Like with the worn look jeans, it only looks good if the wear is genuine.  Stone wash is only an approximation of the wear that an old pair of jeans gets through being broken in by one individual.  The wear patterns are unique for that individual.  Most people don't see that sort of detail.  That or they choose not to.  Then again, it may be that they just don't care... and really... why would they?

[Norris]

8 hours ago, musicbassman said:

....... Ahem ................

 

Being into aircooled VWs I am well acquainted with patina/rat-look (lovely car you posted btw - narrowed, slammed, chopped and patina'ed). Most people do it to preserve the patina of a car that's baked in the sun over the years. You don't see many new cars like that though

Edit: For the record, I don't get upset about reliced guitars. I just wouldn't have one in the house unless I've caused it myself, through natural usage - and that's unlikely because I look after my gear. I probably wouldn't even buy one that someone else has played into that state. Unless of course it's a strat that Jimi Hendrix himself torched

Edited March 6, 2019 by Norris

[SpondonBassed]

5 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

But there is the crux of the matter - we all impart a ‘soul’ onto our machines because we love our basses,

You are dead right.  This is the nub of it.  You can NOT buy soul unless you are the devil incarnate.

 

 

Heeheehee

[SpondonBassed]

3 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

I always wondered about the writing/pronunciation could be relickeyd

It's been said before.  "Reliced" as a word puts me in mind of something that has had fresh lice added.  Like pubes...

The proper word of course is "abused".

Edited March 6, 2019 by SpondonBassed

[SpondonBassed]

35 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

The volume of response to this thread suggests that relic-ing is still very much a thing for generating opinions about whether relic-ing is a good thing.

Yes.  But what about the tone of the response?  Do I detect a soupçon of honk in there?

[SpondonBassed]

38 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

So yes, it is a reproduction of genuine wear. 

I wasn't that far wrong then.

Thanks for the clip.  Interesting.

[Osiris]

16 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's been said before.  "Reliced" as a word puts me in mind of something that has had fresh lice added.  Like pubes...

The proper word of course is "abused".

Or knackered.

Or phuqed. 

[SpondonBassed]

16 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

it doesn't change the fact that for me it's a fabulous looking bass defaced,

Victor is a mucky little pup though.  He admitted to never cleaning his basses.

Edited March 6, 2019 by SpondonBassed

[stingrayPete1977]

1 hour ago, Norris said:

 You don't see many new cars like that though

 

Oh it's a thing.... 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

In my opinion there is no need to ask the question, what you have is genuine battle damage complete with functional field repairs.

If you can't live with the looks it is just the sort of thing that hapless hipsters fork out a lot of beer tokens for.  Unless you let a restorer talk you down to a price that allows them to make a profit later on post-restoration that is.

As a hack it looks quite respectable.  All this assumes a playable instrument that sounds at least half-decent of course.

Afraid I fitted a new scratchplate 🙂 There was no eBay back in the early 90s 🙂

[Stub Mandrel]

I wonder how many people leave a lighted 'cigarette' under the strings above the nut of their strat to get the 'genuine Clapton burn mark'?

(This is the real 'Blackie' not relickteded)

 

[SpondonBassed]

2 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I fitted a new scratchplate

This translates as "I did a functional field repair".  If it passes the bass guitar equivalent of an MOT it's cool.  No need to be afraid.  I like the control plate too.

[KevB]

The bass in the OP looks like it was inspired by Rory Gallagher's strat.

[Stub Mandrel]

31 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

This translates as "I did a functional field repair".  If it passes the bass guitar equivalent of an MOT it's cool.  No need to be afraid.  I like the control plate too. 

Sorry - I mean I did the repair in the 90s but fitted a new (whole) scratchplate recently because I want it to look nice >ducks<

[Dolando]

12 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

That’s a thing of beauty 

Thank you!! I also wound the pickups myself to as close to a 60's set as I could, sounds lovely if they are close or not.

[Dankology]

I bought I lovely Les Paul Custom a few years back from a guy that clearly had Rory Gallagher levels of acidity in his sweat. It has aged in a completely natural but entirely unattractive way. I've discussed refinishing at least the top with a couple of luthiers but they feel that that would have an adverse effect on the value.  Personally, I feel faintly ridiculous playing an instrument that looks like it has been deliberately aged - even though this is a truly battered, heavily gigged guitar.

 

My VW though is what might be described as an heavy relic. To the point that you can poke holes in it with  your finger.  As soon as I have enough money it's going to look like it's just rolled off the production line.... Then again, it'll aways have plates clearly stating its true age.

 

For the guitars it just seems like wearing someone else's medals to me. As ever, something other than music itself is being used as a marketing tool...

[tauzero]

5 hours ago, LeftyP said:

Sometimes genuine wear and tare can tell a great tale!

 

Pah!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigger_(guitar)

[SH73]

relic or road worn?

[SH73]

Just now, SH73 said:

relic or road worn?

chicken or egg?