Lets look at our guitars thread
Discussion
SD_1 said:
A new one for me this weekend - a 51 reissue Custom Shop Nocaster. Played everything from an LSL to a Suhr, as well as a few other custom shop fenders but this one came out on top on the day. Nice and light with plenty of midrange and high end. Plays beautifully too.
Very pleased - it replaces an American Standard tele I never really bonded with yet kept for about 15 years.
Stunner !Very pleased - it replaces an American Standard tele I never really bonded with yet kept for about 15 years.
vdn said:
SD_1 said:
A new one for me this weekend - a 51 reissue Custom Shop Nocaster. Played everything from an LSL to a Suhr, as well as a few other custom shop fenders but this one came out on top on the day. Nice and light with plenty of midrange and high end. Plays beautifully too.
Very pleased - it replaces an American Standard tele I never really bonded with yet kept for about 15 years.
Stunner !Very pleased - it replaces an American Standard tele I never really bonded with yet kept for about 15 years.
languagetimothy said:
Very nice indeed. Enjoy. Looks clean, no relic? I know the relic thing it not to everyone’s taste. I’ve a couple of early ones 97 & 99. The 99 is my main guitar. Heavy relic.
I don't get the relic thing at all. Not only would I not want it, I can't understand why anyone else would. I do acknowledge that tastes vary though.singlecoil said:
I don't get the relic thing at all. Not only would I not want it, I can't understand why anyone else would. I do acknowledge that tastes vary though.
Probably best not to start (yet another) relic debate, but I kind of get it: I once bought a Tele body not too dissimilar to the one above in a classic 'butterscotch blonde' finish. It was supposed to be a very mild 'NOS' finish (since I couldn't source a completely new looking one that was finished in nitro). The one that came was more relic'd than I'd really wanted, but the faff of returning meant I ended up keeping it. Turned out to be fine and I took it to a lot of jam nights and open mics where I'd maybe have been a bit worried about such as nice new one as above. It's not worn away as such, just a few chips and the nitro was crazed.
A couple of my guitars are 30 and 41 years old respectively yet don't look that worn, despite both being played enough over the years to need to have had re-frets (twice in one case). They do feel really nicely worn in to play though.
These days when I build (or rather 'assemble') a new guitar I'll take a lot of time to work on the neck to get that worn in feel. I'm not so keen on the overly worn away paint look like Rory Gallagher style, but I do get the smoothed/worn in feel part of it. I spray bare bodies in nitro now but then I can be a bit precious about getting them knocked. I guess it's a bit like driving a shed and not worrying about the odd scrape?
I hadn't seen this thread before! I'm not a great player but I've enjoyed trying for over 40 years now, and bought a second hand 12 string Martin just before Christmas last year which I'm still getting used to - wonderful sound. I have another couple of acoustics and a Spanish guitar, not to mention a banjo and a ukulele.
The right and left hand theme was interesting too. If I'm under a car or reaching for something, I can use whichever hand is nearest but then get confused as to which way to undo/do up bolts, and as a child going to putting greens with parents they were puzzled as I played left handed. Doing it right felt awkward.
The right and left hand theme was interesting too. If I'm under a car or reaching for something, I can use whichever hand is nearest but then get confused as to which way to undo/do up bolts, and as a child going to putting greens with parents they were puzzled as I played left handed. Doing it right felt awkward.
OldSkoolRS said:
singlecoil said:
I don't get the relic thing at all. Not only would I not want it, I can't understand why anyone else would. I do acknowledge that tastes vary though.
Probably best not to start (yet another) relic debate, but I kind of get it: I once bought a Tele body not too dissimilar to the one above in a classic 'butterscotch blonde' finish. It was supposed to be a very mild 'NOS' finish (since I couldn't source a completely new looking one that was finished in nitro). The one that came was more relic'd than I'd really wanted, but the faff of returning meant I ended up keeping it. Turned out to be fine and I took it to a lot of jam nights and open mics where I'd maybe have been a bit worried about such as nice new one as above. It's not worn away as such, just a few chips and the nitro was crazed.
A couple of my guitars are 30 and 41 years old respectively yet don't look that worn, despite both being played enough over the years to need to have had re-frets (twice in one case). They do feel really nicely worn in to play though.
These days when I build (or rather 'assemble') a new guitar I'll take a lot of time to work on the neck to get that worn in feel. I'm not so keen on the overly worn away paint look like Rory Gallagher style, but I do get the smoothed/worn in feel part of it. I spray bare bodies in nitro now but then I can be a bit precious about getting them knocked. I guess it's a bit like driving a shed and not worrying about the odd scrape?
Perseverant said:
I hadn't seen this thread before! I'm not a great player but I've enjoyed trying for over 40 years now, and bought a second hand 12 string Martin just before Christmas last year which I'm still getting used to - wonderful sound. I have another couple of acoustics and a Spanish guitar, not to mention a banjo and a ukulele.
The right and left hand theme was interesting too. If I'm under a car or reaching for something, I can use whichever hand is nearest but then get confused as to which way to undo/do up bolts, and as a child going to putting greens with parents they were puzzled as I played left handed. Doing it right felt awkward.
Picture?The right and left hand theme was interesting too. If I'm under a car or reaching for something, I can use whichever hand is nearest but then get confused as to which way to undo/do up bolts, and as a child going to putting greens with parents they were puzzled as I played left handed. Doing it right felt awkward.
M5-911 said:
Interesting, I don't understand how guitars get so worn out paint wise? I still own my first Fender (29years old) and the original paint on the body is immaculate despite having spent thousands of hours on the instrument. I never used the box to store it either.
This is my 1990 Epiphone Les Paul which is finished in poly, so a bit more durable than nitro. The plastics have yellowed a bit, but bar a few buckle marks on the back it could almost pass for new, but has been re-fretted twice.
I have a Gibson '50s Tribute' Gold Top which is a sort of satin finish and that has worn a bit dull where I rest my arm and I got it 7 years ago, used but immaculate. I don't even play it that often, so in this case it's a much softer/more delicate finish, though hard to photograph.
A Strat I built for gigging 3 years ago has aged quite a bit though which is more an indication of how much I seem to sweat when playing gigs.
The metalwork has dulled down quite a bit and the body has picked up a few dents/marks. Has a lovely fat neck unlike most Strats (more like an early Tele) and I really feel comfortable playing it, so I think it might get a bit more worn than my older guitars due to the use/environment. Thinking on; Rory's Strat was stolen and later found in a ditch I believe, so the paint condition was due to that rather than playing.M5-911 said:
Interesting, I don't understand how guitars get so worn out paint wise? I still own my first Fender (29years old) and the original paint on the body is immaculate despite having spent thousands of hours on the instrument. I never used the box to store it either.
Fender have used polyester paint since the sixties. It's basically the same stuff as the resin in glass fibre so it's almost indestructible. It can get worn through eventually but what usually does for it is the wood expanding and contracting underneath it, thus weakening the paint's grip on the wood. singlecoil said:
ender have used polyester paint since the sixties. It's basically the same stuff as the resin in glass fibre so it's almost indestructible. It can get worn through eventually but what usually does for it is the wood expanding and contracting underneath it, thus weakening the paint's grip on the wood.
They claim a 'nitro' finish on certain (usually MIA) models today, but they have a poly base coat underneath that was applied in a dip process I believe? Maybe a few thin coats of nitro over that which will wear through more easily, or like the Custom shop relic ones is rubbed through to various degrees according to what spec of relic. I did the full shellac base coat, then nitro over the top of that as an experiment and it worked well on my Strat. Got a nice finish on it too. I did similar on my Candy Apple Red Jaguar, but I used a different brand of clear coat nitro which doesn't have plasticisers in. The Strat hasn't crazed after 3+ years, but the Jaguar has. I think some of the relic finishers (such as SC Relics who finished my Tele) use this type of clear coat so they can then get the checking effect quicker like the Tele in the post above.
Stan the Bat said:
languagetimothy said:
When I got mine around 2000, relic finish was a fairly rare thing and novel for me. I already had a few teles but was looking for something a bit more special. It played and sounded so good it had to be bought!
Which is this one ? Have got a bit confused on where we are
The relic thing seems to me to be much like the 964 backdating craze. Can’t get my head round it.
I am very careless by nature. Somehow my old Japanese 54’ copy looks much as new. I think it’s because I never really think about it. I’m not worried about it. I’ve had some really expensive guitars over the years. But I just find them a bit of a hassle for day to day use.
The electric guitar I use most for recording is an old Ibanez SB 70. It’s not worth much but it sounds very, very good.
I’ve used it in hundreds, thousands probably, of sessions. Its lack of monetary value means it’s just a tool - so I’m quite rough with it, and this makes me play better.
I can see, now I think about it a bit, a relic guitar making sense for this reason alone.
I am very careless by nature. Somehow my old Japanese 54’ copy looks much as new. I think it’s because I never really think about it. I’m not worried about it. I’ve had some really expensive guitars over the years. But I just find them a bit of a hassle for day to day use.
The electric guitar I use most for recording is an old Ibanez SB 70. It’s not worth much but it sounds very, very good.
I’ve used it in hundreds, thousands probably, of sessions. Its lack of monetary value means it’s just a tool - so I’m quite rough with it, and this makes me play better.
I can see, now I think about it a bit, a relic guitar making sense for this reason alone.
OldSkoolRS said:
This is my 1990 Epiphone Les Paul ... .
This reminds me that I recently sold my '89 Epi.
Unfortunately the back wasn't so nice, with various dents, even a large hole! Heaven knows what had been dropped on it.
This back ...
... is a bit prettier. It's from a 2001, which I still have. This is the reverse of the other one in that the top is a bit scruffy. It will be refinished soon; watch this space for more photos.
Thanks all - very pleased with it! Yes my one is a NOS (new old stock I think) so no relicing at all. I do understand it though, there is something really nice about a guitar that feels properly played in. I've got an old American Standard strat I've had since 2005 and it's showing wear now which I quite like.
Interestingly enough I did play a few other CS Fenders on the day including some relicd ones, my logic was whatever one plays best and sounded best was coming home with me so wasn't too fussy. The journeyman relic one was almost too much, the back of the neck had been sanded which I thought I would like but wasn't actually for me. This one just hit all the right notes on the day.
Interestingly enough I did play a few other CS Fenders on the day including some relicd ones, my logic was whatever one plays best and sounded best was coming home with me so wasn't too fussy. The journeyman relic one was almost too much, the back of the neck had been sanded which I thought I would like but wasn't actually for me. This one just hit all the right notes on the day.
languagetimothy said:
Thats really nice - I like the old thermometer case too! Some lovely guitars on this thread. This is mine a Gibson J-45 Custom Shop Pure voice. It gigs at least once a week, sometimes twice, and has been used and abused, toured Germany a few times, dropped and sat upon in the case,it is dented and scratched, dinged and beaten. Has a wonderful tone that it is just now growing into
Tupe said:
Some lovely guitars on this thread. This is mine a Gibson J-45 Custom Shop Pure voice. It gigs at least once a week, sometimes twice, and has been used and abused, toured Germany a few times, dropped and sat upon in the case,it is dented and scratched, dinged and beaten. Has a wonderful tone that it is just now growing into
Nice!!!Tupe said:
Some lovely guitars on this thread. This is mine a Gibson J-45 Custom Shop Pure voice. It gigs at least once a week, sometimes twice, and has been used and abused, toured Germany a few times, dropped and sat upon in the case,it is dented and scratched, dinged and beaten. Has a wonderful tone that it is just now growing into
That's nice Tupe and good to see it's out getting used as well. The only one I'm a bit precious about taking out gigging is my Rickenbaker (as I bought it in memory of my Dad...rare Pillar box red model). Even that has been out with either me or my wife keeping an eye on it when not on stage. Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff