Wow––ig blog posted this link earlier today and I just had to pass it on.
If you’re the type who finds the current trend in “Relic” guitars to be a little too pretentious (I go back & forth on this myself) you’ll probably want to skip over this post now, but for the rest of you I just wanted to point you towards what is likely the preeminent guide to DIY relic’ing on the web today––Relic Deluxe.
This website features true step-by-step instructions for giving your guitar that “lived-in” look, and includes separate pages on altering bodies, necks, hardware, and plastic parts. There’s also an excellent gallery of “Relic” jobs (like the American Vintage ’62 Strat pictured here,) and instructions for properly applying vintage waterslide decals (oolala!)
Overall a really excellent resource––with lots of great close-up photos––for anyone looking to pre-maturely age their favorite six-string. Check it out.
- Vintage Guitar Magazine Reviews American Deluxe Stratocaster V-Neck
- Rare Find: One Of A Kind ’60 Stratocaster NoNeck Relic In 3-Tone Sunburst Sparkle
- Fender Unveils Limited Release ’57 Heavy Relic Stratocaster
- New For 2007: Fender ‘62 Heavy Relic Stratocaster
- EGR’s Great Tele Relic Experiment: Misadventures Of A Neck Surgeon!
- Speed Linking: Gibson Goes Blogging, WSJ Discovers The Wonders Of The Relic
- EGR’s Great Tele Relic Experiment: Heavenly Body
- EGR’s Great Tele Relic Experiment: Beatin’ The Hell Out Of That Pickguard
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:23 am
Good find, Cary. I might do the neck treatment on my tele (along with getting a new Warmoth neck for backup). I need to see if there is a section of the site for removing polyurethane and re-finishing with Nitro.
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 am
Why didn’t we think of this??? Maybe we were trying not to.
God bless those pin-up gals though!!!
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
rick,
http://www.reranch.com/reranch/
is a great resource for the nuts and bolts of refinishing – alot of relic-type info there as well. gotta say tho, removing poly is NOT FUN…..
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Great find, tremspeed! I will probably get lost in that site for days. After reading a few entries, I’m thinking about buying a couple of Warmoth bodies and necks, finishing it with nitro on my own, and slapping my Nashville Tele and Line6 electronics/hardware on relic’d teles.
June 8th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Wow! thanks for the inspiration. I just finished doing a relic job on a guitar and I video taped and documented the entire process. check out the videos on youtube at: http://youtube.com/user/toneslingercliff
you can also see indepth pics and walkthroughs of ithe process on my website at http://www.toneslinger.com
Once again, thanks for the inspiration.