Why Do So Many People Hate Relic Guitars? 

That was a fair and rational opinion from rhett even if I dont agree with it

I'll save you'all 10 mins of the click-bait title.... Rhett prefers satin necks and rolled fretboards, has really nothing to do with relic finishes but no one would get all pissed off and click if that was the title. ;)

The most important part of choosing a guitar is the nose, aroma and fragrance it gives off when the sommelier uncorks it.

I like the look of relic guitars, but I have to disagree that rolling the fingerboard and steel wool-ing the neck is relicing. For a guitar to be reliced, I think it has to give the impression of being a relic in all aspects--it has to show that it has significance as an instrument, which means it has to look like it was used a lot. Increased ergonomics like a rolled fingerboard and non-sticky neck, are just a development in production methods, and actually signify a later stage of production.

Relic or not, a good guitar is a good guitar, a bad guitar is a bad guitar, period.

I think we may be getting a few things mixed up together here, myself. "I" would suggest that rolled finger boards and rounded fret ends are not the same as relic guitars. Sanding the paint off and artificially aging the fret board is what I'd call a relic job. It would seem to be purely for aesthetics and have no affect on the playability. However, A natural or mat finished neck and rolled finger boards and rounded fret ends are all upgrades to a guitar that can be accomplished without artificially aging anything so that it looks old. Total novice here and this is just an observation that could totally be wrong. Thanks for a great video

Back in the day, the nitro-finished Fenders started looking relic-ed the minute they got gigged, and the maple fingerboards got divots if you even THOUGHT about playing them. Drove guitar players nuts and there were innumerable rattle-can refins. That is why there are so few original-finish Fifties Fenders left, and I suspect a lot of those are restorations masquerading as original. It's also why Leo went to rosewood fingerboards starting in 1958. It's ALSO why CBS went to poly in the early '70s. Rolled fingerboards and satin neck backs are ergonomically useful but can be part of new production without a banged-up body trying to impersonate an original. My take on relics is that by this time in history, no one now active remembers that once-upon-a-time your average-Joe player could make a decent living just playing music in the local bars, so today's dentists, accountants, and urban planners who do play have to make do with looking like they were real musicians.

I'm 45, have played ~ 30 years. I can give all the reasons why I like relic'd guitars, but if nothing else, I enjoy them. I also have a new non-relc'd guitar that I wouldn't really want to get dinged up. Both have their place.

I've been repairing guitars for over 25 years, so this isn't something i share really often, but personally i recoil from relicing. I don't think it's because in making it look old, they're making them look more valuable as much as it's imbuing it with a sort of manufactured character. There's definitely truth in the idea that they're more comfortable and lived in feeling, and that they tend to sound better due to the things that happen in the relicing process: thinner finish, lighter and dryer wood, etc. But there's nothing keeping people from building a new unreliced guitar with all of those same characteristics: the neck profile, fretboard shaping, thinner and harder finish (they changed the finishes more to last longer than to make it any safer. They add plasticizers and inhibitors to make it more mailable longer so it doesn't cheque and flake off, but there's still finish without them), etc. I get why people like them, i just don't ever see having a guitar built for myself and opting for an aged look. 🤷

I just have to clear this up because it bugs me. Polyurethane is the finish polyester is a fabric

A lot of these reasons you listed are why I only buy used guitars. They don't have to be vintage to be broken in. You can get a guitar from 15-20 years ago for much cheaper than a new guitar. And it will often be very comfortable to play. Sure, it won't be as worn down as a vintage or relic'd guitar, but it will have been played enough to get rid of the rough edges and sticky neck.

For me the sweet spot was Fender's short-lived Road Worn Player series. Neck finishes were nicely broken in but an even, consistent fashion over the entire length without patches of extreme wear/ discoloration.

I have three main guitars, I did sand off a bit of the shiny lacquer on the neck on two of them (Ibanez Artcore AF75, Harley Benton TE70) and I do appreciate the fact that my No. 1 (Music Man St Vincent) already has a nice soft finish. This is adjustment to personal taste, but I wouldn't call it "relicing", as I did it right away after I got them. But then, this may be just different wording. But I just cannot grasp the fact that someone's willing to pay around 5600 Dollars for a Telecaster with a relic finish. This is just beyond me. I get it, quality wood, quality tuners, well-crafted pickups, exact measurement, acute craftmanship in putting the components together. But it's a freakin' Telecaster - literally the prototype of mass-produced guitars. I don't mean this in any derogatory way, I love the simplistic design, but incredibly variable tone. But paying effing 5600 Dollars for a Telecaster with all the ingredients of a 50s design plus "relic" is just ridiculous, sorry.

So true! When I bought my tele, I had no intention of buying a reliced guitar but fell in love with how a reliced one felt. 7 years later, the neck on that guitar still makes me happy every time I play it.

Grew up dirt poor in the 60s and 70s…all we could afford was “relics “…😂 they were in a barrel with 3 rusty ‘relic’ strings and warped necks in the back or hanging from a wall next to the automotive parts in the pawnshop….hey, if it makes you happy and play better I’m all for it…😊

I have a Sonic Blue 1960 Fender Stratocaster Custom Shop relic which can happily sit out on a stand and be played ANY time without worrying about damage, discolouration, nicks or dings. It plays beautifully. I also have a Mint- Alpine White 1987 Gibson Les Paul Custom with Tim Shaw's. It also plays beautifully, but it lives in its case in the attic for fear of damage, discolouration, nicks or dings... This is why I love a 'relic'. I've also got two other 'road worn' Telecasters which can sit out on stands - the Joe Strummer 2007 and Chrissie Hynde 2022. They stay out on stands, whilst my Mint Pink Paisley CIJ Telecaster is forced to hide like a recluse in its case. I'm not trying to fool anyone, but for me it's the smoothness and feel of playing these relics, but mainly because they can be ACCESSIBLE at all times. As for the naysayers - "That guitar didn't earn its damage" and the "You're just a poseur" all I can say is "I don't give a f**k what you think !!"😄

Rolling fingerboard, making the neck mate doesn’t count as relicing because it doesn’t look old. The neck doesn’t wear that way. Relicing is aesthetic and adjusting the neck is ergonomics. You should buy custom shop with intact finish and “relic” neck.

Im going over to the gear page and starting a scathing thread before I watch this. brb

Rhett one of the biggest (at least for me) advantages to a relic guitar is that you dont have to handle a finely made instrument with kid gloves. I had an ES335 that i left in the car on a cold night accidentally that ended up checking in the cold in a weird way and it basically was a $1000 mistake. My Novos I bang on stuff all the time and it doesnt matter because no one can tell what was intentionally done and what was accidentally done

The worn jeans example is so funny to me when 99% of the jeans people buy are already washed and worn when you get them. Yes even the 501, even your cowboy cut wrangler. Everything that’s not raw denim is “reliced” to make it comfortable to wear out of the store. And I’m not even talking about the stone washed ones…

My favorite aspect of having a lightly reliced guitar is that you don’t care if you get a ding or scratch. With a shiny new guitar, the first ding is a travesty, with a reliced guitar, it adds character. You’re 100% right about a reliced guitar feeling way, way better

Sanding down the neck, fretboard, or fret edges is just a MODIFICATION. The flaking paint and artificial fret gunk is a "relic" thing. IMO obviously.

I think most people's issue with relics is not the "broken in" part. It's the esthetic and the fact that you are deceiving people about the nature of the instrument and the time you might have spent on it. Yes, sanding the fingerboard and the back of the neck is a sort of "relic" that makes your guitar feel better. The finish being uncomfortable is not an argument for relic'ing, it's an argument against the finish. Does the finish feel bad? If yes, then why is it there? Find another one if you're gonna get a custom guitar. And making the guitar look like it was played even though it wasn't makes a prop out of it imo. I'm all for making your instrument more comfortable with strategic sanding and modding, that's absolutely a way to make it your own and improves your instrument. But that is not the argument against relic'ing for people who don't like it. I whole-heartedly agree with Ol' Sammy G about earning the ageing. The only reason for a relic look, as you admittedly argue after his clip, is that it looks like it's from the 50s because a newer one will never age the same way. It's a fetishization of the vintage. To each their own of course! Let's just be honest about why people like relics and pay (a big) extra for it, it's not the feel, even though the feel is improved.

In 50 years people will say - ''It just doesn't wear like a Polly finish''. I'll be 90 years old doing this... 🙄

spin it any way you want, but relics are still for posers.

I prefer non-relic guitars 🎸. Every nick, ding, smudge and scuff is something that I have accidentally done to them. Just my personal preference. I agree with Samurai Guitarist.

The most important advice on guitar buying I ever got, from my first teacher, when I was 16: You need to buy the guitar with *looks* that inspire you most--it's what will get you to take it off the wall and play more, which is how you improve.

Totally ruffled. I put my own scratches/dents in my stuff thank you very much. No upcharge either.

I can’t agree that filing fret ends smoothing a neck finish to play smoother falls into the ‘relic’ description. As you show, many guitars are built with nicely rounded frets and minimal fishing on the neck to play smoother. Performing those tasks is merely bringing the guitar to a performance spec that is not intended to make the guitar look like something it isn’t.

To improve the quality of this video, release it in sepia tone. Ridiculous.

The relicing treatment on the neck and fretboard server to alter the feel and playability of the guitar. In that sense, there is a mechanical function being served. Relicing the body, as far as I can tell, is more about aesthetic. (I'll happily concede this point, as I'm not an experienced player. It's just what I currently perceive) Both are completely valid. If you want a worn-in neck, so you have a slightly smoother feel as you play, then by all means, go to town on the neck. If you want to put up an older "feel" to your show, then you wear grubby older clothes, you let the stubble grow in so you look rough around the edges, and you relic the body of your guitar, to match the image. Do either of these effect the tone of the guitar? Not as far as I know. Do they effect the feel of playing it? Absolutely.

How come nobody relics a PRS premium top ? Would play so much better.

Every guitar goes through sanding in production, sanding the neck to your desired feel doesn’t seem to me like “relicing” the guitar. If it’s comfort you are after, i believe there are a lot of options to choose from in 2024. Other than that relicing is purely vibe and looks (which is totally fine, I just don’t see the reason to hide it with functional reasons)

I bought a Fender 52 Hot Rod Telecaster Butterscotch Blonde used about 15 years ago. I love the feel of vintage gear, worn necks and dings, you know, the character thing... Well, rather than just outright relicing it, I accidentally dropped it once and it got a good dent in the edge of the body all the way to the wood. Since then I just use it and abuse it. The thing is a tank and I just throw it around and kinda neglect it and never polish it -- drop my keys and tools on it when I change strings, and scrape the edges with a pocket knife, and run green Scotchbrite on the neck to keep it nice and smooth (the neck had a satin finish but now it's gone where my hands travel on both the fretboard and the back). So, I play the crap out of it and gig with it. It looks like I have put 40 years of wear on it so far and I just love the way it looks, feels, and plays -- It has some serious mojo.

I have a Carson Hess broadcaster that is indistinguishable from a real broadcaster. I even have a 1950 champ lap steel pickup in the bridge and the old wiring harness. I love it even more than my real 1957 and 1966 telecasters.

Nope. I'd never pay for faux-jo. I've got a few beaten up vintage lap steels but otherwise I prefer new guitars in near mint condition because I haven't beaten the shit out of them and called it mojo. Which is as pathetic as fake ripped jeans.

Relic-ing is way more about the aesthetic of aging a guitar's finish and other cosmetic elements. And if you only sand your neck and roll your fingerboard edges, you're not really relic-ing your guitar. 100% it's about image and stolen valor.

Nailed it. I have two Nash relics and one from the Fender Custom Shop and they’re amazing in looks and in feel. Nobody is into these because they’re trying to trick people. We just aren’t going to live long enough to relic a new poly guitar.

Very much agree with your take on this Rhett! I used to feel this shame to like the broken in and beat up look. Now I truly see the work these custom shops are doing as art in its own right. It’s beautiful and anyone that takes issue with it I feel has some issues they need to deal with. I actually have a couple vintage guitars and while I love the honest wear, it’s not MY wear and I never really feel like the guitar is mine, at least not for some time. This doesn’t happen with the custom shop stuff. I feel instantly at home and I’m happy to let my additional bumps and bruises make it mine as we go. You guys can keep the pristine ones, relic mine and relic them GOOD!

I don't know, I don't see it. I understand making a guitar more comfortable, but is that ageing? Not in my book.

Relic neck yes, high-quality relic of the body to include finish checking yes but a large portion of the finish having been worn off or removed or whatever that is you have on that telly is a no for me.

Thank you for making this video. I've always wanted to clear this is up. See, buying a relic has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. It has to do with how YOU like a guitar to feel in your hands. People who have been playing for 20 or 30 years are not interested in trying to deceive anyone about the age of their guitars. They just aren't, guys. If you've ever played a really good vintage guitar, they feel great. They have a certain mojo and a vibe, and for me, when a guitar feels worn in, I just want to sit and play the guitar and not think about anything else. A lot of that is in the neck but it is also psychological/visual. You're often looking down at the guitar while you're playing, and so the visual aesthetic of the body does contribute to that worn in "feel" of the guitar. Many people simply like the way vintage guitars feel and look, and a relic feels closer to a vintage guitar.

I stopped playing guitar for about 10 years (life got in the way) and one day I saw Fender’s road worn series. I thought what a cool looking guitar and I swear I felt the calling. It was like that guitar was telling me I need to get back on the saddle. Now, from the industry point of view, since then, I’ve brought 4 more guitars, amps, a bunch of pedals, cables, strings, etc, etc so it’s a definitely win for them.

Well i have reliced 2 squier strats…I love it. They feel good, they look great and guess what…I will keep relicing guitars for fun, because i enjoy playing a broken in instrument and they look dope❤ 100% with you Rhett. But I also have my Gibson LP Studio that I got as a gift back in 1996. That one I leave it as it is which is also 30 years old and I will let it age acordingly. ❤

“Fake memories” - Tom Bukovac

I have a 1952 Goldtop. My lifetime guitar. It sounds amazing, but looks even better all greened out over 70 plus years. I recently went into a local shop that I frequent and picked up a used Gretsch which is my first Gretsch and I in honeymoon mode with it right now. I have owned dozens of Gibson Les Paul R9' R8's and R7's. I can appreciate the difference in price for them (maybe not so much now, but when I started buying them the difference in price was not so astounding) But I could never bring myself to pay 5k plus for a bolt on neck guitar! As I was leaving the guy I work with said "if you want one of those custom shop Fender's Ill make you a great deal!" I grabbed a 52 Tele with a humbucker in the neck. I have a 51 Tele Vintage Reissue 2 which is FANTASTIC! As soon as I grabbed the neck on the custom shop I thought damn I am in trouble! I felt great and when I plugged it into a Vox AC10 it was alive! He looked around the corner in suprise and said "thats the BRIDGE PICKUP?!" It was just a phenomenal guitar. So much I started calculating what I could move/trade to come up with the cash. He did offer me a great deal. I havent pulled the trigger but it does keep me up at nights at times! I gig and record so I am not a collector per se. But in my opinion there IS a difference. Do you need to spend that much? No. But Damn that Tele was nice!

Glad this weeks post is non controversial! 😂 I bought a ‘66 Telecaster in the late 80’s that was truly worn in. No finish on the back of the neck, checking, dings, chipped, worn, rust, stains etc. Have no idea if it was all real? Part of the reason I bought it…REGARDLESS, I wasn’t the one who had put those miles on the guitar! That guitar had a whole life before I got it. I didn’t feel bad for playing it, or guilty for not being the one who put the miles on. In that same time period people were already making their guitars less pretty (think PUNK ROCK), abusing the finish, adding stickers, taking the finish off, routing the “wrong” pickups into the “wrong” guitars. SRV, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Strummer and countless others fucked up their guitars on purpose, with purpose or just ‘cause! I think relics can be very cool. FYI, I would never look at that Tele and think it’s a real ‘52.

I like relics but man 90% of them look like shit in real life

I love a relic job that mimics years of lovingly accumulated honest play wear. That tele’s finish looks like it’s been subjected to abject abuse, vandalism and neglect. Not the same thing.

There is a company called RUF who use a manmade material called RUFFAINE to make their guitars - and what makes it special is that - RUFFAINE can be altered to mimic any density of wood - so that you can custom make any sound profile you want. I would argue that the coating of a guitar has very little to do with the actual sound - and that the most important is the pickups on electric guitars. There is a resonance and sustain profile - but it is small as well. The next in impact are the strings that are used. And then the material. AND if you are focused on the feel of the instrument - why not get an unpainted partscaster ? $5000 for a relic Guitar - is a placebo effect. It places the idea that someone played the hell out of an instrument so it must be seriously good sounding. And it might be seriously good sounding - but I think it comes more from the pickups than anything else.

Pre-ripped jeans? That’s all I buy! On the topic of guitars though, I was never a relic fan until recently. I bought the EVH ’78 Eruption model - now I know it’s a “cheap” relic from Mexico but I adore it, the dings and worn through bits, and the smooth neck is stunning! It’s also a lot nicer (IMO) to play than the shiny Stripe series. I’ll never be able to afford a Custom Shop relic, but the Mike McCready Strat is high on my list as it looks awesome and I bet it feels even better.

Over 20 years ago I walked into the Fender Custom Shop room at the Dallas Guitar Center and played just about all of the Strats in there. Most were relics but a couple were NOS models. The NOS models felt noticeably stiff compared to the relics, which felt wonderfully broken in and also sounded great acoustically. Ever since then I have preferred relics. I don’t really like the overdone heavy relics so much as what they now call a journeyman relic, which has a few dings and dents and a very broken in neck. The feel of the broken in neck is really what I like the most about relics. Also, I don’t worry in the least about bumping it or scratching it on something. I’m not trying to deceive anyone and it doesn’t matter to me what anyone else thinks about why my guitar looks the way it does. It is purely for my own enjoyment. I would gladly tell anyone how old it is if they asked me. I’ve been playing guitar for more than 50 years and don’t have anything to prove to anyone else.

When I play a new guitar I’m paranoid to scratch, but when it’s a relic you just go wild 😂

Up until a couple years ago, I was one of those guys who thought relicing was just a cosmetic thing for posers. Then I heard the arguments about the ultra smooth feel and playability.. However the most compelling argument was the fact that with a relic you can have a top-notch guitar that you don't feel afraid to wail on. All of that being said, I would NEVER pay $5K for a guitar. Not because it isn't worth it; I just don't have that kind of money to spend on a guitar. A couple years ago I bought a Sire T7 "Tele" for $450.00 brand new. The fit and finish is perfect... not good, not great.... perfect. But mainly, Sire rolls their fretboard edges just like a $5K relic, and it is INCREDIBLY comfortable. Plus, they use an ultra-smooth matte finish on the roasted maple neck. You would swear you were holding the neck of fantastic relic.

FYI, dried Nitrocellulose, itself, is NOT toxic, nor does it have an odor, but the solvents and some of the modifiers used in the lacquer can be.

I would make a distinction between performance enhancement (rounding/wooling the neck) and relic (aesthetic "blemishes"/aging etc)..

*checks date* oh wait this isn’t a joke

I love the feel, but hate the look. Pre-worn jeans, I love. Pre-ripped jeans, I hate. Everyone likes pre-worn equipment. Baseball gloves, Motocross boots, guitar amp speakers, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc. I had to sell my PRS because I was too afraid to scratch it. I only played when I was in a room by myself. It was too beautiful and too expensive. It never broke in and was always "just for looks". Same for Rhett, he looks pretty worn-in, and plays like it!

So relic necks feel better to play which is why they should relic the body?

I wasn't a fan until I played one. Went into Coda Music to try some guitars, played a relic guitar and was instantly converted. Walked out with a CS Jazzmaster

I agree Rhett. Less fear of scratching or denting frees me up to play them. I typically prefer the feel. Maybe I’m too nice to the new ones. I’m also 56 years old. I’m not going to see 60 more years of natural aging in my bar gigs. Finally, you get vintage feel, better reliability at a tenth of vintage cost.

Well done. There are certainly in-betweens, too. I’ve got a Custom Shop Strat in Sonic Blue with a “Journeyman” relic job - not a shouty, heavy-relic (though I also like those). You likely wouldn’t notice the guitar was relic’d from across a room, but the scraped neck, the fine finish checking, the accelerated wear factor of the thin Nitro and how it reacts to skin… It’s killer where it matters - up close, in my hands.

An interesting discussion. I was against relic’d guitars until recently when I tried and subsequently bought a Murphy Lab ‘59, swiftly followed by a ‘56 gold top with P90s. I absolutely agree that it’s not just how they look but also how they feel. I think a big part of the argument, especially for the Murphy Lab models (and possibly Fender too) is that the guitars that end up relic’d have been specifically chosen for features such as lightness and overall quality. I agree that a cheaper guitar with an aged neck will probably feel marginally nicer to play than one with a thick poly finish, but the feel of a Murphy Lab LP compared to a factory ‘standard’ is like night and day. It’s not just the relic’ing but the standard of the guitar before the process even begins.

It's funny the mental gymnastics people do to claim "relic guitars are better". I don't know which group makes better gymnasts, the relic crowd, or the tonewood crowd.

Why I’m not watching this video and it’s ridiculous premise.

I got a custom shop masterbuild last year, the Blungeon. Ordered it before the prices went up. Custom shop guitars now cost what I paid for the masterbuild. This guitar made me a better player all around.

I like the oiled neck idea. That seems to be the part that makes you comfortable. Making the finish on the body of the guitar to look like it survived an inferno doesn't add a thing for me.

My number 1 guitar is a 1959 custom shop Fender Strat with High Relic. Plays like it's 50 years old and it's super smooth for my hands. I get people that want to do it themselves but for anyone that has never tried a reliced guitar I highly recommend it

The best guitars have been well-played AND CARED FOR. Some of my own guitars that are 50 to 60 years old were purchased new, had the hell played out of them, but were wiped down and put away in the case. I’ve needed refretting a time or two, have honest neck and body wear, naturally “rolled” fingerboard edges, but very few dings or missing finish. Wearing the paint off of your guitar was never cool - it’s just ignorant to destroy your valuable instrument - especially in the name of relic’ing it. It’s like taking a pretty girl and giving her acne and rotten teeth to artificially age her - a really bad idea.

Agreed. The anti-relic crowd thinks it’s about deceiving people into thinking you bought a new shiny guitar and played the crap out of it for years to make it look aged, when it’s not about that at all. It’s a way to get the feel and character of a VINTAGE (as in already old and worn when you first come across it) guitar, without having to actually buy a 5 to 6 figure (and often high-maintenance) vintage instrument

At first I didn't like relic guitars, but 20 years ago I tried one and changed my mind about them. It depends on the guitar if I like the look of it but usually they do feel better to me. And they have different levels of relic, from a litte to a lot. It always feels strange to me that people like to hate on Fender for this while they offer lots of shiny (or NOS - New Old Stock) guitars as well.

I completely agree with you Rhett, I have evolved into a relic fan because of the feeling of a old friend when I play my relic’d Strat

People getting upset over relic guitars is by far worse than owning one. If its not your thing, just don't buy one lol pretty simple.

Fake wear is the stupidest concept that's EVER been introduced to the world. What a part of FAKE Don't you get?

Yup. I’m with you. I only own 1 relic Fender Custom Shop and I bought it for the color. It has very light relic job. I would love to order a custom shop Fender where only the neck is reliced and the body and hardware is like new. Guitarists need to lighten up as a whole. It’s a luxury item and we use disposable income to buy them. There’s no reason to get upset over how other musicians spend their money.

From the perspective of someone who had guitar crafting apprenticeship.Light Wood selection makes a big difference as it raises the bar of starting point. Then the wood goes through CNC and first stage of sanding. Next is design and the actual body and neck shaping. Body and Neck Shaping is very critical when it comes to softening the edges of every corner even the pick up routing cavities. That’s what gives out the feeling of smoothness or the broken in feel when you look, hold and play it. Great body and neck sanding will result in evenness on the surface of top and back with no bump when running hand through it even the armrest will feel smooth and the feel of transition is very minimal to none. Also something that the eyes can’t see as the process of putting the neck together. Truss-rod, fingerboard, side dots - imagine a chunk of glue were applied unevenly, that might add some stiffness. Neck are sanded to the exact measurements using straightedge to make sure there is no bump along the neck when running your hand up and down. Well crafted instruments are given attention to those little things. Then when the body and neck is sanded precisely to the measurement. I mean precisely measuring with straightedge and checking the shadow reflection for uneven layer of sanding. Then it is ready for painting. Now every guitar are starting to off with brand new paint then to the relic process. From my experience, the place I had an apprenticeship are handcrafted relic guitars only. They are in 4-5000 price range. All attention to detail were given to most guitar equally although strat takes longer than tele. But the end result, same model, same relic, same hardware, same builder but the one with lighter wood seems to stands out. But that does’t mean then just pick out the lightest guitar because if the attention to detail of the craftsmanship is not there then its not going to be at its best stage. However I only handled body and neck shaping while the other staff does the painting. I can say that body and neck shaping making everything softer will make the guitar has broken feel in your hand.

I hate seeing a wall of relic'd guitars that are all relic'd identically.

I can’t wait for the Internet to explode over this (I’m with you Rhett)

I’m not a great guitar player but I have a few guitars. I’ve always tried to keep them brand new looking. But I was at a Taylor Road Show in Southern Pines , NC and the owner was talking about the Fender Custom Shop. And the fact that I could recreate a 52 Tele and have it relic’d started to grow on me. After talking about it for 1.5 years my wife told me to “just order it.” So I did. It took a year to get it and although the pick guard is not extremely relic’d the rest looks great. It’s a white pick guard and in 52 those did not exist it’s ok. It was replaced in 79!! (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) Anyway I love mine and it absolutely plays like a dream. My brother even commented how it felt like he was a better player just holding it. Yay relics!!

I bought a used Roadworn 2003 MIM Telecaster. Plays great & sounds great for me a bass player. My 1997 Custom Shop Jazz '60s Relic "Cunetto" is in the first Relic series in Basses. Just like it was when I bought it.

To me the ripped jeans analogy is a strawman argument. A more appropriate analogy is a worked in baseball glove

What I find funny is that Jimmy Page's #1 Les Paul has been extensively toured around the world and been around for 50+ years, yet it looks nowhere near the "heavy relic" we see on some of these instruments today. I've never seen a touring player have a guitar that looks as heavily reliced as that Tele. SRV's Strat wasn't even that beat. Fact is, most people would have had a guitar that looks like that Tele resprayed at some point, just because it protects the wood and the guitars start to look beat.

I kinda half agree with your point here. I have a Sire Marcus Miller V9 5-String Bass that came with rolled fretboard edges and a "raw wood" style neck finish out of the box. Just like your newer Powers Electric. From my experience with that bass, I think that if your guitar already has those elements of a rolled, smoother neck feel and contoured right arm area; the familiarity that comes from aging has more to do with your hands than it does the instrument. My hands have adapted to play that bass and because of the years spent with it, it feels better to me than something I just picked up. My first bass I ever got when I was 12 (which by this point would have that smoothed over neck after about a decade of playing it) also has a natural familiarity to it that I snap back to whenever I pick it up. (Also a testament to the insane quality of Squire basses) A lot of people scoff at the purely cognitive "placebo" differences in guitars. However as you say, if you feel better on it, you'll play better on it. If you play better on it, you'll sound better on it. So, who cares?

Just bought a brand new guitar for $129 and sanded off certain areas of the body and wooled the back of the neck = Relic Guitar. Now it's worth Thousands and am not afraid to smack it on a door frame. Thx Rhett for the Advice.

Nope

You could have Fender and Gibson save a lot of money by not painting the guitar at all and then Rhett will be happy.

I went out on a limb and got a custom shop journeyman relic'd guitar off of reverb, was pricing and risky but turned out to be an amazing guitar. Lightweight, the PUPs are incredible, the neck although thick (54U) is super comfortable, the ladies and gentlemen of the custom shop are truly wizards.

Damnit, you’ve just converted me to relic guitars! I used to hate them but now I see the light. I’d also add that the worn aesthetic can trick the brain into us feeling different about the music we play. And let’s face it, music is (whether we like it or not) a lot about feeling, mojo, and inspiration! Side note: is there any other object/form in the world where relicing exists (outside of fraud)? I can’t think of anything else.

I waited to finish the video before I went to comment. I still respectfully disagree. I think the difference is negligible. If the feel of a guitar is the deciding factor for whether or not it’s worth the premium of relicing then I would have to say it’s not worth it. As long as a guitar is built properly, has decent hardware and is set up properly, I think fixating on the feel is reading too much into it. To that end the point of relicing to me is mostly aesthetic and therefore imo goes back to the argument samurai guitarist brought up about “stolen valor”

A relic guitar is posing. It didnt earn the damage nor does it have stories to tell. Its simply posing.

I'm in the camp that thinks relic as an aesthetic looks dumb over 99% of the time. Case in point: When Rhett first got that Tele, he said it looked ridiculous, and I agree. I get the point that a relic'd guitar 'feels' better and thus, is the reason, and can appreciate that. I guess my gripe or disagreement is the neck example - got a poly coated neck? Scrubbing it with steel wool, to me, isn't a relic as much as it's just fixing it - doing it right, vs. artificial aging. If the industry could stop doing that to necks, and just do it lighter or choose a different method (but not charge us for 'less is more') then the guitar would be fixed - not relic'd. The example of the pre-worn guitar that doesn't look like it is great, but if they charge a premium to just do it right - build it more comfy as a standard, that's where I feel like they're taking advantage. More labor to make it like that? Sure. But if it wasn't such a high falutin feature, and just what was done during assembly as a standard, it wouldn't get what is likely a higher price for it. Build a comfy guitar for a comfy price, instead of guitars that aren't comfy, or take work to complete it after you paid too much up front. The video is great, and covers the argument well, But if they were all built with comfort features for, say, a Fender American Standard price, without the extra aesthetic, that'd be great.

I agree. 100%. I have 3 “relic’d” guitars… A Road Worn Tele, a Road Worn Strat and a Jason Isbell Tele. Especially on the neck, They are so much more comfortable to play than my poly guitars and my Les Paul. The Jason Isbell in particular, its neck and fretboard are, in my opinion, a work of art and play like a dream. I understand a relic’d body is not everyone’s cup of tea I personally prefer it both visually and from a tactile standpoint, and from the practical side: I’m not afraid of making a ding or a scratch… but necks are always a win!!

"My middle-aged ass looks so much cooler when a grungy, dinged-up guitar is hanging in my office than a shiny new one that I obviously never play".

I have a Lake Placid Blue MIM Fender Roadworn I just purchased and I love it! I love the look but it also feels incredible to play. The body has a warm, woody feel and my bare forearm slides much more smoothly against the body than my other tele. I don't know if it makes the amplified sound better, but acoustically the guitar sounds woodier than my other poly telecaster and is more satisfying to play unplugged. So I'd say relicing serves a valuable practical purpose.

I agree with just about everything you have said. I am old enough to own an old 1963 Gibson guitar which I bought in 1966 for £120 when I was just 16 years old, and I'm lucky enough to still have it. It is one of a the guitars I have collected over the many years I've been playing. I have found that very few new guitars have an attraction for me from an aesthetic, playability and sound point of view. I do, however, find that some relic custom shop guitars can in some instances have that right feel and sound. Some of them even compare favourably with the genuine old stuff. Having said that, I do find myself picking up the real old ones more often and wondering why they still draw me into playing them. Yes, I now I'm very lucky.

I just think it's cool that custom shops exist at all. Because it means when *YOU* spend *YOUR* money, *YOU* can get what *YOU* want. Down to the last detail -- as long as you're willing to pay for it. And to hell with what other people think -- they are not spending your money. Let them spend their money on what they want. I personally wouldn't get something that has that much wear on it -- but that's just my opinion. However, I *do* like the idea of making the neck and fretboard feel worn in, because it does play better. I'm sure if someone wanted to, they could get the custom shop to "relic" only the neck and fretboard like that, while leaving the body of the guitar looking brand new. I just don't get why people are judgy about something they're not paying for. Let people spend their own money the way they see fit.

I love relicd guitars man. I sort of get the guys who say wear in your own guitar. HOWEVER, screw that. I didn't relic that old ass sg I got at a guitar sale.... I bought it cuz it looked cool as hell. That's all you need.

I thought relics were dumb until I played a few and now I understand. I worked at Thoroughbred Music in the 90s and we had relic number one and two for a while and they were incredible.

I happen to love relic guitars for two main reasons: (1) aesthetically, I genuinely think they look super cool; and (2) it cracks me up when people get real bent out of shape over them. I'll admit I'm not proud of that second one; it is definitely impish or snarky of me. But it's true. It makes me chuckle. By the way, I also love brand new fully finished guitars, too. Also aesthetically beautiful to me. I think it's fair to say I just love guitars.😊

Rhett, I totally agree. I love my relic Gibson's and Fenders. I will only buy relic'd AND light weight guitars. They have to be both! I would argue that a properly relic'd AND light (closer to 7lbs) guitar not only feels more comfortable but the lighter guitars typically are more resonate. The only thing I would add to your equation is that some relics are done badly in terms of looking naturally aged, worn and played. They will add wear to places that don't typically get much wear. But, yes, I'm absolutely on the same page as you! Thanks for all the great videos!