Fender Relics

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Fender Relics

If some players prefer the sound of natural wood over painted/treated wood, maybe good idea to construct a raw guitar with no wood treatment on neck or body at all and see how that sounds? If there is one wood most preferred when raw and untreated for neck and/or body what might that wood be? I am thinking ash is on the light side and does have some design to it as opposed to alder (very smooth) or mahogany (on the heavy side). Thanks for any advice!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Fender Relics

It doesn't seem like the relic market could survive here, and yet not only does Fender dedicate the largest portion of their top shelf custom guitar work (at least retail) to relics, but they also charge a heavy premium for the relic work. If you compare a NOS Gilmore signature guitar with a relic'd one.....the only difference being the "relic"....sometimes as much as a 1500 dollar difference. If not serious guitar players, who keeps that market vibrant and who's buying all those relics? I'd prefer Fender produce reissues and dedicate its resources to developing the best guitars possible with everything available today.

I get a sense there is a significant investor/collector market, at least sufficient for major companies to give it this much attention in their product lines.

 

[Oinkus]

Re: Fender Relics

I have that whole more money than sense deal going on the subject. Not going to say anything bad about any companies or people that buy those things but I do think that whole brand new guitar feel is pretty freaking wonderful.Then after you have played it for 20 years and the wood ages , sap dries out it realizes it's full potential and life is good.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Fender Relics

I have that whole more money than sense deal going on the subject. Not going to say anything bad about any companies or people that buy those things but I do think that whole brand new guitar feel is pretty freaking wonderful.Then after you have played it for 20 years and the wood ages , sap dries out it realizes it's full potential and life is good.

yup! the only use of relics i can think of is having them around while little irresponsible children are throwing things left and right!
i have said to my son, you can hit my guitar (or me) if and only if the guitar is the old aria strat or the beaten up to death modded Carvin DC135. Kramer 210 and the new Ibanez ARZ800 are out of the question. And if he does touch my next guitar hopefully an Ibanez UV70p 7-string, i will take his tablet and fry it in the micro wave!

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Fender Relics

Feel yes, tone no.

I am with TC on this one.

Saying that, i only played with a Tele Roadworn . . . and after all this time, i srill want one - real BAD !


http://fr.audiofanzine.com/tests_v3/fender/road_worn/roadworn02.png - just add a Black scratch plate.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Fender Relics

It's one of those things that a) some manufacturers get right (plenty don't) and b) some people "get" what they're about.

I've played the Nash stuff. IMHO, they aren't doing it right. The wear is usually pretty unrealistic and they're overpriced. For something that's so beat up I would have expected it to feel better to play. I want to like them, but the one or two K-Line guitars I've played fit my taste better.

My "keeper" is a '63 RI CS Relic Fender Tele. It became my keeper when it played and sounded better than anything else I've owned. It feels just right, it sounds flawless stock and I can't find a single fault on it. It's pretty much the vintage guitar I've wanted all along - it resonates beautifully, stays in tune and everything just works so well. No Gibson, PRS or the like has ever blown me away from the first strum. And unlike some folks that will pay $3500 for one sight unseen, I managed to find a used one for $1500 and was able to play it in person to make sure it was worth the money. Truth be told, as much as I like my Gretsch Black Falcon, my "burning building" guitar is that tele. If I only could save one guitar, it would be that because of the simple fact that it's so versatile and it's unlike anything else I've ever owned.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Fender Relics

I am with TC on this one.

Saying that, i only played with a Tele Roadworn . . . and after all this time, i srill want one - real BAD !


http://fr.audiofanzine.com/tests_v3/fender/road_worn/roadworn02.png - just add a Black scratch plate.

Road Worns are bang for the buck. I have had several, and none were really a dud. I had to tweak them a bit, but a really kick ass guitar for what they cost.

The Fender relics I don't see the value in are the several thousand dollar CS models.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Fender Relics

These days players really have it easy. There are so many great models out there you really don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get great tone. I gotta say though, Fender consistently hits it out of the park. I've played the new MIC Coronado and Starcasters, I've owned some of the AVRI guitars before and played plenty of the MIA stuff and it's all really good stuff.

Time will tell whether relics hold their value, but regardless of whether people think they're worth the money, they're still really great sounding guitars and feel broken in like nothing else you can buy on the market. For the feel alone, they're worth the coin if you can afford it. If you guys haven't tried them out, you really owe it to yourselves to really see what they're about. Granted, they're not as pretty as the new stuff Fender is churning out and Fender knows how to make some great feeling necks, but there is something special to the relic process on them.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Fender Relics

That's not fair. Amateurs with disposable income keep the entire industry alive. You don't see many "Big-Band Instrument Centers" around.

"Not fair?" WTF?

At any rate, I have clarified my meaning. By "disposable income," I actually meant "lots of play money," not the kind of disposable income that regular working-class people might have for leisure items. I'm talking about people who can drop $6,000 on what amounts to a toy.

 

[DreX]

Re: Fender Relics

At any rate, Relics are obviously getting bought...but not by pros, by and large, IME. There are pros who play them, but it's pretty rare. It's mostly fairly well-off people who don't make their living with music.

At any rate, I have clarified my meaning. By "disposable income," I actually meant "lots of play money," not the kind of disposable income that regular working-class people might have for leisure items. I'm talking about people who can drop $6,000 on what amounts to a toy.

It sounds to me like you're disparaging affluent hobbyists. Either you have a problem with relic guitars or you don't. It's not fair to bring the customers into the picture. The issue at hand is the merits of the product itself, not who is buying it, or why they buy it.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Fender Relics

Oh god not again!!!

Please keep these type of opinions out of threads, we're ALL sick of your views on this.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Fender Relics

It sounds to me like you're disparaging affluent hobbyists. Either you have a problem with relic guitars or you don't. It's not fair to bring the customers into the picture. The issue at hand is the merits of the product itself, not who is buying it, or why they buy it.

The discussion branched to something else, as discussions do. Someone else asked a question, and I gave my well-informed opinion the matter. Despite what you are pretending to read in what I wrote, I am not using the customers to argue that relics suck, and I am not bashing anyone. I simply answered the one guy who asked with my thoughts on who is actually buying the things. Quit trying to make drama out of non-issues. My answers are very dry and matter-of-fact, yet you want to go digging through them for hidden agendas. If I am gonna say something, then I am just gonna say it, not hide it away to be dug out by the chosen few.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Fender Relics

I got a chance to play a cs 60s strat relic that my roommate owned - I was kind of underwhelmed by the way the thing felt. It didn't feel like a 50 year old guitar even though it looked like one. I guess you could say the whole thing felt kind of stiff, for lack of a better word. I know that's not super helpful but that was my impression.

The thing sounded wonderful though - really rich and sweet and jangly. Sonically the guitar was as good as anything I've played. It just didn't have the comfy broken in feel I expected.
I've also noticed that after putting a guitar together you really need to put about 100 hours of play time on it before it starts to open up some. My tele and jazzmaster both opened up significantly in terms of tone and resonance after 8-12 months of regular play.

That being said if given one I would take it but I wouldn't spend my own money on one of the cs relics. You can get a custom relic'd body on Ebay with hardware and a usacg neck for like $800 and then you just add some antiquities or what have you and you're there for barely over $1k

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