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Post subject: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:55 am
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Sometimes I wonder about FMIC's decision making. The 60th Anniv American Vintage '54 gets a special neck plate on the first 54 pieces. They pulled the same crap with the Gilmour by adding Phil Taylor's book [outdated yet because the second edition was on the shelves about the same time the guitar was released] to the case candy of first 500 guitars. Now how is/would any potential customer have a shot at one of those 'priviledged' guitars. Why not do it for all??

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:44 am
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You mean make it an unlimited limited edition?

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:49 am
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FMIC marketing realizes that customers get drawn by exclusivity.
That you're even asking is good evidence that it does have a marketing effect.

Of course there's a flip side to the coin: Some people who would otherwise have bought the plain guitar that now won't, because they'd want the special because it exists, and there's no realistic way for them to get one at street prices.

But anyhow, you'd better ask Mike Eldred about this ;)


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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:06 am
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arth1 wrote:
FMIC marketing realizes that customers get drawn by exclusivity.
That you're even asking is good evidence that it does have a marketing effect.

Of course there's a flip side to the coin: Some people who would otherwise have bought the plain guitar that now won't, because they'd want the special because it exists, and there's no realistic way for them to get one at street prices.

But anyhow, you'd better ask Mike Eldred about this ;)

Eldred's turf being the Custom Shop there are specs on the new 60th Anniv relic the rationale for which would interest me more. I should like to know whose brainchild the idea for 'the 54' was and how they decided who got the 'specials'. I agree with your point that, having a special neck plate for the first 54 guitars might be a turn-off to a potential buyer, such as myself, whose expectation of obtaining one such is likely slim or non-existent. With some of the nuances which drive the 'collectability' of guitars, I see this as a negative. In my case, with the Gilmour, I trumped the company by purchasing the second edition which was more extensive and included a chapter on the project which the first edition lacked. So not finding it in my guitar, which was certainly ordered well enough in advance, was not a tragedy. Remembering Wildwood's inventory of that model at the time, I suspected that they might have had the lion's share of the 500 and perhaps the books were included only with the relic models. That sort of thing would not surprise me. Having already owned the GDansk CD, I gave the case candy edition to a friend.

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Last edited by ZZDoc on Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:16 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:10 am
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GilgaFrank wrote:
You mean make it an unlimited limited edition?

FMIC touts in its PR that there will be 1954 units built, 54 of which will have a special neck plate. My contention is that all of the units should have a special neck plate. Why make 'some animals more equal than others' and then farm them out to the faithful?

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:50 am
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I hear ya ZZ.

Huge Gilmour fan here and planned on treating myself to a Custom shop strat in 3 years when my mortgage is paid off. Mrs. C said I can get the Gilmour strat. Also interested in the American Vintage 56 though (don't think that's a CS). Either way, for that amount of money I don't think small items tossed in the case should be taken of the table. Not that I'm buying it for the Phil Taylor book but its a nice bonus for sure

On a side note

What's your thoughts on his On an Island Tone? Lately I can't get enough of it. Looking forward to his new release which was just tracked

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:05 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Eldred's turf being the Custom Shop there are specs on the new 60th Anniv relic the rationale for which would interest me more.


I don't mind them selling relics - after all, I think it's a fad. But I do have an issue with not being able to get pristine versions of many of the models - only relic.

As for the CS 60th Anniversary 1954 Heavy Relic Stratocaster, I think it just looks stupid with half of it being heavy relic and the other half not. Aged bridge saddle, but the rest of the bridge looking new? "Aged" nut, but pristine knobs? Aged screws in a shiny white pickguard and pristine back plate?
It's neither fish nor fowl.


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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:46 am
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I don't understand relicing at all... if the relic guitar has exposed wood - is it really glossed over and protected as opposed to a authentically well-worn guitar which would have exposed wood subject to becoming more deteriorated and damaged? Are those rusted relic screws going to have heads that break off or are they going to strip more easily?

I have been saving for a Dave Murray Strat for the DiMarzio pups... but I recently noticed that the Kurt Cobain Jaguar has the exact same pups and comes in considerably less expensive, and I do like Jaguars! But the Cobain is reliced and I don't know how I feel about that.

I guess what I am wondering is: is relicing purely aesthetic or does it in any way affect playability and/or durability of the instrument?

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 12:14 pm
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Tiger J wrote:
I guess what I am wondering is: is relicing purely aesthetic or does it in any way affect playability and/or durability of the instrument?

I'll be interested in an advocate's point of view. I'm not one for spending a king's ransom on a guitar that looks like it's been dragged on 40 miles of bad road even if it IS a tribute model.

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 7:33 pm
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I see as much point in relicing a guitar as I do in relicing a new car.I can only see one advantage of owning a reliced guitar and that's if an owner who was a bit shady could play one for several years and sell it as new-how could anyone be able to tell? I know that those who know the difference could look up the serial number but any unsuspecting guitar players not up on that kind of thing would be sitting ducks and end up paying top dollar.

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:17 pm
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guitslinger wrote:
I see as much point in relicing a guitar as I do in relicing a new car.

I have a neighbor who bought an old car, sandblasted off the paint, let it rust to uniform brown, and placed it as a lawn ornament. At least it was an old wreck to start with.

IMHO, relicing makes sense for artists who have a favorite instrument that's part of their image, and don't want to appear on stage without it. And for impersonators.
Otherwise, I personally think relicing a new guitar is like having a plastic surgeon give your new girlfriend a wrinkle and sag job.

If that's someone's style, that's their choice. It's certainly not mine.


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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:36 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
Sometimes I wonder about FMIC's decision making. The 60th Anniv American Vintage '54 gets a special neck plate on the first 54 pieces. Why not do it for all??


Good question Doc. Stuff like that hurts my brain so I try to forget it as soon as I see it lol.

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:23 pm
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Most of these guitars will doubtless find their way into the hands of geriatric yuppies with cataracts and a bad comb-over who have never played an instrument and wouldn't know a Stratocaster guitar from a Strato-lounger recliner. So what's the big deal? Kids can't afford them and working professionals don't need them. From a marketing standpoint that leaves primarily the upper-crust elites -- infatuated with some nebulous collectability potential but clueless as to the intended purpose of a guitar. And despite the hype, most of these commemorative instruments seldom appreciate in value as would tangible assets such as precious metals, Microsoft shares bought for pennies on the dollar, or a bonafide Van Gogh. If you're truly a *musician*, play music. Don't get wrapped around the axle chasing smoke.

JMOOC......

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 6:18 am
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To each his own i guess but I doubt I'd ever buy a relic guitar. I don't see the point in paying more to have it look worse. Its especially odd to me in the case of the Artist series line. For all we know, one of those faithfully recreated dings on the Relic Gilmour strat could have happened when it was hanging on display at the Hard Rock Cafe and some three year old throwing a tantrum threw his silverware at it. Supposedly it wasn't protected in glass while on display right over the table. Wouldn't that just be the cat's a.s.s

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Last edited by captainc on Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: This kind of 'stuff' bothers me.....
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:04 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Sometimes I wonder about FMIC's decision making. The 60th Anniv American Vintage '54 gets a special neck plate on the first 54 pieces. They pulled the same crap with the Gilmour by adding Phil Taylor's book [outdated yet because the second edition was on the shelves about the same time the guitar was released] to the case candy of first 500 guitars. Now how is/would any potential customer have a shot at one of those 'priviledged' guitars. Why not do it for all??

Just to slip back to the subject of this thread for a moment... In short, Doc, the point of the 54 neck plates on the 60th Anni Strat and the Phil Taylor books on the first 500 Gilmour Sigs is to create a rush to the front of the queue as those instruments hit the stores, and so increase the hype and excitement around them.

From what I saw on this Forum that did indeed work with the Gilmour Strat: people were falling over each other to place their orders and then panting with anticipation to see who got one with a book.

Marketing schtick, pure and simple. Harmless or somewhat tiresome, depending on your outlook.

Incidentally. A few years ago my dad gave me a gift of a very lavish first edition of Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing Letters, a two volume hardcover set with individual gold embossed dust wrappers all within a hand-tooled leather box. When I opened them up I found that they were signed by Hunter Thompson himself in a very limited run of 50. Mine is 23/50.

What I can report is that neither the edition nor the signature nor the leather bound box or anything else changes in any way whatsoever the content of the text. Which is identical to the affordable paperback version.

Cheers - C

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