Forgive me if this has been discussed. I did a quick search and didn't come up with anything substantive.

What is the appeal of the "relic/heavy relic" guitars? I understand the desire to playa guitar just like our heros play, but why spend thousands of dollars an a beat up, brand new guitar. I just bought a MIM Strat that I love (candy apple red). I would love to own an Eric Clapton Signature Strat (But that will never happen unless I win the lottery. LOL) and at least it looks like a brand new guitar. Do people really play these "relics/heavy relics" or are they mostly popular with collectors?

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Bill

I like em, to each his own.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Because their handmade by the finest guitar builders on the planet. Unlike any production guitar that comes out of a machine. Including the machines in corona.

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No no and no

Yeah, but they make non-relic gits, too. For me, I'd take a non-relic equivalent ... whether it'd be a MIM over a RW, or a generic custom shop over a "master relic" or whatever thay call it. But that's just me ... I like guitars to be in good condition. Silly, I know ...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I agree with the post stating that it's the "cool factor".

I went to the local Guitarcenter in Nashua, NH on Wednesday trying out some guitars. Right now I only have 1 and(Am HSS Strat) I'm in the first stages of GAS.

Anyway, I played a MIM Fender Telecaster ($450), a MIM SSS Stratocaster ($500) and then a roadworn ("relic?") tele and stratocaster which were between $800-900.

The un-worn guitars played and sounded considerably nicer. It could be just those particular guitars, as anyone who plays would say that they are all different (or anyone with GAS who needs an excuse to say that), but that was my experience for what it's worth.

In sum, for me Relic = looks cooler but plays worse than a MIM new version in Strat and Tele.

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Electric Guitar #1: Fender American Select Mahogany Stratocaster HSS
Electric Guitar #2: Agile Al-3110 Les Paul
Acoustic: Fender CD200SCE Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Amp: Line 6 Spider III 75 75W 1x12 Combo Amp
Piano: Yamaha M450

Well yeah thats exactly the point some people like bursts, some like red, some like black, some white. Some like a worn look, some like a new look.

Its just another paintjob.

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No no and no

I wouldn't buy a reliced guitar no more than I'd buy a car that came out of the showroom with parking lot dings,spills on the upholstery and signs of the odd small fender benders.These cosmetic"improvments"do nothing for the guitar as far as I'm concerned.I can see someone lightly sanding the neck and fret ends to give the guitar a more comfortable played in feel but to put artificial wear and tear on the body just doesn't make any sense to me.Years of honest play should be the only relicing on a guitar.I take great pride in keeping my guitars as close as possible to factory condition so relicing just doesn't do it for me.Keith Richards played a part in this when he wanted some guitars Custom made by Fender"beat up"to look like others he took on the road and from his eccentric request this relic business took root.It just ain't for me.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I've seen the relic guitars in person........don't like them at all. I always take very good care of my guitars and hope to always keep them looking like new.

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

Kinda funny. When I first saw posts about relicing on this site I thought it meant re-lice-ing (whatever that means). It wasn't until I went to my local GC that I understood. It's kinda like buying jeans with holes in them. To each there own.

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

Lets face the facts the custom shop relics are made basically for collectors and that is why they fetch a high price. I remember someone posted a picture of two different Road Worn Strats they had in two colors and you could see how the relicing was almost identical. I will be very happy when they have run there course.

Relic, but naturally. Two questions on relicing...

Do you want to buy a brand new guitar that looks worn and used?
or
Do you want to attack your perfect guitar with sandpaper, screwdrivers etc to make it look old?
and
Do you want something that looks like it has history but has none as its all artificial?

If you answer yes to these questions then relicing is for you. Personally, i love the look of an old, well aged guitar with worn paint etc, but it has to happen naturally so that the relicing is the reult of years of use, battlescars with stories behind them, giving the guitar charachter. Artificial relicing does not give a guitar history so its not for me.

I like the necks on the 60's roadworn models...but I'd be swapping out the bridge and the machine heads right away for new ones...which kind of defeats the whole purpose.

Dont even bring roadworns into it. There absolutely nothing to do with relic guitars.

Imagine the difference between a commisioned painting by a top artist and a print of the mona lisa. Thats the difference between a relic and a roadworn.

Relic's are individualy crafted works of art by the best builders Fender has to offer. Who perform the paintjob and aging by hand, to their own design/taste.
Roadworns are mass produced knock up on a machine, copies of the real thing.

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No no and no

Thanks for the clarification nikininja - I was also under the assumption that they were the same thing. I've never played a "relic", but the "roadworn" strats/tele's that I've played were of lower quality than a standard MIM strat/tele.

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Electric Guitar #1: Fender American Select Mahogany Stratocaster HSS
Electric Guitar #2: Agile Al-3110 Les Paul
Acoustic: Fender CD200SCE Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Amp: Line 6 Spider III 75 75W 1x12 Combo Amp
Piano: Yamaha M450

Having played several guitars in my lifetime into a well worn "relic" condition,two being a '65 Strat and a '77 Les Paul,they weren't rusted or beat to hell...like some I've seen for sale,"new".
I am not going to buy a guitar that looks like I haven't taken care of it.