Relicing Springsteen Style

[guitardude081]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but not to working on guitars. I have restored a 1972 P-bass, and done all of my own repair work since I started playing guitar 8 years ago. My current focus right now is my 1983 Fender Esquire reissue. I bought this guitar for $200 at a guitar shop in the cities about 3 years ago. Upon looking it over after purchase I realized this guitar has been ripped on pretty badly. The body is a natural (over time) relic MaryKay blonde, it has a push pull tone, and all cloth wiring. The pickup cavity is routed all the way from the neck to the bridge 3/4 through the thickness of the body and it is impossible to anchor a neck pickup, or half of the pickguard screws. So, I am starting over from scratch. I am currently looking for a 1 piece ash tele body with all routes and holes. I figure since it's an esquire, I may as well go springsteen. I have a good concept of translucent finishing. I've done 2 butterscotch bodies now. I have never reliced a body. I have heard to rub the body with baby oil before sanding and sealing to really bring out the grain. I have seen a lot of good relic jobs, but they are all missing one crucial element. All exposed wood does not look dirty, and is wood colored, not the grey weathered color like the authentics. I'd like to produce something close to Springsteen's signature '53 Esquire. How do I go about doing this. I restore snowmobiles, so I am more used to polishing the crap out of a finish to really make it shine. Any help or e-mails on proper weathering, finish thinning/darkening, realistic dent/ding making would be appreciated.

Thanks,

~Jack Durand