Tim37 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME Ok first off i know a lot of people here don't like relicing and i completely understand please lets not turn this in to a debate. every one has there opinions personaly i think that 99 percent of the relics out there are crap. The aging and abuse is unbalanced and over done. so here it is lets maybe correct some of this crap, people are gonna do this so please help them do it right. Well that out of the way. I would like a reasonable look at true aging. take a look at what causes a guitar to age how a finish ages how the wood ages and wears over time. i cant say i have ever held a true vintage guitar in my hand so theres a lot i don't know what im goin off of is my 10 year old mim a 25 or so year old dearmond so im asking for your help here first off the neck a maple neck will yellow over time what causes that? im thinking light since you pull the neck off my mim strat and the heal is nice an bright but the rest of it has nice aging too it. if so any ideas on how to accelerate that. and i think that just tinting a neck doesn't do it it is usualy over done and whats gonna happen after 20 years as the neck honestly ages its gonna look horrible. the hardwear most relics i see involve people etching the hardear with acid but that gives way too even a wear (plus way too much) so how do ya go about causing the proper wear i mean certian things dont really ever get touched so shouldn't show wear no matter how old they are think about how offent do you touch the base of your tuner or on a tele the bridge under the strings. im guessing not very often. and what parts get replaced what is gonna be wore out on a guitar and need replaced i would think that a new trem bar on a strat wouldn't be that unheard of for a vintage guitar that gets played. hell the things get taken off and lost or knobs fall off or tuners wear out. finish {ok i don't know much about gibsons so i will talk about fenders please add any info on any brand guitar you are familar with} not all fenders have a nitro finish so if you where doing a 70's style relic you might want to look at how a poly finish is gonna hold up and wear over time. Ok that said if yall don't like this thread then get a MOD to delet it wont hurt my feelings if you like the idea then please contribute and keep it alive maybe make the relicing craze a better thing. btw im mostly interested in the neck stuff i am trying to put together a "Partscaster" and i thougth i was purchasing a 93 neck and it turned into a 03 so its gonna need a lot of work to get it where i want it if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I like relic-ing...as long as it looks right and not fake like those ESP trucksters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 first off the neck a maple neck will yellow over time what causes that? im thinking light since you pull the neck off my mim strat and the heal is nice an bright but the rest of it has nice aging too it. if so any ideas on how to accelerate that. and i think that just tinting a neck doesn't do it it is usualy over done and whats gonna happen after 20 years as the neck honestly ages its gonna look horrible. I think a tint is the best way to go, but not just some horribly tinted orange lacquer though. do some tests on raw wood to see if you can age the wood before finishing... a orangey tint over bright fresh maple is very orange. an orange tint over darkened and aged maple can work well. test and experiment the hardwear most relics i see involve people etching the hardear with acid but that gives way too even a wear (plus way too much) so how do ya go about causing the proper wear i mean certian things dont really ever get touched so shouldn't show wear no matter how old they are think about how offent do you touch the base of your tuner or on a tele the bridge under the strings. im guessing not very often. and what parts get replaced what is gonna be wore out on a guitar and need replaced i would think that a new trem bar on a strat wouldn't be that unheard of for a vintage guitar that gets played. hell the things get taken off and lost or knobs fall off or tuners wear out. its the same techniques but you need to be a bit more artisitic with how they are applied. i havnt done much so far but try wearing out the high wear areas first and giving it a bit of manual wear with whatever seems to work... maybe mask off/wax areas you dont want wear - then either dip in ferric chloride or suspend above acid untill it has age you want - then a bit more manual wear to get it not looking so even. test and experiment finish {ok i don't know much about gibsons so i will talk about fenders please add any info on any brand guitar you are familar with} not all fenders have a nitro finish so if you where doing a 70's style relic you might want to look at how a poly finish is gonna hold up and wear over time. again its a combination of manual wear (crazing with a razor blade) and the more usual relicing techniques you should find loads of online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I like relic-ing...as long as it looks right and not fake like those ESP trucksters... Yeah i like them too. This Is a very creative and inotative group i am hoping together we can come up with some ways to relic that don't look fake. i haven't looked at the esp's but i did the fender road worn and i didn't like at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I am not a huge fan of relicing, but when it is done right, it can be stunning and is a true form of artistry. Like you said, not all finishes wear the same. If someone is relicing a poly finish, there should not be many wear through areas, more scratches and nicks. A nitro finish should have some checking, and wear throughs. It is something that takes a lot of time and practice to get perfect though. The stuff Fender and ESP have put out, looks like it was reliced with a belt sander, not by time and wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 There used to be a REALLY good, very complete tutorial from a guy who made a replica 1951 Nocaster - it has since disappeared into the ether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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