Home > Guitars > Relic Guitars? What’s The Appeal?

Relic Guitars? What’s The Appeal?

OK… this post is bound to bend the E-Strings of a few guitarists, but for the life of me, I don’t understand the attraction to “relic” guitars.

Strat Guitar RelicTo me, buying a relic guitar is like buying a beat-up car… or an old house with cracked walls and paint peeling from the ceiling… or a pair of blue jeans with holes in the knees. I know, I know… jeans with holes in the knees have been a hot-selling item for years… but I am talking about a guitar!

I’m a lot like Ed Roman.  I like SHINY GUITARS!  (No flames, please.)

I don’t gig (yet) thus most of my guitars are in the “excellent to mint condition” category.  I can’t imagine taking my Les Paul and etching, staining, dinging, bumping and cracking it – all in the name of creating a “Vintage Guitar” look.

There are dozens of books you can buy and videos you can watch that will give you step-by-step instructions on how to make your brand new Fender look like it has traveled with the Rolling Stones since 1962.  A simple Google search for “Relic Guitars” returned a few hundred web sites — all designed to transform your brand new Gibson into something my parents would toss in the trash if I wasn’t watching.

One of the most popular relic guitar sites starts out with this quote: “In our opinion, nothing is more beautiful than a vintage guitar that has been heavily played and has that “dragged behind a truck and through a fire” appearance.”

HUH?

To each his own. Some like blues; some like jazz. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I actually take pride in wiping down my guitars after I play them.  I rub out the fingerprints.  I polish the finish.  I buff the humbucker covers when I change the strings.  I almost cried when I bumped the headstock of my strat against a music stand (and it didn’t even leave a mark). 

Just call me the “anti-relic” GuitarDaddy!

That’s my opinion, what’s yours??

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  1. November 13th, 2009 at 06:10 | #1

    Like you say, each to his own. I do like a guitar to look lived in, not to the extent of the one in your picture, but a little road rash does add authenticity in my mind.

    Then again, I would never have the courage to relic one of my own, I prefer it to grow organically!

  2. November 13th, 2009 at 11:03 | #2

    You nailed the point flyssy… at least for me!

  3. November 13th, 2009 at 16:48 | #3

    Couldn’t agree w/ you more!

  4. November 13th, 2009 at 18:41 | #4

    Thanks for stopping by! Love your blog!

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