Natural Relic

Garthy

Bridgehouse said:

Do you think there’s a mental barrier you need to cross that gets you out of “it has to stay perfect - it was like that when new goddamit!” And into “it’s a tool - a bloody good tool but still a tool so bring on the dings!” 

I wonder how much our “it’s got to be pristine” society has conditioned us...?

I'd say normal people like expensive things to stay nice, be it their car, their clothes, their furniture. This place seems to take looking like a soap dodging gypo as a badge of honour.

poopot

Garthy said:

Bridgehouse said:

Do you think there’s a mental barrier you need to cross that gets you out of “it has to stay perfect - it was like that when new goddamit!” And into “it’s a tool - a bloody good tool but still a tool so bring on the dings!” 

I wonder how much our “it’s got to be pristine” society has conditioned us...?

I'd say normal people like expensive things to stay nice, be it their car, their clothes, their furniture. This place seems to take looking like a soap dodging gypo as a badge of honour.

Bit harsh!... I always try to keep the transit clean and we still have the original plastic on the sofas in the caravan!.

gringopig

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gringopig

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artiebear

My guitars get dinged, sweaty and sometimes broken, but  I do respect them, clean them and feel sick when the worst happens. Anyway here's what happens when something is played for a very long time, my 1880 built fiddle 
https://i.imgur.com/UQQRq9u.jpg

thegummy

Garthy said:

Bridgehouse said:

Do you think there’s a mental barrier you need to cross that gets you out of “it has to stay perfect - it was like that when new goddamit!” And into “it’s a tool - a bloody good tool but still a tool so bring on the dings!” 

I wonder how much our “it’s got to be pristine” society has conditioned us...?

I'd say normal people like expensive things to stay nice, be it their car, their clothes, their furniture. This place seems to take looking like a soap dodging gypo as a badge of honour.

Ripped jeans are pretty much normal at the moment 

Garthy

On 15 year old girls.

bill_the_bass

poopot said:

Bridgehouse said:

@poopot - I’m not in the pristine camp - the 74 Precision I have is beaten up good and proper and it’s all the better for it. I was just trying to understand the “not gigging it or playing it for fear of marking it” thing..

Totally with you!...

here’s the “warvel” monstrosity





Been told we’re not allowed to take this piss out of it so fill ya boots!

Monstrosity! How very dare you! Granted the colours are a car crash but I have grown to love the shape of the body and neck. I have gigged that bass more times than I care to remember from pub gigs in spit and sawdust venues to posh functions at the Dorchester. It plays and sounds lovely and if Warwick offered me a free replacement neck, I wouldn't take it.

poopot

bill_the_bass said:

poopot said:

Bridgehouse said:

@poopot - I’m not in the pristine camp - the 74 Precision I have is beaten up good and proper and it’s all the better for it. I was just trying to understand the “not gigging it or playing it for fear of marking it” thing..

Totally with you!...

here’s the “warvel” monstrosity





Been told we’re not allowed to take this piss out of it so fill ya boots!

Monstrosity! How very dare you! Granted the colours are a car crash but I have grown to love the shape of the body and neck. I have gigged that bass more times than I care to remember from pub gigs in spit and sawdust venues to posh functions at the Dorchester. It plays and sounds lovely and if Warwick offered me a free replacement neck, I wouldn't take it.

Allright princess?

welcome to the forum!!!! @bill_the_bass - everyone... everyone - @bill_the_bass ;

Bridgehouse

@bill_the_bass  what do you play?

bill_the_bass

That Warvel above and a Sterling Ray 5

Bridgehouse

bill_the_bass said:

That Warvel above and a Sterling Ray 5

Yep - I saw them at the Jam day

Was more of a comment on your name choice - straight and to the point

axisus

My three main guitars are all built by me and all given an aged finish. I have no qualms about more dings!

When I used to buy expensive 'as new' or new guitars I HATED the thought of any damage, that's why I stopped owning them.

Bigsby

poopot said:

I can’t grasp the fact that folk would not gig/play their guitar for fear of it getting battered!...

its like buying a car and then not driving it just in case the tyres get dirty!...

guitars (whatever brand/make) are built to have the living shit played out of them... end of... look after them yes... but don’t obsess over them and keep them locked away!... play the crap out of it... if it gets battered and you don’t like the look get it refinished and start the cycle over

To explore the car analogy, imagine you've got three cars, a hatchback, a classic sports car, and a 4x4. You'd probably avoid off-roading the hatch back, using the sports car for the school run, or taking the 4x4 to a classic car rally. I have actually met people who own vintage cars that they won't drive in the rain...

Same with guitars, the beat up Tele that reveals 20 years of gigging will get polished less than the £5,000 quilt top, the vintage Les Paul won't get gigged for fear of getting nicked, and the Partscaster will get more 'tinkering time' than the rest of them, regardless of how much it gets played. There's nothing wrong with keeping a guitar pristine, if that's what someone wants to do! Personally, I have a couple of guitars I'd like to keep pristine - but one is a real player, and I know it'll get dinged eventually, and I'm OK with that. But I've got other guitars that I play the crap out of - and I wouldn't ever bother to get one of those refinished. Any wear & tear is part of it's history with me.  

johnhe

My two strats have both had a few dinks, which I’m not annoyed about at all. I was gutted when I first noticed them, but over time, I actually grew to like the fact that they’re now a little naturally roadworn. 

https://imgur.com/gallery/lLD5Jbh

https://imgur.com/gallery/hO9efEG

jonnyburgo

gordiji said:

Whether a guitar, car or clothing i couldn't care less if scratches & dings occur, it's inevitable & almost makes me feel happier when 'pristine' is lost.

That said i would never buy a new relic and abhor the dea of it. The manufacturers must be pissing themselves with what they can get away with. Each to their own.

I would have thought that a realistic relic finish is more time consuming and expensive  to produce for a manufacturer.

Strat54

I have a 20 yr old one off masterbuilt Esquire that was NOS when I got it in 1999 but now its covered in lacquer checking and has numerous dings on the edges. I've worn the neck finish through on the back in places and on the fingerboard too. The body is wearing through on the forearm and on the back, the headstock is chipped,paint is blistering in places and I have enjoyed every moment of its life. Its never in the case. Looks like a relic now and has a great patina, its getting ready for a refret too. Love it and couldn't care less about the cosmetics nor the fact it cost me $3500 back then. If I like a guitar I play it and enjoy the moment. 

thegummy

jonnyburgo said:

gordiji said:

Whether a guitar, car or clothing i couldn't care less if scratches & dings occur, it's inevitable & almost makes me feel happier when 'pristine' is lost.

That said i would never buy a new relic and abhor the dea of it. The manufacturers must be pissing themselves with what they can get away with. Each to their own.

I would have thought that a realistic relic finish is more time consuming and expensive  to produce for a manufacturer.

It definitely is time consuming but what I took gordiji's statement to mean is that when a company wants to sell a guitar for more money, they don't necessarily have to come up with innovations or ways to make it a better instrument in any way, they can spend time ruining the finish and people will pay more for it.