Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In with Google

Become a Subscriber!

Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!

Read more...

“Masterbuilt” or “guitar by stencil”...

What's Hot
13468917

Comments

  • LewyLewy Frets: 4127

    phil_b said:

    a real reliced  guitar. and it does not look like someone spilt paint stripper on it


    It's probably had it's fair share of Elnett on it, though.....
    4reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LewyLewy Frets: 4127
    Schnozz said:
    I understand the point of a satin body, gun oiled neck and rolled edges for a played in feel.

    If you have a relic to make it look like you've been on the road for years when you play down the pub, then I think it's just tragic more than anything else. The amount of sad acts saying "I done that" when they point at the pre-aged tele pickguard is laughable.
    Laughably non-existent. Seriously, nobody does that.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 5reaction image Wisdom
  • bgmartinsbridgebgmartinsbridge Frets: 2853
    edited September 2019
    It just amazes me the absolute total hatred of relics by some people and more scarey, the total contempt shown and misunderstanding as to why someone would not buy a nos finish by the same people. 



    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • ennspekennspek Frets: 1626
    I buy the guitars that sound best to me. Some are relics, some are not. Not really fussed either way.
    Don't quite understand the depth of feeling some of the anti-relic people seem to have. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 5reaction image Wisdom
  • phil_bphil_b Frets: 2010
    Lewy said:

    phil_b said:

    a real reliced  guitar. and it does not look like someone spilt paint stripper on it


    It's probably had it's fair share of Elnett on it, though.....
    probably but it adds to the tone
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    ennspek said:
    I buy the guitars that sound best to me. Some are relics, some are not. Not really fussed either way.
    Don't quite understand the depth of feeling some of the anti-relic people seem to have. 
    Agree. I love relics and NOS guitars in equal measure. A good guitar is a good guitar. 
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893
    edited September 2019
    Love my 2018 VOS 335, don't feel like I have to baby it. I guess with a relic'd Fender guitar you can just throw it around, a Gibson would still snap though
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • jeztone2jeztone2 Frets: 2160
    Schnozz said:
    I understand the point of a satin body, gun oiled neck and rolled edges for a played in feel.

    If you have a relic to make it look like you've been on the road for years when you play down the pub, then I think it's just tragic more than anything else. The amount of sad acts saying "I done that" when they point at the pre-aged tele pickguard is laughable. 

    If you play regularly you can see the wear after 3/4 years and it's more sentimental.
    Exactly my Tele fell off a stand at its first gig. I shat myself at the time but now it’s a quite funny memory. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • KittyfriskKittyfrisk Frets: 18389
    Lewy said:

    phil_b said:

    a real reliced  guitar. and it does not look like someone spilt paint stripper on it


    It's probably had it's fair share of Elnett on it, though.....
    Can't beat a lacquer finish.
    5reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11414

    I've said it before but aged C/Shop replicas out sell NOS models but something like an 80/20 ratio and I think it is higher than that - Every time I've stocked any NOS models they have nearly always had to be slashed in price to sell - So  like it or lump it, the product range is successful and I can personally vouch that many relic buyers are not idiots

    The problem is that you often have no option but to buy a relic.  I ended up with a heavy relic Tele a few years ago.  Not that I wanted a heavy relic, but it was the only vintage spec CS Tele in the shop.  If I'd had the option, I'd have gone for something in NOS.

    I ended up selling that guitar, and I don't think I'd ever buy another one.  There were some other things about it that I grew not to like, and I needed some money to buy a piano for my daughter, but I really didn't like the fake aging.  I also really don't like the way all the lacquer was sanded off the neck.

    I'm not sure if I will ever buy another CS Tele, as I have too many guitars already, but if I do, it will ideally be NOS, or possibly closet classic.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 4reaction image Wisdom
  • Some fairly strong feelings from people coming out here.

    We should all probably refrain from calling each other "morons" and "idiots". :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 11reaction image Wisdom
  • Two friends of mine both wanted to buy non-relic'd custom shop strats but struggled to find any to try.  I think the demand for relic'd guitars will diminish over time.  Perhaps younger players won't view beaten up 50's and 60's guitars as desirable as those of us of a certain age and hence may prefer to buy a guitar with its finish intact.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Only reason I'd buy a poorly finished, battered guitar is if it was cheaper than a good condition one or if it sounded better
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 11reaction image Wisdom
  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
    More intriguing that those who bash relics, is why the defenders take it so personally. It's just opinion. I personally prefer NOS and struggled last year when I was shopping for a CS Strat - I think I narrowed it down to about 5 in the country!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 7reaction image Wisdom
  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    Ok... just to point out... this thread was not about how anyone feels about relics... love them or hate them they are a thing, they exist and folk buy them....


    This thread was highlighting the fact that fender have been charging a premium for their “Masterbuilt”  guitars which are clearly not unique, one offs or in anyway “artisan”...

    in other words... fender are charging a huge premium for made up “masterbuilders” who in reality prolly wouldn’t know which way round to hold the guitar in the first place!!!!!

    And a lot of folk fall for this marketing crap... same as the Abby wound pickups etc etc etc...

    to quote public enemy...

    ”don’t believe the hype”
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 11reaction image Wisdom
  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    phil_b said:

    a real reliced  guitar. and it does not look like someone spilt paint stripper on it


    Close-ups do show it's lived a hard life - that might be a new neck pickup - the original was beaten to death by his sixoence plectrum !
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14037
    edited September 2019 tFB Trader
    crunchman said:

    I've said it before but aged C/Shop replicas out sell NOS models but something like an 80/20 ratio and I think it is higher than that - Every time I've stocked any NOS models they have nearly always had to be slashed in price to sell - So  like it or lump it, the product range is successful and I can personally vouch that many relic buyers are not idiots

    The problem is that you often have no option but to buy a relic.  I ended up with a heavy relic Tele a few years ago.  Not that I wanted a heavy relic, but it was the only vintage spec CS Tele in the shop.  If I'd had the option, I'd have gone for something in NOS.

    I ended up selling that guitar, and I don't think I'd ever buy another one.  There were some other things about it that I grew not to like, and I needed some money to buy a piano for my daughter, but I really didn't like the fake ageing.  I also really don't like the way all the lacquer was sanded off the neck.

    I'm not sure if I will ever buy another CS Tele, as I have too many guitars already, but if I do, it will ideally be NOS, or possibly closet classic.

    I hear that view point so many times and I can't deny your thought pattern - But take into account that my side of the story is based on around 25 years of selling such guitars - Every time we stock some they just don't sell, until I reduce them fairly heavily - I have a nice NOS 52 Tele in stock now - Not only has it not sold yet, to date, the 'viewing click counter' that I can see on my web site, ref the viewing figures for each guitar, is also lower than others

    From my point of view I think the issue is as follows - NOS sales are small in comparison - As such we stock less - So whilst I might have around 30 x 60's Strats on the wall with an aged character - If I stock say 5 in NOS for some choice, then everything I have is wrong - I spec it in blue with hand wound fat 60's pick-ups and 6105 frets - The customer will say if that had 6100 frets and 69 pick-ups then I'd buy it - Bottom line is we get frustrated with sales and stocking the 'wrong item' that we tend to ignore them as an option 

    Further more, over the years when customers order and create their own 'dream machine' from the C/Shop ala carte menu, very few are ordered as an NOS model


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    dindude said:
    More intriguing that those who bash relics, is why the defenders take it so personally. It's just opinion. I personally prefer NOS and struggled last year when I was shopping for a CS Strat - I think I narrowed it down to about 5 in the country!
    Might be due to the name calling that comes with it. 




    3reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    guitars4you said:
    Further more, over the years when customers order and create their own 'dream machine' from the C/Shop ala carte menu, very few are ordered as an NOS model

    That's a good reminder that custom orders are an option for those who want NOS. 

    I realise there's the risk that it may not turn out exactly as you hoped, in comparison with trying 10 or 20 off-the-shelf guitars and picking the one you like best.  But no shop will have 10 or 20 identically-spec'd guitars for you to try and compare anyway.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • BoltersBolters Frets: 41
    edited September 2019
    poopot said:
    Ok... just to point out... this thread was not about how anyone feels about relics... love them or hate them they are a thing, they exist and folk buy them....


    This thread was highlighting the fact that fender have been charging a premium for their “Masterbuilt”  guitars which are clearly not unique, one offs or in anyway “artisan”...

    in other words... fender are charging a huge premium for made up “masterbuilders” who in reality prolly wouldn’t know which way round to hold the guitar in the first place!!!!!

    And a lot of folk fall for this marketing crap... same as the Abby wound pickups etc etc etc...

    to quote public enemy...

    ”don’t believe the hype”
    Can't speak for most of them, never even heard of most of the 'masterbuilders' nowadays. But Ron Thorn is the real deal and in my humble opinion one of the finest guitar builders on the planet.

    Edit: to correct my shockingly poor spelling
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 5reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.