Modern tele relic hotrod .... and loads of other things to disturb the purists

WezV

I am leaving it as is.  This was all about the relic style on a non-authentic guitar.

the forearm wear is comparable with many much more expensive relics which people lust after.  It's okay if you don't like it, but I got what I was after 

fretmeister

That is really nice.

Jalapeno

WezV said:

I am leaving it as is.  This was all about the relic style on a non-authentic guitar.

the forearm wear is comparable with many much more expensive relics which people lust after.  It's okay if you don't like it, but I got what I was after 

The whole thing looks fabulous, just wondered is all .....

WezV

Jalapeno said:

WezV said:

I am leaving it as is.  This was all about the relic style on a non-authentic guitar.

the forearm wear is comparable with many much more expensive relics which people lust after.  It's okay if you don't like it, but I got what I was after 

The whole thing looks fabulous, just wondered is all .....

Thank you.  It seemed an odd question given the wear is obviously intentional.

Jack_

Not a fan of the plate, but the rest is lovely.

How did you do the wear on the neck?

Jalapeno

WezV said:

Jalapeno said:

WezV said:

I am leaving it as is.  This was all about the relic style on a non-authentic guitar.

the forearm wear is comparable with many much more expensive relics which people lust after.  It's okay if you don't like it, but I got what I was after 

The whole thing looks fabulous, just wondered is all .....

Thank you.  It seemed an odd question given the wear is obviously intentional.

Rory's Strat, THE original relic - the finish seems to flake off rather than just wear down - that's all that I was curious about.  As I said it looks superb !

WezV

It's a good point, but Rory's strat isn't the only example of genuine wear.   It's caused by extreme fluctuations in humidity and acidic sweat so the paint falls off rather than wears away.

 There are many original guitars which have a bit of the belt sander look.  If you look at vintage example of Pelham/lake placid blues you will see they are bluer in the high wear areas where the yellow clear coat wears away, they are sometimes patchy where the colour coat has worn, and sometimes show wood where all 3 layers have slowly worn.  That's what I have gone for here.

Jalapeno

WezV

Now I am on a proper PC - here is an apparently all original 65 LPB finish.  it has a good mixture or wear and tobacco staining. You can see the extra blueness near the contour wear through, you can see the patchiness of the white primer showing through in this area.

The wear in  he cutaway looks totally fake and I would never copy it

and another

and a $4k custom shop recreation of a similar guitar

I have not copied specificc wear here, but I like to think of the way the wear will have been created when I am doing it

Apologies they are all Lake Placid and mine is Pelham - Its probably the closest old fender colour

WezV

Jack_ said:

Not a fan of the plate, but the rest is lovely.

How did you do the wear on the neck?

The plate may still change back to white once the pickup arrives.   I will need to decide what looks best.

This is the mockup - pickup is one order (it won't be reliced as it may not stay in this guitar, I may build something new around it later).  I purposely did a swimming pool route for maximum options on this guitar

 

the fretbaord wear is done with  a little bit of paint stripper - the neck above was the first attempt with this technique and the patterns are not perfect.  I used the same technique with a small artists brush to do the neck on the right here,  a more subtle relic and i got a better tear drop shape. neck on the left is a custom shop one.  The paint stripper is very fast but stays where you put it, thinners and a cotton bud will get you there slower on a nitro neck.  I have done that way a few times but found it harder to control and see how far you have gone - thinners move fast!

WezV

I have also done the manual scrape and sand method but it's not my favourite.  You often see a dremel recommended for fretboard wear.  

 I have spent loads of time repairing fretboard divots or genuinely old guitars.... I can't bring myself to recreate them any deeper than the finish on new relics

WezV

I strung it up today.  

I decided to go with some chrome schaller locking tuners with staggered height posts.   They are the cleanest looking  most modern hardware on the guitar.  They also happen to be about 15 years old.   I think having the oldest part looking the newest suits this build.   They have a bit of weight but are awesome tuners.   But I think i still need a string tree for the B and E as the stagger is quite slight

Its still not wired or anything, but i have been playing it for the last few hours and it sounds very nice so far.  Really nice bloom to the  notes.  The risk here is the  presence of a neck pickup can change it all

WezV

well its just about done... just waiting on a round tele string tree and switch tip... but I have been playing it for the last few weeks

I ended up putting some wood back in the  neck pickup route to give better support to the mojo.  Basically I made a wooden mounting plate that is screwed in place and can be easily removed to make way for other pickup styles later.  But I am happier with the way these pickups are working together now - they are very different, but sound great together.

The crazing on the thin finish has worked really well.  The finish is a bit rough looking, being a bit  uneven, sunken and crazed.... but i like it  



The £4 torty plate is excellent now its gloss has been softened