Relic'ing/Aging techniques?

[singlehum]

I'd like to try to age one of my guitars to see if I can replicate what Gibson does for their "authentic" series or Fender does for their relics. Anybody know of a source for finding how to age the finishes and hardware to get that effect? Thanks.

[straycat]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Trial and error is one way.Do plenty of research with pics.
Gibson(Tom Murphy)stuff doesn't look real to me, I think the backs look too new.I handled a Duane Allman Gibson relic and it didn't look anything like Duanes guitar.The Hardware looked too new.

[Ace]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Set it outside for a few days, see where that gets you. Soak anything white in coffee overnight. Play a few shows with no case. Play the crap out of it as often as you can. Drill holes for a new bridge, then put the old one back on. Ding it with a screwdriver a few times.

[guitarsjb]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Tie it to your bumper and drag it around the block.
Ok, seriously...keep it caseless, play it hard, like Ace said. Actually, the more careful I try to be, the more damage I do.

[zeegler]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Get your hands very dirty, and play the guitar for a couple of hours.

Put saltwater in a spray bottle, and give the hardware a mist every couple of days.

Use a heat gun to loosen the paint in the area where you rest your arm, or anywhere else there might be a lot of wear. Pick off the loose paint.

Put the guitar in the back of a pickup truck and drive around for a couple of hours.

[j2379]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

piss on everything metal,& put all plastic parts in a toaster. bring neck & body to local preschool & let the kids go nuts.

[PallarAndersVisa]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

set the paint on fire with WD-40 give it some burn spots and burn away some paint

[Hookbeard]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Gentle blowtorching in a few spots will give those battle scars. Or for a more suble effect you can use a small amount of heat to crackle the finish. Follow that up with a few scratches on the back from your belt to simulate buckle rash.

[Sunbane]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Hmm...radical suggestions indeed.

The things I like to see in a used guitar, is something that has been well kept - yet worn by many many hours of playing. Like my Model 6 for instance: It has a minimum of dings and no rust on the hardware, but the clearcoat is worn thin in a few places (like on the back, and on the forearm bevel), and the black coating on the finetuners has been worn down along the edges to reveal the brass underneath. If I was to relic a guitar, I'd try to mimic that sort of wear with a very fine grit wetsanding paper or something.

[Zerberus]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

staircase + guitar = Instant Relic [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[txcharvel]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

[ QUOTE ]
Hmm...radical suggestions indeed.

The things I like to see in a used guitar, is something that has been well kept - yet worn by many many hours of playing. Like my Model 6 for instance: It has a minimum of dings and no rust on the hardware, but the clearcoat is worn thin in a few places (like on the back, and on the forearm bevel), and the black coating on the finetuners has been worn down along the edges to reveal the brass underneath. If I was to relic a guitar, I'd try to mimic that sort of wear with a very fine grit wetsanding paper or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] This is the key to a relic guitar. The guitar should not look abused, it should look loved. It should look well played, but well taken care of. Dings don't make a guitar look like a relic.

[slash]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Why not buy it in mint condition and let time relic it then? I just don't understand the market for a new guitar that looks like it's 30 years old and well played. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[slevy007]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

I actually was told that burying the hardware in the ground for a little while will tarnish it just right. No joke.

slevy007

[Drsracing]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

Don't put a Pickguard in the Oven what ever you do(I did)

[XSSIVE]

Re: Relic\'ing/Aging techniques?

well, don't even bother if it's a poly finished guitar. that would just look like a chipped up pile of junk. it won't get the nice arm wear or any of that. the finish is way too thick for that to look anywhere near real. you also can't get finish checking in poly paint no matter how long you freeze it for. just an FYI if it is poly.

-Mike