How do you deal with (very minor) emotional trauma when your guitar got...

Jim Kaznosky

I think Craig B. is going to slap me when he sees mine again.

Buco

lewischang88 wrote: »

Anyway, here is a photo of my guitar the day it came into my life.

Looks good. But it needs a scratch or two.

alton wrote: »

A buddy of mine recently bought a 1960 Stratocaster. It has had a hard life and has almost no finish left on it. It sounds AWESOME. Yet he wants to have it professionally refinished and reliced by "this guy in Ohio (or somewhere similar) who is world famous for his relic jobs." Because well, you know, it should still look like a '60 Strat. Perhaps this relicing thing has gone too far.

Now that's taking the soul out of a guitar.

scot

How/why do scratches and dents make a guitar "better"? Why do people prefer a scratched and dented guitar?

I think having that Strat "relic-ed" would be pretty foolish as it would seriously diminish it's dollar value. But if it had any effect on the sound, which I doubt, it would be miniscule. Or would it? Someone convince me that my Favino would somehow be a better guitar, would sound better, if I had been more casual in taking care of it.

Bear in mind that an audience not made up of guitarists does not care any more about the guitar you play than they do about your stage rig. That stuff is for you

Bones

What Jazza said. I'm always paranoid when I play someone else's guitar. I guess it's just a matter of common courtesy.

As far as relic finishes, I know they do that with violin family instruments but it's just for looks rather than sound IMHO.

Yeah some common wear is fine but you definitely don't want large areas of exposed bare wood like where your fingers brush the top or on the back of the neck. And you don't want to wear into the top wood by wearing it down with excessive pick motion or fingernail scraping.

Bare wood = no bueno! There is a reason why we put 'finish' on the wood. I like those thin plastic pick guards that don't have adhesive. Easy to remove, protect the wood and (so far) have not reacted with the finish.

ChrisMartin

alton wrote: »

A buddy of mine recently bought a 1960 Stratocaster. It has had a hard life and has almost no finish left on it. It sounds AWESOME. Yet he wants to have it professionally refinished and reliced by "this guy in Ohio (or somewhere similar) who is world famous for his relic jobs." Because well, you know, it should still look like a '60 Strat. Perhaps this relicing thing has gone too far.

That is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time. Ruin what may be an original to make it something it isn't and pay to have it done? He is losing both ways.

pmg

A well known French guitarist ruined the top of my then pristine Shelley Park at a raucous jam at the Edgecliff several years ago. I thought I could get comfortable with the deep scratches - but could not as the guitar was too good looking otherwise. After a year I could not take it any more and I sent it back to Shelley and she fully restored the top to as new for a very reasonable price. If you can't get comfortable with it, get it refinished. Not a big deal and probably not very expensive. Buy a cheaper used guitar as a back-up and to take to rough jams or to give to your shredder buddies when they want to try a GJ guitar.

In my view there is big difference between older well worn guitars and even artificially stressed guitars as compared to an otherwise great looking guitar with just a few obvious noticeable scratches. I can handle a full ugly guitar just fine - especially if it sounds and plays great. That is not what you have though.

lewischang88

OMG @pmg ! Sorry to hear, man!

My post might have struck a chord (is that a pun?!?!) with a few folks here...

alton

@Buco , @scot, @Chris Martin - I agree. Oh, I am trying really hard to convince him to leave it be. It's a badass guitfiddle. Refret? Sure. Why not? You gotta be able to play it. Refinish? Hell no. I think that his problem is that he also has a '61 Strat that is in beautiful condition, with some very minor wear simply due to it being 50+ years old, and he wants it to be more like that.

I guess that my point in sharing that is that relic-ing has become so common and accepted that I know someone who wants to refinish an old and valuable instrument, and then have it relic-ed to look like an old and valuable instrument.

People are strange.

lewischang88

@alton You said your friend recently bought it. That means he hasn't had an emotional connection with the guitar. No wonder he would think of doing weird things to it.

I don't think there is anything you can do to stop him with logic. Why not encourage him, and say you don't care if it got ruined.

Jazzaferri

Its becoming a strange world indeed. Relic'd guitars, jeans at Nordstom's for only $440.00 with fake mudstains and holes.

If a guitar is pristine and a player can keep it that way great. If one is somewhat distracted when playing/performing and bangs the guitar a bit so be it.

Neither will change the sound of a guitar. Playing one a lot will, which leads me to wonder if the commercialization of distressed looking musical instruments is to intimate that they were played by a "pro" whatever that means today.

Me, I would need an industrial grade guitar if I were to keep it mark free. Probably be tgoo heavy to carry.