Normal Finish Vs Artisan Aged

[TalismanRich]

Its one thing to try to mimic the wear on a special guitar,  like Rory's or Page or Hendrix.   Fake relics mean nothing to me.   If I am buying a new guitar,  give it to me in pristine condition, and if it gets dinged and dented,  well that's part of the process.

When I was a kid, if my jeans got a rip in the knee,  Mom put a patch on it.  Any kid who came to school wearing something like this would be a candidate for clothes donations at Christmas.  We would NEVER have bought a pair with rips already in them.   They certainly wouldn't have paid $225.+

They sell new ones at Walmart for about $20.

[29er]

This thread cracks me up. My core question was simply if anyone had any knowledge as to why there is no price difference between the relic finish and the normal finish. Only one person offered up any info on that question but the rest of it is all opinion on relic finishes. No worries, it just shows how strongly folks who hate relicing REALLY hate relicing  FWIW, my 30 year old Warmoth Strat has real world battle scars and I think I'd feel a bit foolish buying a new relic finish. Still, I am going to own a H-530 sometime soon. Peace!

[TalismanRich]

I'm guessing that only a few people on here really know what goes into the Artisan Aging process.   Its only been available for just over a year, and with last year's PSP being cancelled,  we didn't have the opportunity to see the process.

Looking at the Heritage website,  it has the Artisan Aged line listed, but under each of the 4 colors available is  Discontinued.    I'm guessing they were testing the market, and any new aged guitars would be custom shop models, with the added price tag. 

It probably also means that means anyone wanting to get an aged model better grab one while they can.

 

[JeffB]

11 hours ago, 29er said:

This thread cracks me up. My core question was simply if anyone had any knowledge as to why there is no price difference between the relic finish and the normal finish. Only one person offered up any info on that question but the rest of it is all opinion on relic finishes. No worries, it just shows how strongly folks who hate relicing REALLY hate relicing  FWIW, my 30 year old Warmoth Strat has real world battle scars and I think I'd feel a bit foolish buying a new relic finish. Still, I am going to own a H-530 sometime soon. Peace!

Pffft. I read the thread title, not the OP, no ones got time for that.

Just had to get the outrage out while it was still fresh and before I forgot what triggered me.

[buzzy]

When I bought a Heritage, the chorus chanted

you don't look at the headstock when you are playing the guitar

 

maybe it is more than marketing . . . could be that looking at a beat up guitar while playing it inspires a more authentic guitar face

[zguitar71]

I always post a picture of the H150GT on these relicing threads. I have been hard at the relic project for a bit of time now but it’s on hold until gigs start back up. 

[GuitarsGuitarsGuitars]

20 hours ago, 29er said:

This thread cracks me up. My core question was simply if anyone had any knowledge as to why there is no price difference between the relic finish and the normal finish. Only one person offered up any info on that question but the rest of it is all opinion on relic finishes. No worries, it just shows how strongly folks who hate relicing REALLY hate relicing  FWIW, my 30 year old Warmoth Strat has real world battle scars and I think I'd feel a bit foolish buying a new relic finish. Still, I am going to own a H-530 sometime soon. Peace!

Good luck with your purchase.  P90s are cool.

Taking a screwdriver to a perfectly good Brand New guitar = Not cool.

[FredZepp]

I've been into vintage instruments since the late 70's.  It always was a treat when someone would pull out an instrument that had some years and miles on it.  Particularly those fine guitars from Kalamazoo.  But the vintage guitar market has taken many of these to astronomical prices, particularly those sweet old Les Paul models that I love. 

So the Artisan Aged Heritages really appeal to me.  They are not beat up or fake looking.. just aged to give the feel of a guitar that wasn't just made yesterday.   And by adding the knowledge and expertise of Edwin Wilson , they've really taken Heritage to the next level for me.  A version of the unobtainable vintage instruments that are still crafted at Parsons Street,  I'm a fan.  Most of my favorite Heritages are the ones that have some years on them too. 

[DetroitBlues]

What I like about an aged instrument is less fear of a chip, scratch, pick swirl, etc.

You can take it out, play it, and not worry about the battle scars.

There are many who love to keep their guitars as if they were closet queens.

I prefer to play them, wipe them down occasionally, and take them everywhere.

I’ll add my own mojo in no time.

[JeffB]

The first Estwing hammer I got I spent a bit of time fuzzing up and smoothing out the leather handle so it didnt look new the next day on site. Didnt work, looked shiny with a defective leather handle. Actually took a bout 2months of flooring, framing and roofing before it started looking like a tradesmans hammer. After about 2yrs of sweat and  hard use it looked right. I was at one with it and it hung in my nail bag like a pro. I dropped it down a 3meter brick cavity not long after and its still down there 39yrs later.

The next one I got had a viny grip blue handle and I wore it smooth during the last 2yrs of my apprenticeship then carted it 3500miles to a new home and promptly dropped it in the Indian Ocean building wharf/landing in Fremantle leading up to the Americas Cup. I dont know how that one is going after 37yrs in salt water.

 I know we are all different, different perspectives, different ways of looking at the world. Guitar gear, carpentry tools, they all fall in the same category for me. I can chuck a tool box on the back of a pick up and go out and earn money or/and I can chuck a guitar rig in the back of the car and earn money. Theyre just tools and if Im using them theyre going to get signs of wear, and thats without trying hard, its just the nature of being industrious. Theres just no escaping that theres a possibility of damage and loss.

My guitars are immaculately set up, for me, and sting change on a gigging guitar was always after 2 gigs, Thursday and Friday, new strings for Saturday and Sunday.  I never let a pot remain scratchy and nuts and trems were always maintained. The guitars, amps and pedals were always fully functional professional devices, I look after them. But they all show signs of wear.

If you are industrious and play with intent and you spend time perfecting your craft your tools show signs of wear. Thats all there is to it. You dont need to pay another man to dirty it up for you.

I just dont get relic'ing. . My last attempt at it was trying to mank up a hammer when I was a teenage boy so I could look l could hang with the men. Didnt come close, took about 5 to 10yrs after a 4yr apprenticeship before I couldve hung with the men that I apprenticed under.

If they start relic'ing hand and power tools, thats it. Im going to get back in my spaceship and frak off.

Im going to buy a leather handle Estwing tomorrow. I dont need one, I just like the look of them. Theyre only $9 dearer than they were 37yrs ago! Sometimes it pays to go on an off topic rant, you discover things that are quite remarkably unaffected by inflation!

[skydog52]

I've worked in the trades my whole life. Estwing's are special hammers for sure! Especially the leather handled ones.

Off topic I know.

[ElNumero]

On 4/6/2021 at 7:58 PM, davesultra said:

Phony relic jobs just don't look right on a Heritage guitar. That's just my opinion YMMV.

Differentiate between phony and real!

[ElNumero]

On 4/7/2021 at 1:38 PM, 29er said:

Thanks for all the replies but I guess I should ask a dealer (or even call Heritage themselves) to get an answer to the question of cost. As I mentioned, I don't care either way but wonder why the retail price is the same when comparing a normal finish versus artisan aged. I WILL own a H-530 when I sell a couple of unused guitars

I am sure they would not mind if you offered to pay an "upcharge" for the relicing. Otherwise, I would just be "shhhhhhhhh"

[ElNumero]

On 4/7/2021 at 1:25 PM, JeffB said:

 "shabby chic" treatment.

Nothing in guitar land bothers me. Big neck, skinny neck, whatever, I will adapt. Switch, pick guard  or pick up placement, doesnt matter, I will work around it. Body shape, I make them all look good. String gauge, string type, scale length, pffft, what ever. I dont obsess about the concept of bad/good tone, every guitar or amp sound works somewhere in some context. Short tenon vs long tenon, hot p/ups vs PAF style, locking tuners, floyds, 2 point trems vs 6 screws, none of it even on my radar as things to obsess or worry about. I can even live with the open book headstock shape! !! !!!

but,

Relics I react to in a weird way. I dont like them, even though Ive played some really wonderful playing and sounding relic'd guitars. I just cant stand the lack of authenticity in  them. I realise that is just a personal take on them and sales pretty much show that people dont think they lack authenticity but its been a thing I havnt been able to get past  along the way, particularly when I was selling them. Really had to step outside myself a few times there.
 Relics, or shabby chic, is my old man yelling at clouds trigger, even when I was much younger!

 

IMO people buy reliced guitars to fool the public when playing out. My road worn Fender Strat is, I guess, reliced but they didn't market it that way, they just named them the road worn series. When people see it, they immediately say " wow you played the sh** out of that one!"

OR

Some people like them because they like to do the "driveway toss" with them. It's chic to beat them up even more. 

[ElNumero]

On 4/7/2021 at 4:34 PM, Gitfiddler said:

To me, artificially relic'd instruments are simply a marketing scheme, aimed at a small piece of the guitar buying market.

I've never understood the attraction, but I've also never been involved in sales or marketing.  I suppose the rationale is if guitar builders can increase gross sales another 10% - 20% then why not beat up and 'age' a brand new guitar at the factory.  In other words, give the people what the people want.  As Skydog52 stated, if you want an 'artisan aged' Heritage, get one now.  The current pricing can't be sustainable, and an eventual increase seems inevitable.

Personally, I'll stick to new guitars that look, feel, smell and play like new guitars.  As they are played, dinged, scratched and enjoyed over the years is when the real relic process begins.

 

IF your guitars all look brand new, you ain't playin them enough! Says this man, as he stares at himself in the mirror!!

[ElNumero]

On 4/9/2021 at 7:35 AM, MartyGrass said:

I prefer to relic my own the old fashioned way.  You combine your favorite musician buddies, a small basement party, and unlimited beer.  Give it about six hours.  Nature will do the rest.

And make sure you are in close proximity to the drummer's cymbals.......

[ElNumero]

On 4/10/2021 at 10:14 AM, AP515 said:

Yep, that is precisely my point.  A couple days in a ditch in 65, his acidic sweat from countless hours of play time, buttons on his shirt and the grind of a belt buckle and Levis.  That makes a good relic.  15 minutes on a work bench with a sander is fake honor IMO.

Why was it laying in a ditch?

[ElNumero]

On 4/10/2021 at 1:37 PM, TalismanRich said:

Its one thing to try to mimic the wear on a special guitar,  like Rory's or Page or Hendrix.   Fake relics mean nothing to me.   If I am buying a new guitar,  give it to me in pristine condition, and if it gets dinged and dented,  well that's part of the process.

When I was a kid, if my jeans got a rip in the knee,  Mom put a patch on it.  Any kid who came to school wearing something like this would be a candidate for clothes donations at Christmas.  We would NEVER have bought a pair with rips already in them.   They certainly wouldn't have paid $225.+

They sell new ones at Walmart for about $20.

My God your legs are skinny Rich! "Any kid who came to school wearing something like this would be a candidate for a trip to the principal's office too!"

[ElNumero]

On 4/10/2021 at 3:02 PM, 29er said:

This thread cracks me up. My core question was simply if anyone had any knowledge as to why there is no price difference between the relic finish and the normal finish. Only one person offered up any info on that question but the rest of it is all opinion on relic finishes. No worries, it just shows how strongly folks who hate relicing REALLY hate relicing  FWIW, my 30 year old Warmoth Strat has real world battle scars and I think I'd feel a bit foolish buying a new relic finish. Still, I am going to own a H-530 sometime soon. Peace!

You will soon get to know this group and their cynical sense of humour. Most of us have been on here for more than 12 years!!!

[ElNumero]

My VWB 535 is starting to show dulling of the (nickel I presume?) plated Tonepros tailpiece, the tuners, as well as on the pickup covers. I kind of like it. There is no honest wear on the body yet, but again, I rotate so many guitars constantly, they don't get a chance to wear. I actually bought my Millie DC from Jay Wolfe at a bit of a discount, as there was checking on the front of the guitar from the factory. Apparently, about six years ago or so, there was a bad batch of the nitro, or something happened with the climate control in the building and a few batches came out that way and made it to the dealers. Again, I kind of like the look and I paid a downcharge instead of an upcharge. 

[AP515]

28 minutes ago, ElNumero said:

Why was it laying in a ditch?

He was at a gig and had his Strat but was playing a borrowed Tele.  Somehow someone stole both of them IIRC and they were lost for a couple days.  The police were involved and lots of people were out looking for them.  I guess it scared the thief and so he dumped them in a ditch.  I don't know that they were under water, but they were out in the elements for a couple days. 

[skydog52]

3 hours ago, ElNumero said:

My VWB 535 is starting to show dulling of the (nickel I presume?) plated Tonepros tailpiece, the tuners, as well as on the pickup covers. I kind of like it. There is no honest wear on the body yet, but again, I rotate so many guitars constantly, they don't get a chance to wear. I actually bought my Millie DC from Jay Wolfe at a bit of a discount, as there was checking on the front of the guitar from the factory. Apparently, about six years ago or so, there was a bad batch of the nitro, or something happened with the climate control in the building and a few batches came out that way and made it to the dealers. Again, I kind of like the look and I paid a downcharge instead of an upcharge. 

Climate control? Haaaaaaa.  I remember being there in the dead of winter. Marv would open up one of the boiler steam lines to get some humidity in the shop.

Upstairs there was not much control at all. 

That being said they still produced some of the finest guitars money could buy!

I sound like some old guy reminiscing. Oh wait I am old!

[Steiner]

3 hours ago, skydog52 said:

Climate control? Haaaaaaa.  I remember being there in the dead of winter. Marv would open up one of the boiler steam lines to get some humidity in the shop.

Upstairs there was not much control at all. 

That being said they still produced some of the finest guitars money could buy!

I sound like some old guy reminiscing. Oh wait I am old!

Ahhh...  The good, old days.

+1

[davesultra]

On 4/13/2021 at 12:34 PM, ElNumero said:

Differentiate between phony and real!

Okay, how about artificial vs. natural.  You really don’t need me to ‘splain it to you any further, do you! 

[JeffB]

On 4/14/2021 at 1:06 AM, ElNumero said:

You will soon get to know this group and their cynical sense of humour. Most of us have been on here for more than 12 years!!!

I was a young man when I started here. Now Im not. What happened? I want my money back!