distress

[buzzy]

I would've rather posted in an existing thread on the topic of distressed finishes and I'm not promoting a revived discussion.

 

just to add a data point for the subject:

A trip to Dave's has changed my opinion on distressed finishes.  I went from indifference and 'to each his own' to 'I really like this' and rationalizing a buy.  With near zero previous experience and feeble standing, I confidently state that the Artisan Aged H530 hanging in La Crosse is a work of fine art.

Very well done.

 

YMMV and all that.  I hope each and everyone here at the HOC are doing well, playing a lot and finding your joy.

[skydog52]

I'm with you. I go back and forth on whether I like it. Right now I like them.

Heritage I think does a great job on their aging process.

 

[brentrocks]

I don’t mean to be contrary, but some of the artisan aged heritages that I’ve seen, I think they go a little too far. What I mean is that I think they should’ve turned it back a couple clicks and not gone as deep into the aging process as some of them do. But that is just my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions…

[buzzy]

Brent, in my opinion, I held in my hand one of those 'over the top' examples.  A new guitar that looks old DEMANDS some degree of cognitive dissonance.  I had to seek out, cling to and defend an opinion in order to work out the mental confusion.  I simply felt that creating those details required a level of care equal to or exceeding that of an Artist grade top, in my opinion.

Thinking of a guitar's appearance as primary is a notable, maybe a momentous flip flop for me.  

 

Wow.  Huge font.  I need a nap.

[yoslate]

Interesting thread on this topic...rather than the usual binary love 'em-hate 'em survey.  I like old things.  Good place to be now, given my age....  I've always been a fan of distressed, aged, whatever you want to call it.  I guess that harkens back to my early experiences with vintage guitars (then, they were just "used") and the nicks, bumps, bruises and lack of shiny newness, which always spoke to their experiences, and often, the simple fact they were usually good instruments, not to mention more affordable than new.  So I've owned a few intentionally aged instruments. 

Two in particular were G. Custom Shop Lesters, an R4 Robbie Krieger, and an R7 Goldtop.  They were both terrific!  Could gig 'em with impunity and they had a great "old boots" feel.  The R7 was an ideal platform for my vintage PAF's!  Close as I'll ever get to the "real thing."  That guitar was a lot of fun!  And boy, did G beat that one up!  Pretty extreme.  The Krieger was supposed to replicate the original's crazing, dings and all.  Less abused than the Goldtop, but still had been given a whuppin'.  Both had a nice, broken-way-in feel. 

Which brings me to my latest, the Custom Core 150, with Artisan Aging.  It's different from the others.  There are some pinhead-sized dings spread out over it, just into the finish, but nothing that reveals wood.  The hairline crazing is all over the guitar, everywhere, but consistently fine so that in low light, or from five feet away, you can't really see it.  And the finish has a consistent, dull-ish semi-gloss patina that suggests a little oxidation of the clear coat or wear...without looking worn.  Just as with so many other features on the guitar, the finish seems a very, very consciously thought-out and executed feature.  I think buzzy's comment above suggests the same.  The effect is almost more tactile, than visual.  The "aging" is certainly there, but subtle, tasteful; it's really more of a patina or an actual finish than the "event" it is with the G's or on Bill Nash's pieces.    

[Gitfiddler]

Here's a photo of the 'naturally' aged '57 G i b s o n Goldtop of the late, great Bruce Conte, Tower of Power's amazing guitarist.  RIP, Bruce.

Here what it sounded like.........

 

[bolero]

Some rabid fan must have taken a bite out of the pickguard!

[bolero]

3 hours ago, yoslate said:

Interesting thread on this topic...rather than the usual binary love 'em-hate 'em survey.  I like old things.  Good place to be now, given my age....  I've always been a fan of distressed, aged, whatever you want to call it.  I guess that harkens back to my early experiences with vintage guitars (then, they were just "used") and the nicks, bumps, bruises and lack of shiny newness, which always spoke to their experiences, and often, the simple fact they were usually good instruments, not to mention more affordable than new.  So I've owned a few intentionally aged instruments. 

Two in particular were G. Custom Shop Lesters, an R4 Robbie Krieger, and an R7 Goldtop.  They were both terrific!  Could gig 'em with impunity and they had a great "old boots" feel.  The R7 was an ideal platform for my vintage PAF's!  Close as I'll ever get to the "real thing."  That guitar was a lot of fun!  And boy, did G beat that one up!  Pretty extreme.  The Krieger was supposed to replicate the original's crazing, dings and all.  Less abused than the Goldtop, but still had been given a whuppin'.  Both had a nice, broken-way-in feel. 

Which brings me to my latest, the Custom Core 150, with Artisan Aging.  It's different from the others.  There are some pinhead-sized dings spread out over it, just into the finish, but nothing that reveals wood.  The hairline crazing is all over the guitar, everywhere, but consistently fine so that in low light, or from five feet away, you can't really see it.  And the finish has a consistent, dull-ish semi-gloss patina that suggests a little oxidation of the clear coat or wear...without looking worn.  Just as with so many other features on the guitar, the finish seems a very, very consciously thought-out and executed feature.  I think buzzy's comment above suggests the same.  The effect is almost more tactile, than visual.  The "aging" is certainly there, but subtle, tasteful; it's really more of a patina or an actual finish than the "event" it is with the G's or on Bill Nash's pieces.    

Damn you, stop posting pics of that thing....."don't tempt me, Frodo!! "

?

[rockabilly69]

I've never been a fan of relics, but I saw an aged H150 at store in Salt Lake City Utah that really felt like an old guitar on the best ways, but then a few months later, I got my hands on two H530s where I felt they went way over the top, especially on the hardware.

[DetroitBlues]

I'm not afraid of relic'd guitars at all.  In fact, I'm a fan of the used and abused.  Even repaired headstocks because that means I can probably afford them.

It's hard to find a really worn out Heritage, despite the old methodology on how they were finished, but there are so many that are well loved and used.  Finding one with a solid repaired headstock break is fantastic.

Not that I think any "relic'd" job should include such extreme measures, but it doesn't make me shy away at all.

[bobmeyrick]

20 hours ago, Gitfiddler said:

Here's a photo of the 'naturally' aged '57 G i b s o n Goldtop of the late, great Bruce Conte, Tower of Power's amazing guitarist.  RIP, Bruce.

Here what it sounded like.........

 

Interesting bridge on that Les Paul. A bit of Googling reveals it to be a Stars Guitars brass model, as used on Alembic guitars. How did we manage before the internet, eh?

[Kuz]

On 8/29/2021 at 1:32 PM, yoslate said:

Interesting thread on this topic...rather than the usual binary love 'em-hate 'em survey.  I like old things.  Good place to be now, given my age....  I've always been a fan of distressed, aged, whatever you want to call it.  I guess that harkens back to my early experiences with vintage guitars (then, they were just "used") and the nicks, bumps, bruises and lack of shiny newness, which always spoke to their experiences, and often, the simple fact they were usually good instruments, not to mention more affordable than new.  So I've owned a few intentionally aged instruments. 

Two in particular were G. Custom Shop Lesters, an R4 Robbie Krieger, and an R7 Goldtop.  They were both terrific!  Could gig 'em with impunity and they had a great "old boots" feel.  The R7 was an ideal platform for my vintage PAF's!  Close as I'll ever get to the "real thing."  That guitar was a lot of fun!  And boy, did G beat that one up!  Pretty extreme.  The Krieger was supposed to replicate the original's crazing, dings and all.  Less abused than the Goldtop, but still had been given a whuppin'.  Both had a nice, broken-way-in feel. 

Which brings me to my latest, the Custom Core 150, with Artisan Aging.  It's different from the others.  There are some pinhead-sized dings spread out over it, just into the finish, but nothing that reveals wood.  The hairline crazing is all over the guitar, everywhere, but consistently fine so that in low light, or from five feet away, you can't really see it.  And the finish has a consistent, dull-ish semi-gloss patina that suggests a little oxidation of the clear coat or wear...without looking worn.  Just as with so many other features on the guitar, the finish seems a very, very consciously thought-out and executed feature.  I think buzzy's comment above suggests the same.  The effect is almost more tactile, than visual.  The "aging" is certainly there, but subtle, tasteful; it's really more of a patina or an actual finish than the "event" it is with the G's or on Bill Nash's pieces.    

I'll make this quick and to the point.... that is the finest 150 I have ever seen.  The color, the contour of the fade, and the finish checking (but not through the wood) aging...  It is just perfect.  Period. 

[rockabilly69]

On 9/1/2021 at 12:20 PM, Kuz said:

I'll make this quick and to the point.... that is the finest 150 I have ever seen.  The color, the contour of the fade, and the finish checking (but not through the wood) aging...  It is just perfect.  Period. 

I would like to see/feel the finish in person to make the call, but from here, it looks pretty cool!

[Kuz]

I had a '64 335 and the finish checking was exactly like this Core 150.  Thin, tiny lacquer checking completely all over the guitar but no dings in the wood.  I got a good price for it when I sold it 12-15 years ago.... but it is one of a couple guitars I wish I never sold.

[pegleg32]

On 8/29/2021 at 11:32 AM, yoslate said:

Interesting thread on this topic...rather than the usual binary love 'em-hate 'em survey.  I like old things.  Good place to be now, given my age....  I've always been a fan of distressed, aged, whatever you want to call it.  I guess that harkens back to my early experiences with vintage guitars (then, they were just "used") and the nicks, bumps, bruises and lack of shiny newness, which always spoke to their experiences, and often, the simple fact they were usually good instruments, not to mention more affordable than new.  So I've owned a few intentionally aged instruments. 

Two in particular were G. Custom Shop Lesters, an R4 Robbie Krieger, and an R7 Goldtop.  They were both terrific!  Could gig 'em with impunity and they had a great "old boots" feel.  The R7 was an ideal platform for my vintage PAF's!  Close as I'll ever get to the "real thing."  That guitar was a lot of fun!  And boy, did G beat that one up!  Pretty extreme.  The Krieger was supposed to replicate the original's crazing, dings and all.  Less abused than the Goldtop, but still had been given a whuppin'.  Both had a nice, broken-way-in feel. 

Which brings me to my latest, the Custom Core 150, with Artisan Aging.  It's different from the others.  There are some pinhead-sized dings spread out over it, just into the finish, but nothing that reveals wood.  The hairline crazing is all over the guitar, everywhere, but consistently fine so that in low light, or from five feet away, you can't really see it.  And the finish has a consistent, dull-ish semi-gloss patina that suggests a little oxidation of the clear coat or wear...without looking worn.  Just as with so many other features on the guitar, the finish seems a very, very consciously thought-out and executed feature.  I think buzzy's comment above suggests the same.  The effect is almost more tactile, than visual.  The "aging" is certainly there, but subtle, tasteful; it's really more of a patina or an actual finish than the "event" it is with the G's or on Bill Nash's pieces.    

 

Yoslate, I like that they age the finish without purposely damaging the guitar. Still for the price, I will pass. I also just purchased a custom core, but it looks pretty much like the one Brent bought so I didn't bother to post it. 

[yoslate]

So you've taken delivery on the Custom Core, Don?  Anxious to hear what you think.  Mine feels like I've been playing it for decades.  Just one of those things...this one and I were seemingly made for each other.  Hope yours is whatever you wanted it to be!  Let us know.

[rockabilly69]

49 minutes ago, yoslate said:

"...this one and I were seemingly made for each other."

 clips please

[zguitar71]

My experience with real world aging is the finish wears through long before they check. I have 4 guitars that I play very regularly and all four have the same wear patterns. The photo of my 150 shows zero checking but obvious wear through on the top and the neck has lost about 50% of the finish. Guitars take a long time to check with changing temps and humidity over time. I always thought that the relics were to mimic a vintage players guitar but, to me, they always miss the boat. They are too uniform in the wear they mimic. I have an 81’ Es347 with wear through and some checking and also some very pristine areas. I know it is knit picky but it drives me crazy to see the relic guitars looking too perfect. I could get into a guitar with a slightly dulled finish since I really don’t like a shinny sticky new finish but none of the checking stuff. It took about 2 years for me to begin to see wear through on the top of my 150 and about 7 years to get to this point. 

[pressure]

A gold top H150 with P90s. It just doesn't get any better than that.