$45 for guitar, tutorial on how to relic, 2 days later = Pretty damn cool

[ibanezcollector]

Well I found a site a week or so ago, that had a tutorial from fender on how to relic a guitar. Cool read but never thought about doing it..

Went to GC yesterday to just see what was new and seen this Squier strat sitting there, well it was in bad shape setup wise, and they just got it in on trade. I asked how much as it sits, he told me $45..

So I took her home and it just needed a trussrod tweak and saddles adjusted. Much to my surprise its solid wood.. So then the light bulb went off.. "Remember that site on how to relic?"

And off I went..

This is about a day and a halfs worth of work.. Not the best relic but most first attempts at anything never are..

Tools used:
Screwdriver
Ring of Keys
Wrench
Driveway LOL
Heat Gun
Compressed air held upside down to freeze the paint
Ebony Stain mixed with alcohol
Grey Primer
0000 Steel Wool
and lots of aggression..

 

[Briggs]

great job on the headstock!

maybe some steel wool on the chrome bits would be next?

 

[ibanezcollector]

there is a chemical you buy at home depot.. Its gases will do the relic on the chrome parts.. I just ran out of cash LMAO..

 

[Mastodon]

Nice job, you should buy some of those classic tuners to complete the look.

 

[Kagami]

there is a chemical you buy at home depot.. Its gases will do the relic on the chrome parts.. I just ran out of cash LMAO..

that chemical = aerosol can + lighter or plumbing torch

 

[SnowfaLL]

ahh I dont really see the whole appeal of relic'd guitars.. kinda like those pre-ripped jeans you can buy.. Just kinda seems redundant to me.. But for $45 its fun to experiment =]

 

[nyck]

Cool!! How does it play?

 

[skinhead]

Nice relic!

Tunned in?

 

[Metal Ken]

It looks pretty decent. the one thing i'd say, is it doesn't look so much relic'ed (IE, 30 years of wear and tear relic'ed)... it looks like the paint removal on the front and back look wholly intentional. The rest of it looks good and you need to set fire to the pickguard for a few seconds as well;

 

[OzzyC]

i agree with metal ken....you would never see that much paint chipped off like that...its overdone IMO

 

[Nik]

lol nice--my first guitar is a Squier just like that, and I kinda want to do that now

Where are the trem springs?

 

[Naren]

The headstock looks old, but the rest of it looks intentional and done recently. I do think it looks a little overdone, but for $45, you can't go too wrong.

 

[metalfiend666]

Pretty cool for a first attempt. You need to do something about the edges of the paint front and back, it's too deliberate still. When that's sorted use the technique you used on the back of the neck to relic the wood you've exposed. Think Rory Gallagher or SRV's Strats. All the hardware, pickguard and pickups need aging too. It is still a very good start for a first go

The best bit about a relic is you can literally not give a shit about it. The more you bash it the better it looks.

 

[darren]

You just need to take your time to make it look authentic. It definitely looks like you rushed it on the body. But the headstock looks great!

 

[Drew]

Yeha, I'm with the general consensus - I opened this right after you posted it, and my first thought was "that looks like someone took a screwdriver and a lighter to a strat," not "that looks like an old strat."

Personally, I prefer to do it the old fashioned way - by loaning it to Chris.

 

[Shawn]

Nice. I love the looks of a beat up Strat. Jon, my bass player owns a Squier Strat just like that. Same color too. Nice job, it looks awesome.

 

[ibanezcollector]

well like I said a few posts back its no where near done.. I ran out of money..

The neck is now logo free.. But im having a hard time finding a replacement logo.. LOL

The body I am working on making it look more authentic..

Hardware will be aged and the electorinics are being replaced.

JUST NEED MORE MONEY LMAO

isnt that always the truth?

 

[noodles]

It's funny that you need to spend money to devalue the guitar.

 

[Chris]

What actually costs money? You could have achieved that with a 6 pack and some sandpaper bro.

 

[Jason]

+1 to everyone