Artificially aged guitars... what do you think?

[chapperz66]

Tee-hee!!!!

I just can't help being infantile.....

Paul

[Migs]

I understand the idea that if it plays well and feels good then what does it matter if it is reliced.  What I don't understand is why they can't make a guitar that plays well and feels that good without the pretend scratches, cigarette burns, stickers, jiz stains etc etc

[Greeny]

The weird thing is, not all vintage guitars look particuarly beat up. You'd have to gig something really hard to trash it into the condition of a Fender 'road worn' guitar. As AndyR says, I've never seen a real vintage guitar with that 'arm wear', and I can't understand why they add it.

What I love about old guitars (especially white fenders) is the way the colour changes over time... that kind of aged stain to the body and the mint-green tint to the pickguard.

The oldest guitar I have is still less than ten years old - my Epiphone '56 Les Paul Gold Top with P90 soapbars. It's starting to look well-played now. There are a few dings here and there, and the plastic bit on the pick up selector switch is missing. I've also taken off the pickguard, leaving screw holes behind (as Peter Green and Marc Bolan seemed to think, Les Pauls look so much better without pickguards...) I really like the way it's aging at the same rate as me!!! (bits falling off... deterioating slowly... lol).

I'm still undecided on the Fender road worns - but I'm pretty sure that if I played one, I'd want it because it's a great-sounding guitar. And I do want a Strat soon, so the issue is one I'll have to face up to one of these days.

It will always be a controversial subject this one...

[AndyR]

As far as other people and their guitar choices are concerned, I don't mind. "Relic" is just finish option (sunburst on Fenders was originally introduced to make them look old!), Fred likes one thing, Bert likes another, live and let live...

But I have to admit, Migs, when I tried the Roadworn I bought, I did think "why couldn't you have made a version that didn't have the dings?" ... that is the one that I would have bought

I wanted a guitar in the £600-£700 range that felt like this. I am NOT prepared to spend 2 to 3 times that much for NOS from the Fender Custom Shop - a single guitar is just not worth that much to me.

However, that was then... Now, after 6 months, it's shinier, warmer feeling, it's got a few more marks, I've replaced the screws with screws I rusted myself in the 80s, pickup covers and knobs from the same guitar...

I have to say all the dings, even the dreaded "armwear", do feel like mine. It feels like I've owned it for years, and it feels like part of me. I know that if I was gigging like I did in the 80s, then this one would fall apart like Rory Gallagher's did. Because I know it would do this, I feel no need to accelerate the process...

And even looking in the mirror it just looks like a well-used (not abused) strat - if I was watching me play it at a gig, under lights etc... only us anoraks looking for the tell-tale "roadworn wear patterns" would know it wasn't authentic (and we'd have to be in the front row to be able to see it )

Greeny - make sure you have some idea of where you stand and how much to pay before you try one with "spending power" in your pocket. I had to buy this one, even though I had slight reservations over me personally owning a pre-worn guitar. Luckily I'd set myself a "figure"... the guitar sold itself to me, and when the shop went below my figure I bought it. It's one of the only guitars that I haven't felt some guilt or reservations over as I was on the way home with it!

If I'd had to spend more than I'd "decided" on, it might have been a different relationship...

[chapperz66]

Although you won't be able to see it too well in the picture on the left, I bought the black strat  new in 1976, so it's 34 years old.  I gigged with it a lot in my youth and have played it virtually every day since.  Apart from a few dings and slight crazing in the finish, it's pretty much pristine.  I can't imagine what you have to do to a guitar to turn it into a "road worn" condition.

Having said that, I have played a road worn, and I was sorely tempted. 

Paul 

[AndyR]

Well, since my last post... I've bought another Roadworn!

I didn't mean to, it just kinda happened (and Mrs R encouraged me).

This one's a Roadworn 50s strat, two-tone sunburst. So it's got the much maligned "dodgy looking fingerboard" same as the teles have... But if anything, its an even better guitar than my Roadworn 60s strat...

The fingerboard's not actually that bad, it's going to darken really quickly, and I've already sorted out the "missing wear" between frets 9 and 13...

I am affected by looks, but they're not that important in this case - I've got these two because of how they feel and how they play, they are just stunning guitars.

[Burtog]

Sorry to comment on an old post.

I've only just started posting on here, I also have the blonde roadworn 50s Tele, I love the guitar to bits even tho the ageing on the neck maybe a bit overdone and the pick guard is ill fitting.
The guitar plays and sounds great now I've worn the frets and the plastic nut in. I think some brass saddles should finish the job off too.

any one else got one or recorded with one?

[Oldrottenhead]

ooh err missus. i like milfs.

[Oldrottenhead]

oh wrong website

[Oldrottenhead]

tennis anyone?