Are Relic'd Guitars Cool... Or Not? Comparing Fender Custom Shop Telecasters

[@vincentcuclair5522]

I’ve flipped from against to for because i realized it’s all about what inspires you. If it inspires you through looks, feel, sense of history what ever, to create great music, it’s right. Simple as that 🤘

[@roberthealy1814]

I think it is a matter of taste, but for me, I am just not interested in relicing. I like mine to look (new out of the box) If it gets dents or dings, I have a story behind it, because I put it there.

[@billyhughes9776]

Relic'd guitars are cool, non-Relic'd guitars are cool. All guitars are cool. That '51 with the Seth Lover in the neck,...man,...

[@jhustler1992]

I think the relic finishes are really cool. I like them because that way when you put a lot of playing into your guitar, you don't have to feel bad about scratching the beautiful brand new finish the guitar originally had. I prefer the relic finishes on the lighter side. Heavy relic sucks because I would rather see my guitar have some color.

[@samhealey7603]

Big fan of the relic look, I think it adds an extra dimension to a guitar visually and makes it something more interesting to look at. I kind of get the comments of "why can't you play them yourself and wear them in" but a lot of the wearing on these guitars would take decades of play to get to the same level. I know the American Original series of Fender offer a nitro finish, but other than that, with Fender at least, you're stuck with poly. I don't fully understand the comparing of a guitar to a car either, they're two completely separate entities.

[@aevans692]

The American original , and now the vintage ii. , are both poly with a nitro finishing coat , so they’d never ware like old guitars .. im guessing fender did this so if you want a true nitro you have to go custom shop …. The last true thin nitro they did on a production guitar was on the American vintage reissue ..

[@tonymac7272]

I have Custom Shop Journeyman relic GT11 Stratocaster. I love the worn in neck on the journeyman. Also I'm 50 and wanted it broken in a little. Great video, Cooper! Thank you!

[@ForViewingOnly]

I had a guitar made for me in 1998 and it's been my main gigging guitar since then, and I've done hundreds of gigs with it... and taken it to thousands of band practices. After 24 years it has just two small blemishes on it from when it fell out of its hard case on to concrete. What I'm saying is that I look after my gear so the chances of me naturally 'relic'ing' a brand new instrument in my lifetime... well, it's not going to happen. I'd happily buy a beautiful, high-end relic'd Telecaster like that one. The relic'ing would have to look natural though... in the past I've seen fretboard wear added to the 11th fret and not to the 12th. I mean, E pentatonic fretboard wear at the 12th fret is way way more probable than at the 11th!

[@andreapasillas5803]

the only person who is going to put dings and scratches on one of my guitars is me. I've never owned relic'd guitar and never will.

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

In the end it’s your $$ so buy what moves you and anyone else can pi$$ off. Having said that , I just wished that Fender would offer more models w/the nitro finish. For those that enjoy the organic aging process. Poly just doesn’t allow for that which is why the Fender CS and Nash do nitro but that comes at a high price for the player. The relic’d guitars can be cool and I’m not against them but it’s gotten pretty trendy and it’s a bit like tattoos. When everyone has one, it’s not that unique anymore. There’s a sea of relic’d $5k guitars out there for sale and most of those just start to look the same. I saw a great Country band a couple of years ago and 3 players had relic’d Teles and it was hilarious but hey, I’m not judging. I’m w/you on the lighter Journeyman relic job as that guitar gets you past the “don’t wanna get that 1st ding” phase and then you can do the rest while maintaining your dignity as a player. On another note, Cooper is hands down the top pick for hearing what a Tele of any age is capable of. 🤘🏻

[@christopherem3108]

I believe in a decade or two buyers will pay a premium for non- reliced guitars. Just MHO.

[@rlarsen4562]

You raise an interesting point about the market value years from now for the fake old guitars of today.

[@davef335]

It’s true that supply and demand drives the market, however there’s a significant amount of additional work and artistry that goes into a relic vs NOS finish, which counts for some of the price discrepancy between the two. I think people will always pay more for that. Will be interesting to see if the trend shifts in time, although as others have said, a big appeal for relics is the broken-in feel and freedom to play and use without worrying about the first scratch or ding.

[@rockeroller]

I don't mind the mild "relics", but the extreme relics look ugly. If a pristine vintage guitar is worth more money, will these extreme relics keep their value.. over time? Obviously there a fans, but I've never tried to sell fake relics.

[@ericoswood1856]

I do not like relic’s guitars. I own guitars I’ve had for years that still look pristine even after being gigged. I’m proud of the guitars I’ve taken good care of.

[@TommySG1]

Agreed, These reliced guitars and especially the heavy reliced ones are overly done. That’s not typical wear, I’m only playing a small handful of years however friends of mine have been gigging 30+ years and their Gibsons / Fenders look no where close to these ‘heavy relics’.

[@lowellcalavera6045]

Beck compares it to buying jeans with holes already in them. It's dishonest and it's ridiculous.

[@BM-ue4dt]

who? ;-)

[@mattrogers1946]

I bet he has a closet full of prewashed jeans because no one buys the new one that feels like you have cardboard pants on...

[@randrothify]

I don’t like relics except under for one reason, which is so that it is not so precious that you don’t want to play it because you are afraid of dinging it up. So for guitars that are going to be gigged I think it is useful. That said the journeyman or regular relic is as much as I can take. Anything more than that looks phony and frankly makes me question if the guitar is fit to play because of the fake abuse potentially impacting the real durability of the instrument.

[@RodrigoRamirez-eq6gj]

I love relic'd guitars, super cool looking, plus no fear to scratch it, bang it, ding it or damage it.

[@HayesTech]

Is what it is but I personally would never want to own a guitar, brand new, that's been purposely distressed. If the guitar was taken care of, throughout it's life, it won't look like that anyways. Again, to each his own.

[@It_is_now]

3 guitar with same pick ups. How much different in sound do you hear in the room? Are they very different in term of bass mid treble?

[@festushaggen2563]

Not cool. How lazy are people these days that they can't wear out their own stuff? It's also not genuinely used and broken in. Just the image and that's silly.

[@ravendano]

Hey Fetus, relic’d guitars absolutely feel better than NOS guitars… like a pair of broken in sneakers or jeans Sounds cliché… because it’s true

[@david35197]

Actually because of how guitars are finished these days, visible wear is basically impossible. You can play em 1000 years straight and it will not show. So if you like guitars to show battlescars of your own playing (or fake wear) and cant afford vintage there is only a handfull of pricey options to chose from including the fender cs

[@mattrogers1946]

You do realize the finishes on guitars are a lot different than they were 60 or 70 years ago, don't you? The poly finishes on modern day guitars are much more durable and less prone to wear in the same way as an old nitro finish. But all you internet experts already know that...🙄

[@mattrogers1946]

​@@david35197It's a shame all the experts on the interwebs are absolutely clueless about this fact.

[@festushaggen2563]

@@mattrogers1946 Yes Captain Obvious. I know and it’s still fake aging and pretending to have a older and well used guitar when you don’t.

[@thecrankedamps]

Guitar players obsess over tiny details that dont really make a difference to the sound. Its kind of ridiculous. Collectors are the worst. A guitar is a tool to write music, so focus more on creativity and maybe guitar music might be relevant again soon.

[@peterepeat86]

You know what’s really cool. Complete indifference. 😊

[@CANNIMAGINE]

Whatever makes you happy but all my guitars are beautiful. I take good care of my stuff. I always wonder what percentage of "real" 50's guitars look that beat up. Instruments have always cost a lot of money. I am 69 and most of my friends who still have their first guitars don't look like this. In 1950 the average salary was about $3,300 and a Tele cost about $180.

[@rockeroller]

When "relics" were a new idea, I didn't like them, but if the guitar community accepts a beat up guitar as " cool", this removes pressure or anxiety over your pristine guitar. If you damage your pristine one, you just reliced it!

[@rlarsen4562]

Should they be called relics or fake old guitars ? Put on a wig, flash some temporary tattoos, and plug in a guitar you paid $350 to be scratched up. Relic'd amps I predict will be marketed to you next.

[@artrogers3985]

Why get a heavily reliced tele? Are you going to tell all your friends, “Hey guys. I just bought the Tele that Jimmy Paige used on LZ 1”?

[@boatingforbeginners7949]

Fantastic video and a real help too.. Those last two relic models are soo dam sexy, Esp the H.bucker version which gives the player a few more tonal options, but i loved the super heavy relic model too, WOW ! what a decision someone has to make eh? Thank you so much for making it.. I own 2 relic strats and i must say, it does make a difference with the overall feel, esp the neck! Keep the fab vids going .. Rock n Roll !

[@IkBenSuperLief]

It depends on the relic , is heavy relic cool sometimes not at all but man it feels great to play on one

[@eljefeguapobarbon]

I've never seen a great DIY relic. I love new and every degree of relic!🤘🏼

[@anthonyclegg1511]

I buy guitars and after a while I sell them and then regret it. So I relic my guitars, knowing that they will be hard to sell, that way I have no regrets. ❤️🎸.

[@snapcult464]

Are you gonna keep it forever with no intention of ever reselling it? Get the brand new NOS and play it to death or baby it, your call. If you think you’ll have it for a year and then flip it because you already have thirty five guitars? Get a mid or light relic and play it accordingly knowing when you resell it the buyer won’t be able to tell if it was you or Fender/Gibson dings and scuffs and it won’t effect the resell. If you get the NOS and try to sell it the buyer is gonna try and low ball you because the pick guard film was removed and the warranty card has a ding in the corner like a baseball card dealer.

[@Use-or-Lose]

I think relic’d guitars are pretentious and crass. And just another sales gimmick.💵

[@rexrathtar3893]

NOS for me.

[@Lloyd-mo]

Not cool. If I wear mine out, I'm gonna be the one wearing it out. If I buy one that's worn out by someone else,that's cool too because it's seen some history. Not faked history.

[@rockeroller]

The worn off finish on the neck is a playing and possible sonic advantage.

[@pgrove]

I think the guitar before the humbucker one sounded the nicest, then the one after the humbucker, then the humbucker.

[@snapcult464]

If you need someone to break in your guitar or your jeans hit me up, I do girlfriends too.

[@ChristopherMCross]

Journeyman all the way on this comparison

[@jojojojojojojojojojojojob]

its like putting fake military pins and insignia and medals on your uniform without putting in the work. like buying your own winning trophy without entering the competition.. you want a relic guitar? use it for years and wear it down..

[@TommySG1]

🤙

[@mattrogers1946]

How cliche, the triggered stolen valor guy...

[@lazvt8469]

Got a used lefty shell pink ''61 Tele Closet Classic' this week... some checking....otherwise looks new-ish without worrying about dinging it...perfect compromise. Sounds, looks, plays wonderfully!!

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Is it cool to look like Jimi Hendrix on stage (with an old looking beat up guitar)....er YES!! 😂

[@parlance.electricco]

It's the equivalent of buying jeans with rips at the knees...

[@mattrogers1946]

But who still buys those jeans that are stiff like cardboard for a year? I don't want holes , but prewashed is kinda nice. Try another analogy....

[@mcmotohistory8770]

Relicking is a joke

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Wow! So nice - i dont even care what i sound like when i play my 4k Fender Custom Shop relic guiatr on stage it looks so cool. Fender Custom Shop guitars are the only guitar 🎸 i will buy nowadays. So much better than all otjer guitars and makes me look super cool (along with being really good at guiar of course)

[@KMMKda]

Clean Fender amps are really boring

[@CarsGuitarsAudio]

Would you want a vintage Porsche 911 reliced ???? Id prefer to do the damage myself especially when dropping over $4K

[@martintaylor1758]

Thanks so much for doing this video. I really, really REALLY don’t like relic’d guitars at all. To me it’s like buying a lovely expensive guitar and then just before you leave the shop, someone grabs you and takes it back to beat the crap out of it with a hammer and a bag of huge chisels. It’s kind of like, go away and give me my lovely new shiny guitar back right now……you monster!!! Each to there own I guess but it really bugs me when there is only a relic’d version of a guitar for sale. Just make two versions, one brand new and beautiful. The other looking like it’s been tied to a rabid horse for ten years. BE OFF WITH YOU RELIC MONSTER!!!!! Yours with grumbles and grizzles from rainy Scotland. Martin

[@edgeofeternity101]

I want a heavy relic PRS Custom 24, Not really, although I wouldn't mind relicing one. Basically any "graded top" guitar would look like crap reliced,( there are exceptions), but actually doing that would be a borderline crime. Single coil type guitars seem to be more prone to relic, it's just parts,right? That heavy relic looks like it came out of a KFC dumpster. I purposely reliced two guitars, a strat and a tele, the tele i love and everytime i pick it up I think this is damn nice. The strat was a very cheap one that I did a fret level,crown,polish on, but I was putting recycled PRS P90's in, I just never ordered all the parts I need to put it together. Now I'm thinking about it, and will bump it up on my list of things to do.

[@davidohara6515]

Great demo as usual. I wasn't a fan of relicing, but , having played a few relic'ed guitars, i can see the appeal. Fender in particular , where the necks aren't way sticky . Everyone is doing it, its just a matter of preference and taste. Some do it better than others. Do they sound better? Mibbee . Mibbee not.

[@nickvtguitar546]

I like the sanded necks they feel ace, and the wood grain exageration can be nice, but fat scratches and holes in the paint seem like weird thing to pay for.

[@paulhanson7329]

Not cool. Relics look like junk!

[@aevans692]

I was always on the fence with relic , some, most of the MiM road worn guitars I didn’t find very authentic and looked a bit too fake .. , I did a little while ago buy a heavy relic custom shop tele, and I really love the way its been done and really does look like its had a life on the road …. I would love to have an authentic vintage worn in guitar but I could never justify the crazy money for a true vintage , but a “well done “ relic from the custom shop is probably as close as im going to get .. I do like them, I think they look much better in the hand and some really do capture that worn-in vintage feeling ..

[@rickhill6277]

Love the Humbucker Neck guitar! Prefer the straight 9.5” Neck but want a Very Slim Taper Neck!

[@texhaines9957]

I like the New Old Stock (NOS), maybe closet relic, or new because I hope to use them and pass them to my children and Grandchildren.

[@FlyingCircusAct]

Lame.

[@aum3.146]

Very lightly relic ok , even good. Moving past that level I don't like. The greats are great for a reason and they are rare.

[@michaelogden5093]

When I was a kid, hippies stuck flower decals on their guitars. Relicers are their love children.

[@52TeleGuy]

I can tell you that none of those tele’s have accurate vintage specs. All of the pickups are wrong, the 50-51 blackguard handwounds are not correct. Neck shapes are wrong, radius’s are not super accurate, i’m positive the wiring is not accurate, frets are probably wrong, nut width is wrong. Fenders own releases of vintage reissue guitars are not close to accurate, believe me I know; and thats why I had to order a master built so it would be spec’d accurately. I’m not a fan of relic’d guitars, infact I hate them. I want it to look new like the day it came out, not after playing it for 50 plus years.

[@mattrogers1946]

Cue the stolen valor guys in 3...2..1. 🙄

[@TREVORJB101]

I prefer a vintage style NOS Fender. I want the wear to be authentic.

[@BHJ7115]

NOT COOL! Ok, for posers I guess.

[@Michael777Simmons]

I call them STOLEN VALOR GUITARS and I'm not a fan.

[@mattrogers1946]

I'm not a fan of you stolen valor guys much either. It's a guitar, relax...

[@drbosshard]

About a month ago, Cooper, you reviewed the Martin OOO-16 with Adirondack top. I thought the tone was exquisite; the price was right what I was looking to spend; the Addy Spruce top kind of brought it all together... but the relic'd finish nuked the whole deal for me. I agree strongly with most of the other commenters here - I'll put my own dents and scratches and wear spots in my guitars, thank you. I'd like my new guitars, though, to look new out of the box.

[@dstdenis01]

No, I don't think reliced guitars are cool. I think it's a marketing ploy to help sell new guitars that get dinged up in the store.

[@mattrogers1946]

Um, yeah...

[@jogmas12]

Let’s just they’re interesting

[@truthof7382]

Not for me. Buy a used one or drag it behind a car yourself.

[@mattrogers1946]

Change the station...

[@waynechurchill7212]

Likening lost tel

[@sparkymccallister5981]

Relic'd is only cool. if you played it into that condition.

[@davef335]

So if you bought a vintage guitar that somebody else wore in, it would obviously not be cool by your logic?

[@sparkymccallister5981]

Vintage and Relic'd are different in my view....Vintage has lived a life. Relic'd is pretending to have lived a life for appearances. In my humble opinion. @@davef335

[@waynechurchill7212]

What strings are on the tel

[@terrybanks5063]

10 gauge

[@scouser2230]

Relicking is not cool; if I got a shinny new Ferrari I would never think of keying it. It’s a stupid idea that guitar makers charge a premium for.

[@zeroceiling]

I wonder if you love the feel of brand new starched Levi’s…..or if you like them nicely worn in and supple. Sorry but the Ferrari analogy is completely silly.

[@scouser2230]

@@zeroceiling Not to me, it’s analogous.

[@zeroceiling]

@@scouser2230 …so you don’t mind real…old 60’s guitars banged up and have words down marks…..and you would then also rather see old 60’s Ferrari’s all banged up with worn out seats and rusty bumpers?

[@scouser2230]

@@zeroceiling it’s difficult to understand what you are asking.

[@scouser2230]

Please try to rephrase and I will answer you.

[@cowboymusicstudio4911]

how many times does he repeat the bs hell just play the dam guitar

[@BobDorfman]

I’ve never been part of the world of make-believe, so pretending or trying to pose as having an old guitar isn’t for me.

[@mattrogers1946]

Who's pretending? It's a guitar, relax....

[@jokermaan1]

Roy Buchanan bought his '53 Tele brand new, gigged it many nights a year in bars for over 40 years, played it hard and it still didn't look particularly worn on the finish! I have a '52 Fullerton reissue from '82 and it's maybe Journeyman level worn, but it's all natural and all done by me!

[@cowboymusicstudio4911]

he talks too much, im going to take a nap

[@AlamoMusic]

Sleep tight, I’ll still be talkin when you get up

[@sdgc543df]

@@AlamoMusic😂

[@cowboymusicstudio4911]

you play so fast the sound is terrible

[@cowboymusicstudio4911]

these tunes are boring as hell

[@leoolivero963]

I have clothes that I bought two decades ago, that I still use and which look as if I've only had them a few months. This goes for the cars I've owned and of course, for my guitars. My hammers & screwdrivers are the only artifacts that look worn. I mostly look after all my gear. Yet, I LOVE THE LOOKS AND FEEL OF RELICED TELES & STRATS. I will never be able to self-relic my own. IT IS NOT DISHONEST NOR RIDICULOUS. It's my $$ and I will happily & proudly continue to buy & gig spanking brand new, shiny glossy teles and/or good Custom Shop relics, when I choose, regardless of the cynical critic's opinion 🙂🤟