Building A Heavy Relic Black Telecaster!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I've had to put some new music over the top of a couple of bits of the video due to copyright claims on the tracks I originally used. Please excuse the sudden pauses in the voice over!

[@johnvaughan4994]

Best present I've ever had - if only I could play :) . Remind me not to use that purple towel when I'm next at your place.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

It's strictly for guitar tinkering that towel! 😂

[@Ronin-ke5wm]

This is by far the best relic video on the net

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@KRE808]

Loved this and the strat build video. What an awesome present. And yes, that brick wall is becoming iconic! Looking forward to going through some of your covers and indeed hope to see more guitar-nerd videos as well, as someone who's starting to want to do something similar.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks very much! I've got a pedal board build coming in a few weeks. Completely redesigning my board :)

[@timodelange]

Wow this is the best relic I've ever seen it's heavy relic'd but subtle. Really realistic

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you :)

[@edwardtroth8630]

Quite easily some of the best relicing I've seen.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Wow, thanks! High praise :)

[@edwardtroth8630]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic deserved pal

[@paulburton5150]

Looks and sounds awesome. Fascinating to watch the build process too

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks Paul :)

[@augenblickgeschichte6803]

Stellar work

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@ryanxyz6033]

How does the decal look on the headstock? I've seen other videos where they sand it down to remove any bump/blend it into the wood

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

It's pretty seamless. Unless you catch it in a certain light you can't see the edges. I have tried sanding them lightly in the past but it's really easy to break the decal doing that or going through the lacquer and sanding the decal off. They're very fragile!

[@Frank-Watching]

The build came out clean hope your dad loved it

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! :)

[@craighayes3316]

Brilliant. What a great gift. Your dad must of been very proud. Well done

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you :) he was very happy!

[@stupidthefish1979]

The pick guard matching the pillows wasn’t an accident

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

😂😂😂

[@jessefildesmusic]

Hey Alfie, great build! Did you have to file down the frets on the neck or was it good to go as is?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! They were more or less good to go. I had to re-level a few after adjusting the neck action but that's normal

[@ShallowPlane]

The black nd red combo is beautiful

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! It's inspired by Wilko Johnson's black and red tele!

[@vladyslavkhomutianskyi3057]

Great job! How many coats of nitro did you put on the fretboard? Clear nitro first or all colored? Did you sand between coats of nitro? Thanks for the reply

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! I did 2 or 3 coats just of tinted lacquer on the whole neck. Can't remember exactly now. But I didn't sand between coats. Just at the end

[@ShaneIrwin7]

Well done on both the guitar AND the video production. You really nailed it all. Thanks for making this. I got some great advice from you. I'm working on a Squire Strat for myself right now.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks a lot! Good luck with your build :)

[@benbardwell7405]

Great relic. Can you please tell me if you sand the wall and scalpel marks after you make them?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! In some cases I sanded them but mostly I just left them as they were. I didn't press very hard so they weren't too deep

[@benbardwell7405]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic thank you

[@myrhs_beatz]

Amazing relic it looks so cool, looks like it could be in the window of a vintage guitar shop in Denmark street, really loved the red scratch plate as well :)

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks very much!

[@franksolli9135]

Great work. Thanks for sharing. How many layers you had with nitro on body and how long had to wait before sanding?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! I did a couple of layers of nitro sanding sealer, then 4 costs of black and then let it dry overnight before sanding :) it doesn't really need that long. It's dry within about 10 minutes. But I like to be safe!

[@briangrootmusic]

Quick question regarding greying the neck. With the vinegar do you mean a vinegar steel wool mixture? Looking to do the same to my neck

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Yep it's just household vinegar with some steel wool that had been soaking in it for about 3 days. I tried it without the steel wool once and it didn't change the colour much so it's pretty crucial

[@Thisisrance]

Did you just use vinegar or the steel wool mix? I’ve seen a lot of those go too dark and it kind of makes me nervous on the neck I’m about to finish.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Yeah it's steel wool that had been sat in vinegar for a few days. It takes a while to get dark. I had to do about 6 coats so you can build it up slowly

[@Lovetone1983]

nice build. how did you make the back of the neck look dirty?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! It's steel wool soaked in vinegar. I did a few coats and it gets more and more gray as you apply it

[@Lovetone1983]

​@@AlfieVaughanMusic White vinegar or malt? thanks

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

@@Lovetone1983 Malt :)

[@Lovetone1983]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic malt , cool. will try

[@epec20]

Northwest guitars, who supply the spray you're using, advise on using thinners to remove the laquer from the frets. Works so easily. Next time 👌🏾

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you! I've heard about people doing this since. Probably produces a better result too 🤣 thank you for the tip

[@epec20]

@AlfieVaughanMusic not at all, buddy! Thank-you!! Great vids all round, been a massive help 👏🏾

[@epec20]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic 👆🏾

[@PhpGtr]

Very nice! Why sanding sealer over an existing finish, before the black?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! There wasn't any finish on it before the sealer. It was just a slight wood stain

[@BrandonHereford]

What did you use to spray the fretboard?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I did yeah. With the tinted lacquer. And then scraped it off the frets once it was dry

[@rocanrola]

Did you lacquer the decal with nitro or poly? I bought from Voodoo too and they recommend doing it with poly... I prefer nitro and the neck is lacquered with nitro.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

It's all nitro. Seemed to work fine for me! A couple of nitro sanding sealer layers, decal and then tint layers for colour

[@chrisnash8411]

Great Job !

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@chrisnash8411]

I hope your Dad loved it ! I would have ! Awesome !

[@radikulture7485]

What's the acid using for hardware rusty look? Beautiful job btw

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! It's called ferric chloride :)

[@Black-Cat-Pixels]

Super job Alfie. Can you tell me what fluid you use ( what’s the name) to treat your iron with. Grtz from Holland.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you! It's called Ferric Chloride :)

[@peterfalahee]

Beautiful job by the way

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@Sarsour_]

Awesome!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks!

[@Hammerman48]

Very Wilko Johnson!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Haha that's what he wanted! Well spotted 😁

[@Hammerman48]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic You did an amazing job. Hope he liked it!

[@colinmccormack1728]

Wilko's Tele has a rosewood board, but yes very Wilko!

[@Chingu-nm6wp]

Cool build

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@BeerandGuitars]

Wow, nice! Always wear gloves dude with that acid. Looks like a great build.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Haha I'm just careful with it. I've got it on my hands a few times and it doesn't burn Probably stains the skin a bit if you don't wash it off fast though 😂

[@anaximenesdemileto808]

lol, looks like awesome realistic relic to my eyes. Excellent job mate, keep it up ;)

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks!

[@IgorWocial]

This guy should work in the Fender Custom Shop

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Hahaha thank you! 😅

[@manuelmendez5055]

Awesome videos Can you explain a little more the vinegar method for aging the back of the neck?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks! It's just household vinegar with some steel wool soaking in it for a few days. Then I rub a few coats of it onto the exposed wood and it stains it a light grey :)

[@mikemccourt6225]

Cool. Was that an HX patch for that slide bit?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

They're all patches I made :) nothing special. Just a fender amp head and a celestion IR with a real tube screamer on my board I think!

[@TheDogukan89]

hi again :D which brand and color did you use for neck ? thank you for advance...

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

It was vintage amber by Dartfords paint

[@ferretna6054]

Yes.

[@Kevin-nr9lj]

Beautiful.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks!

[@Pavel_Franta]

wow.... it sounds like squier but looks different 🤯

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Is that a compliment? 😅

[@Dimlights419]

Perfect job, I hate the guys that relic n end up just heavy sanding in places, like wtf, beat it up!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thanks a lot!

[@adriankurt1872]

So how much did it cost you to build that guitar ? :o

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

About £1000. The parts were about £800 and then the rest was shipping costs

[@bradcarter6396]

Every time I think about doing a build like this all I have to do is watch a video like this and I am quickly reminded how just how much work it really Is. I think I’ll just pay the 5 grand to have it done instead lol

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Hahaha 😂 it's not as bad as it looks and not that difficult either. I quite enjoyed the process and at the end of it if the guitar turns out nice then it has so much more sentimental value. My pink strat that I built in another video is better than an American pro strat I had before and it just makes it so much cooler knowing it's a really great guitar and you made it yourself! I adore these guitars

[@tankerbrigade]

Well you could check e mail search to see what is the body tonewood before filming.

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I'd deleted the email. I finished filming this about 6 months after I'd bought the parts. Otherwise I would have

[@steele8008]

how did you learn guitar?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I had lessons for a while when I was in school and then I've just been learning songs I like and doing the occasional online course over the last 10 years

[@danielcolehour6454]

50's wiring?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Yep :)

[@danielcolehour6454]

@AlfieVaughanMusic Happy Thanksgiving day my friend!

[@coreymilne1568]

Before he cut him self off with the music I believe he was saying it is a common method to ground your pickups

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I was, yeah! It's a pain I had to do that 🤦‍♂️

[@ТворческаяжизньАндреяСоловьяно]

МОЛОДЕЦ!СУПЕР!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Thank you!

[@glennlilley8608]

So which horse won that race?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Horse????

[@glennlilley8608]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic The commentary wee fella, straight off the Curragh that one

[@chrisquinn9104]

Wilko

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Wilko?

[@chrisquinn9104]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic Wilkins Johnson played a black Tele with a Red Guard. Look him up

[@radzo1675]

Your Dad a Wilco Johnson fan?

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Yes!!! Glad someone spotted it :)

[@radzo1675]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic The guitar looks beautiful. You're a great son. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@TreeFathom]

Ahhh yes... The brick wall 😂. Hope your Dad likes the (bass?) guitar!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Haha 😂 yes he loved it. It's not a bass?!

[@TreeFathom]

dang it,, just looks like a bass to me

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Noooo it has 6 strings! 😂

[@TreeFathom]

oh- crap

[@KaneGregory]

You are a animal I want you to make me a guitar 🎸 how much? Your dad has a great son!🤯🔫👍🏽

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Haha thank you! A few people have asked me to make them a guitar. Drop me a message on Instagram and we can talk :)

[@a_fake_koala2528]

Imo, the best way to get a distressed looking guitar is to buy a guitar and play the shit out of it

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

I'm too careful with my guitars. The ones I haven't reliced still look spotless after a decade 🤣

[@a_fake_koala2528]

@@AlfieVaughanMusic ah, i wish i could. It seems that whenever i get a new guitar it looks 80 years old two weeks later, but eeh i kinda like it that way

[@peterfalahee]

Any vid of you actually giving your dad the guitar 😝

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Haha sadly not but he was very happy!

[@Ferruidoblanco]

wilko!!

[@AlfieVaughanMusic]

Wilko!