How to Relic Your Guitar's Headstock

This video is part of a series I've done on how I built my Fender Custom Shop 1962 style heavy relic Stratocaster. This particular video focuses on how I relic'd or aged the headstock. Some basics on the guitar below:
Fender mint green 62 pickguard
Fender aged white covers and knobs
Fender American Vintage Reissue Tremolo
John Benson 63 hand-wound pickups
Grease bucket tone controls
Treble bleed circuit on volume knob
Back tone tied to bridge pickup
Gotoh vintage style (Kluson) tuners
TUSQ nut
Musikraft neck
See more videos on this guitar here: kzbin.info/aero/PLT0llhi52k8pfgZILIgbDUVNXc24g5T1E
#partscaster #relicguitar #headstock
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[@Leveliciouz]

I've been watching most of your series during the last weeks and it really is a great documentation of your process of building a relic strat. it's really in depth. i love that you show in detail how to relic specific parts of your guitar. even the balance between you talking and doing somehting is really good. it just makes it easy to follow your videos. it has been really fun to watch them. i definitely will be building a relic strat at one point and this will be really helpful. last but not least, your guitar looks really beautiful. must feel great to play something that was made by yourself in exactly the way you want it to be.

[@NathanSink]

Lev12 thanks so much for the kind words! It’s my hope that it’s been helpful. I’m not sure I knew how much I was biting off when I started. 😬 But it’s been a fun process. And yes, I love playing this guitar. I honestly can’t believe how well it came out. And it does make it that much more special that I did it myself. Hope your project turns out great! 👍🏻

[@claudiorodriguez8254]

I'm broke so instead of buying aged white plastics from Fender, I got the original white ones that came with my Strat in coffee over two days and they got a very very nice aged color, I really recommend it. Pretty nice Strat by the way! It really reminds me of JM Black One.

[@NathanSink]

That's a perfectly good way to do it! I've had success doing the same thing myself. :) With this guitar though, I was trying to get the most accurate parts as possible, within reason. And you're right, I was basing this guitar roughly on JM's Black One. :)

[@wesleyalan9179]

Ok,heres the thing about it for me.... Id Never buy a relicd guitar, but.. I did do one for fun to a squier strat i had laying around, super fun project to do over a weekend! And let me tell you, it looks Ridiculous!!! But like i said in the beginning... I would never on a million years buy one, lol! But it was fun to make one, im somewhat of an artist, and i play, and i just wanted to see how good of a job i would do making one, it was really fun!

[@agtronic]

Nice job, thanks for sharing. Many people don’t realize the amount of work that goes into editing videos like this. 👍

[@NathanSink]

Thanks for the kind words! Yes, it can be quite a bit of work juggling the actual process, filming it all, and then putting it together. Hopefully I'm getting better at it. :)

[@josephhein9497]

Great work, man. Side note: It will still be apparent to the avid Fender fan that your neck is fake. Why? Because throughout the '60s the truss rod was at the other end. It should be smooth at the headstock with no hole at all.

[@NathanSink]

Joseph Hein correct. I am aware of that. It was an upgrade that I chose to make, instead of having to take the neck off every time I had to adjust the truss rod. I wanted it to be “natural” color instead of black plastic, like you might find on a Mighty Mite neck.

[@josephhein9497]

That's what I figured. I'm doing something similar with my current relic build. I'm not drilling holes for the backplate, for ease of access and a cleaner look. Cheers!

[@NathanSink]

Right on. Best of luck with your build!

[@beatleme2]

most use a Projector of a famous guitar - many Famous people use Relic guitars and keep the Vintage at home - you done good!...on fender strats in the 60's they came with .1 tone cap some 'maybe' came with .047 ..but really replace it for the tone, u can relic the tuners in burnt heated old coffee i've read, drop em in the pot..i'd done that for my gibson tuners and worked out great, esp for the white plastic's..the pickguard prob would do the same

[@NathanSink]

Yep, coffee does the trick pretty well on most plastics. 😊

[@kevinpaul1719]

You have been very helpful with my questions. I am trying to restore my 1968 Stratocaster, I have most of the original parts. When I bought it the color was a mustard color. I took it on the road and to college with me. It painted it a few times just to make it look professional on stage. It is a very common toilet seat blue, I heard it was probably orange when new with a mint green pick guard. What way would you go, orange or blue? I have all the real hardware and pickups.

[@NathanSink]

Oh man! I feel like it's an honor that you're asking my opinion. No pressure, huh? Haha. Well....I'm torn. I've never been much of an orange guitar guy myself (unless maybe it was a Gretsch), but if that was the original color, then that's my vote. I guess the tricky part might be finding the right (vintage correct) shade of orange. So, yeah, that's my opinion: if it were just any 'ol Strat, I'd say go with blue, but since the original was orange, I say orange!

[@kevinpaul1719]

Nathan Sink thank you so very much. You make things very clear in your great videos. Some times I can miss things. I like the blue also. They call it Feasts red but it is a crappy orange. My thanks to you.

[@kevinpaul1719]

Nathan Sink you are great at this and look forward to your videos. They have saved me a few times. I teach medicine at a State University and my son is a graphic engineer out in the LA area. I wish you could be one of my sons. You are honest with and have a very strong character. Keep up the great work.

[@NathanSink]

Kevinpaul wow, those are very kind words. It means a lot. Thank you!

[@74dartman13]

I reliced one and it's darker like his. Once I dinged it up and roughed the edges, I used a dark walnut stain and wiped most of it off. It left the darkness where you want it...worked well.

[@NathanSink]

74dart man thanks for the tip!

[@74dartman13]

Nathan Sink yep!☺

[@happyads9439]

Looks great man i think u did a cracking job - looks legit. Nice n lightweight too,, it will hold its own against a fender cs for sure. Wow whats with all the relic haters and nerds tryna tell you how to do it..! when your showing us how you got your results,, i think they are abit jealous of you Nathan 😂😂👍

[@NathanSink]

Thank you for the kind words.😊

[@garygrinkevich6971]

pro tip: you can light your wax shoe polish on fire for 5-10 seconds and extinguish with the lid to warm/melt the waxes and make it easier to work but you will need to use much less if its runny.

[@NathanSink]

Wow, didn’t know that! Thanks.

[@smuttyswims9022]

those tuners look pretty awesome

[@Gramkan]

Bunch of negative flogs in the comments, it’s a good video mate, really helpful for people that are actually having a go at it

[@NathanSink]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@azt3ca]

Great video, how did you manage to get the bare wood on the back of the neck to be that shiny (without the lacquer)?

[@NathanSink]

azt3ca Thanks! Keep in mind that the neck toward the end of the video is one I bought, but ended up sending back. On the neck that I have on the guitar now, I used Tried & True Oil from StewMac. Here are three videos I did just on the neck, if you’re interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIDClIyYYs2XZq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5ercneZr95ohac kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYjRnKGXqruta80

[@dom.mp3]

Great job Nathan

[@NathanSink]

dominik dziewialtowski thanks! 😊

[@steverolfeca]

You forgot the essential touch: 1.) Light unfiltered cigarette. 2.) place cigarette under the low E by the nut. 3.) wait.

[@NathanSink]

Steve Rolfe I definitely thought about doing it. 😋

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Hey boss. I'm trying to gather parts to assemble a 100% goldish yellow guitar. They don't seem to sell yellow string nuts though : ( Any idea how to turn a guitar nut from a white color to a yellow? Any ideas? I thought about coloring it with a marker but that comes off... Does bleach work? Just curious on how one can do this...

[@NathanSink]

Soyborne. Born, made, and undone by the soy. I know for a fact that they bleach bone nuts to make them whiter. The natural bone is a darker color. Depending on what the nut is, I'm sure you could use something like Rit Dye for plastics by putting the nut in boiling water with the dye. Best of luck!

[@mikejamieson4252]

Truss adjust should be at heel for vintage vibe

[@Moos1983.]

Nice job man! Maybe you do also want to consider relicing the knobs of the tuners? They really look new...

[@NathanSink]

Mark Oosterwijk thanks! Good point on the tuner buttons. I did relic the tuners themselves. You can see that video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5mYmaacbNiJkK8 However, the white plastic tuner buttons you see at the end of this video are not actually on the guitar anymore. I replaced them with pearl buttons (similar to the look of SRV’s #1 & John Mayer’s Black One). You can see that video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJC7e4mVlrVmkLs Pearl doesn’t really age much so I just left those alone. Those are the tuner buttons you see at the beginning of the video. A little confusing, I know. 😐

[@pugforce8315]

I love how your neck turned out and i’m trying to get a similar result. Did you polish the nitro on the neck after finishing? If so do you remember what grit you used aswell? i can’t find anything on polishing/sanding necks.

[@NathanSink]

Thanks! So the only thing I used to “polish” the nitro on the neck after finishing it was 0000 steel wool (just to knock down any orange peel). I actually used semi-gloss for the final coats as well. This combo (and going for a relic look) saved me from having to wet sand. Here’s another video I did explaining my process: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYbPaGN8qruGp68

[@alexg7386]

Hi, i want to take my 1999 MIM strat neck and make it look like a 60s style neck. Want to sand off the logo and replace with a waterslide decal. How would you recommend going about that without making it look like a mess? Meaning what should i do after sanding off the original logo?

[@NathanSink]

Alex G your logo is probably buried under a pretty good layer of polyurethane. You're likely going to have to sand lot to get it off. Once (if) you do, you'll want to sand the headstock flat to prepare for the new decal. Then you'll have to spray poly over it. If you want to bury the decal & have it flat, you'll have to do a lot of coats (sand/spray/sand, repeat). I'm not guaranteing any results, but I hope it works out if you try it!

[@davidwile1277]

seriously Might try this on my 1960

[@NathanSink]

David Willey you have a real 1960? Don't do it! Haha.

[@RekEighty]

The part on the MightyMite neck you think could be a crack around the skunk stripe.. looks to be left over sanding sealer or finish from the neck. The guy may have not just sanded it all the way down the stripe, so once he started to dye the wood there it's showing up lighter there. As you said it didn't feel exactly like a crack but it's there you can see it. I like to take finish off of my own personal guitars for comfort, and I've had times I there was some finish left where I missed and it shows up like that. If you look at a lot of real worn guitars sometimes depending on the players style and music, you will see some wearing like this also. More wear favored on one side than the other and you can see where they play rhythm more than lead work. My dad is a slide player and he usually has long worn spots down the back of the neck where the skunk stripe would be and everything else around is slightly worn. His thumb mainly rubs off finish from the back then anywhere else. Good job though man it looks great honestly for not knowing what you're doing as you say. I've seen some really bad attempts before and yours definitely looks more real to common wear than some really overboard stuff I've seen lol So outstanding job!

[@NathanSink]

Rek 80 that’s a good point. I hadn’t thought of that. And thank you for the kind words. :)

[@Rau1S]

I want to relic a maple fretboard currently with satin finish any advice? 😊

[@NathanSink]

Are you talking about the finger wear marks on the fretboard? I’ve never done it myself, but I think Dave Simpson has a pretty good video on it.

[@Rau1S]

@@NathanSink yes. The finger marks and make it a little more yellow vintage. Currently it's more Natural. It's a fender player. Thanks for the advice 🙂

[@NathanSink]

@@Rau1S here’s the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5_Qg5mwm8iiZ9ksi=gTAiVQgDWxyYIno9 He goes pretty heavy, but I’m sure you could adjust to your needs.

[@spacemanpope1805]

What size are the tuner holes on it? .340mm? If so, where the hell did you find them? Iol I can't find them anywhere.

[@NathanSink]

Justin The Spaceman Pope the holes in the headstock are 11/32” or 0.344”. That correlates to about 8.74mm. That’s the vintage standard. Mine (the tuner bushings or ferrules) came with the tuners I bought, but you should be able to find them pretty easily as a stand alone item. For example, at guitarpartsresource.com they are part TK-0789-001, NICKEL PRESS -IN VINTAGE TUNER BUSHINGS.

[@accountspayableautomation9032]

At what point did you put on the decal? Before or after tinting the headstock?

[@NathanSink]

Accounts Payable Automation I put it on after tinting. I also put on a few layers of lacquer before the decal, then I lightly sanded the area where the decal was gonna go (to make it level), & then finally I put a light layer of lacquer over the decal. In my case, I didn’t want to completely bury it.

[@maxkanone6434]

Cool Video, nice explanation. Surely will look into that!

[@thatboihank6714]

Take a lighter to the shoe polish if it gets too dried just enough heat to soften it up

[@TempoDrift1480]

With a wrench huh? Pretty sure that was an adjustable hammer, Homie.

[@NathanSink]

Wizzle 😂

[@guitarhack210]

they're called pliers not a wrench !

[@NathanSink]

guitarhack210 yes, thank you. I know. Brain fart.

[@bradbear9999]

Where do you find the music

[@NathanSink]

Bradley Munn the music for my intro (@2:15) is my original song called “I Will”. The song at the end of the video is royalty free music from KZbin.

[@Frankie_Holt]

I did mine by playing it everyday for 25 years

[@NathanSink]

Frankie Holt that’s a great way to do it. 👍🏻

[@randomguymaniac]

well good luck with that

[@OddTimeMan]

Well I have a modest collection of guitars...some of which are 20+ years old...but they still look fairly new because: 1. I can't play them all at the same time, so some don't get played for a while. 2. Polyurethane doesn't age like nitrocellulose lacquer does. 3. I clean them and store them in their cases. So if I want a guitar that looks aged, I need to either buy it relic'd, or relic it myself.

[@chrisclements7380]

thats awesome im 24 , how do i do it ?

[@eyezaggeh777]

Well aren't you a champion, clap clap for you

[@thebipolarbear1]

Good waterslide placement

[@NathanSink]

Chris Pielacha thanks!

[@thebipolarbear1]

Definitely. That's important. Your's looks really good bro. I've been wanting to do some work on mine just waiting to get more comfortable with it. Really helpful. Rich menga on here has a video using the shoe polish trick and it turns out really good. If you don't mind me asking, the tuners your using are they fender or a aftermarket set? I was thinking locking but idk I'm looking around to see what looks better

[@NathanSink]

Chris Pielacha thanks again. 😊 I think I've come across that video from Rich before. 👍🏻 I've used Gotoh tuners (the SD91 models) on all my projects. They work great & are inexpensive. Here are a couple of videos of mine discussing those tuners: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3LVoX1mZrydpJY kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5mYmaacbNiJkK8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5aZoH2aprSilac I've used the plain nickel ones (& aged them myself) & also the aged nickel ones. I even tried the staggered version, but they ended up not fitting properly for my circumstance. Fender ones are probably great too though. Best of luck!

[@nickjanczak9665]

Shoe polish can be lit with a lighter and then after a few seconds blow out the flames and you have melted shoe polish.

[@NathanSink]

Nick Janczak such wisdom you speak.

[@nickjanczak9665]

@@NathanSink It's an old trick that's been round the block a few times! No wisdom involved. :)

[@happyads9439]

My farts can be lit with a lighter, leave a few secs then blow it out the flames, and now i have a melted arsehole,, it did fuck all to age my stratocaster tho 😯😆

[@MIKE-D158]

Cool. Have you thought about adding “Clay dots”?

[@NathanSink]

Mike I sort of did. I colored the existing dots on the neck. Here’s the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/innEh4ywq8yeitk 😊

[@ТворческаяжизньАндреяСоловьяно]

спасибо!

[@NathanSink]

пожалуйста

[@gregfeo8639]

White tuners? Go for Klusons

[@NathanSink]

Greg Feo they are essentially klusons, just the Gotoh brand. The only difference is the actual button.

[@gregfeo8639]

Nathan Sink you really needed single line Klusons nickel buttons, relic maybe $65 worth.. I reliced a Blackie...based on my original 63. Word.

[@gregfeo8639]

Nathan Sink never seen white buttons on a 62.

[@NathanSink]

Greg Feo right. It was just a personal touch. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Number One” had pearl tuning buttons. So does John Mayer’s “Black One”. The idea was a nod to those guitars. I started with white buttons & changed them out for pearl buttons.

[@gregfeo8639]

Nathan Sink paste this.. s14.postimg.org/5r39kldkh/IMG_20180407_231107178.jpg

[@69zenos1]

I know how. Get drunk....walk into a wall....drop it....all kinda of ways.

[@NathanSink]

69zenos1 thinking outside of the box. 😉

[@theaverageguitarist9036]

There are some losers commenting on here. Play it for 25yrs blah blah. It's not a wrench blah blah Well I've got a 25 yr old guitar that's almost as good as the day I bought it. If you don't like relic guitars fine but why be a loser on someone else's vid? Nice vid by the way.

[@NathanSink]

the average guitarist Thanks for the kind words. 😊

[@dsteele5530]

Late to party but yes, FFS if you don’t like something why the hell are you hating on it? Just so we all know your opinion . Like it or anyone’s for that matter mean a damn thing. Voice your concern or outright hate in your head like a man and go about your day . This concludes MY rant on the rants.

[@jesterjigs9914]

Just play it for a couple years.

[@NathanSink]

Some people are impatient...or have polyurethane coated guitars. 😉

[@jesterjigs9914]

@@NathanSink opinions vary 🍩

[@NathanSink]

@@jesterjigs9914 very true!

[@Nightshade1881]

The back of the headstock isn’t period correct :( not sure why companies don’t do it like the real 50s and 60s strat has em. More rounded off No sharp corners Even fender today won’t get it right My squiers from the 80s are more period correct to these 50s and 60s strats

[@NathanSink]

Yes, something I wish I would have done (& known about at the time) is rounded off more of the corners all over the headstock before I finished it in nitro.

[@guitarocd9984]

It took years for me to get good at it. Trial and error. Unfortunately that takes years. You can't buy 20 guitars and practice. One secret is to know when to stop. LOL I went too far many times. I Relic a poly guitar different than a lacquered guitar.

[@NathanSink]

GUITAR OCD this was my first stab at it. I thought it turned out well, but there are definitely things that I learned & things I would experiment with if I did it again. 👍🏻

[@guitarocd9984]

I hope you don't think it was criticism. I agree it came out good. You should see my first one. It ended up in the garbage. LOL

[@guitarocd9984]

I'm pretty old. We didn't call them Reliced guitars. We called them beaters.

[@NathanSink]

GUITAR OCD oh no, I didn't. 😊

[@billholder1330]

"How to relic your guitar's headstock": Ugh, just don't. Please. I like natural honest wear, I despise "relic"s. That's just me.

[@NathanSink]

I understand. To each his own.

[@russianbot2397]

Regardless of the quality of the relic process, it'll still look forced. Aging process should not be forced in guitars or people. I've seen 25 year olds that look 40 after ten years of heavy drug and alcohol abuse. I'm almost 40 and look 28-30. I'd rather let my instruments age as i have. Why force it?

[@NathanSink]

Russian Bot it’s just a preference. Some people like pepperoni pizza & some like plain cheese. Is one right or wrong? Only Kevin McCalister knows for sure.

[@NathanSink]

Just a little Christmas humor. 😉🌲🍕

[@russianbot2397]

@@NathanSink Merry Christmas Nathan. I just got an idea as to how you can speed up the relic process of a fender tele or strat without forcing it. Just wait for spring and summer, and just take your guitar everywhere without a case or gig bag. Rest it in corners, place it flat on pavement or sidewalk when you want to out it down. Basically just bring it with you wherever you go. Within reason of course. Like don't bring it to the supermarket and stuff. But yeah, just put on strap locks, and carry it wherever yoi go. Leave it in direct sunlight. If you have a pickup truck like me, place it in the bed of your truck, and so on. You get the idea.

[@NathanSink]

Russian Bot Sounds like a more natural way to wear it out for sure, plus you could pick it up & play it anytime! :) Merry Christmas to you too!

[@russianbot2397]

@@NathanSink yup, exactly! If you ever come across a smokey 9volt amp, usually made out of a pack of cigarettes, or just flimsy transparent plastic, get it. It's a really good pocket amp that you can play anywhere. It even has a line out so you can use it as a head if you plug it into a speaker. Pretty handy little guy.

[@MarclandhStudio]

Totally interesting through out this video man ! that is a very beautiful strat you have, am a Fender fan too, New sub for ya ! feel free to check my guitar videos too, some Fenders too for you to see, Cheers man ! like & sub too

[@NathanSink]

Marclandh Studio thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate it. And I’ll give you a sub too. 👍🏻

[@sagrsalem6340]

I don't know why some people Like to make their guitars Looks Old and kind of dirty .. I love new guitars

[@NathanSink]

It’s the basic idea that everyone is unique & has different preferences. You might like progressive metal, I might like the blues. To each his own. That’s the beauty of it.

[@sagrsalem6340]

you mean it is a Style of special guitars that No one have it except there owners and that what make it so Special@@NathanSink

[@NathanSink]

@@sagrsalem6340 yes, that too. 😊

[@sagrsalem6340]

Thanks @@NathanSink

[@staypuffman5469]

Stop calling pliers a wrench

[@NathanSink]

StayPuff Man yes, thank you. It’s already been pointed out. Just a brain fart. I know the difference.

[@kjellbratt6301]

Faster way to relic is to take the car and drive over it, then you got a nice strat..

[@NathanSink]

It might break. Also skid marks aren’t vintage correct. 😉

[@kjellbratt6301]

@@NathanSink it was a joke....

[@NathanSink]

@@kjellbratt6301 I know. 😊

[@jerrybeasley1708]

This like putting stickers on your guitar....guitars are works of art, play them...

[@NathanSink]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[@I.am_Groot]

Only one way to properly relic a good Strat. Purchase. Play it. Play it. PLAY IT. Then.. look at that.. Relic!

[@NathanSink]

If you purchase a typical Strat, it’s going to be finished in polyurethane, and it’s not going to relic...no matter how hard you play it.

[@Dad-Gad]

I've had my guitar for 14 years and it looks like I just bought it , good luck with that .

[@Meateder2]

Wrench

[@NathanSink]

VICTNIPS • yep, I think I misspoke at some point

[@jonasengdahl6701]

I'm sorry, but I think you are overthinking your methods too much. All this stuff about applying relic where it would naturally go in an unnatural fashion makes it look really fake. I can understand aging the hardware - removing chrome with acid, dipping pickups and pickguard in tea etc. But what I can't understand is why you would use screws and sandpaper to damage your body, neck and headstock. The neck finish look especially fake. Why would the finish be removed equally from the first to the 12th? Just think about it. I have never, ever seen a vintage guitar with a neck like that. Here's how I would go about it: 1) Sand down everything: the body, the neck, the headstock. 2) use the tea and steelwool mixture on all of the wood, so the wood is equally aged everywhere. Then apply the vintage orange tint on the neck and headstock. 3) apply 2-3 coats of paint on the body - NO COAT YET 4) make a mixture of saltwater and dirt (stuff that you would find in a studio - cigarette ash, beer, dirt from the ground which would go in your fingers when rolling up cables) 5) Now assemble the guitar, and play a 2 hour punk rock set where you go absolutely nuts - hit the cymbals with the headstock while playing, drop the guitar on the ground as if your strap fell of(happens all the time), be aggressive with hitting your guitar with your pick. While this is happening, keep dipping your hand in the dirt/saltwater mix, so it will be absorbed by the neck according to your style of play. 6) Once you are happy with the wear and tear of the guitar, now you can put a coat on it. No shame in adding a Fender decal at this point, since you already had one to start with, you just sanded it off. But now the "relicing" is genuine. Instead of using a knife and screwdriver to emulate 30 years of playing, you SIMULATE 30 years of playing by simply removing the things that prevent the guitar from aging, and using small tricks to speed up the process of aging. The look will be somewhat unpredictable, but will surely look less fake than it does now.

[@jonasengdahl6701]

for reference, this is what Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers and Death by Audio does.. Look at this live video too see how he treats the guitar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5iqmJ-DdrWjjKM

[@NathanSink]

Jonas Engdahl those are some unique ideas. Thanks for sharing. Take a look at some of these $4,500 to $5,000 Fender Custom Shop guitars: wildwoodguitars.com/product-category/electrics/fender-custom-shop/dealer-select-wildwood-10/1961-stratocaster/ I’ll admit that the back of my neck turned out a little dark & that the unfinished lines are a little hard. But other than that, it’s pretty darn close for costing me under $1,000 & doing it for the first time.

[@jonasengdahl6701]

Absolutely. You are doing great, and your work matches that of 5x the price. It's just that you are putting this much work into emulate an already emulated instrument. It's too meta, and I would love to see you relic the guitar with a more personal touch. Let your body be the tools, so to say :-) Try it out the next time a cheap guitar comes by your hand. Maybe make it a 24-hour relic challenge, that would be fun to watch.

[@jonasengdahl6701]

I posted a comment earlier, but it got removed because i linked to a video.. look up "A Place To Bury Strangers - Ocean (Live at KEXP)" and see how his guitar looks. That's not 30 years of playing, thats like a month or something. He uses some of the techniques i mentioned. and none of that is done with tools. all the best

[@NathanSink]

Jonas Engdahl right on. Good suggestion. :)

[@Bbendfender]

I reliced my best Strat and now I regret it.

[@NathanSink]

Arch Stanton sorry to hear that. 😕

[@Mooncalf2012]

Those who can, craft. Those who can't, relic.

[@NathanSink]

Mooncalf2012 so you’re telling me all of those master builders over at Fender pumping out relic guitars don't know how to craft? Hmm. 🤔

[@Mooncalf2012]

@@NathanSink (IMHO): I'm saying it seems a big waste of their talent for something that's an obvious trend. (But then maybe master artisans are tiring of creating "perfection", or living up to a standard...) It used to be guitars were revered like a fine automobile, a fine woman even... Fender even used automotive paint in so many of their electric guitars. Now everyone wants something, "Vintage", and it's a matter of supply and demand. How many can afford a beat up $10,000 1963 Stratocaster on eBay? Imagine if auto manufacturers started to relic brand new cars, and added a few thousand to the price tag, (It's probably already been done). I'll bet the only reason the relic trend started is that Fender saw so many counterfeit "vintage" guitars out there, and they were already making the SRV model (one of their most successful 'relic' creations of all time) and they were losing so much money, they decided, hey, we'll do that too, and charge extra for the service in the custom shop. I'm not saying aging an instrument isn't an art, I just ask Why?! (Other than maybe the tribute guitar of SRV, Hendrix, etc. for nostalgia-sake, and for the collectors) It seems like a good skill if you were making a movie and needed a prop that looked and played like the real thing, unobtainable, but how long can a trend maintain the illusion of the value of something? Is it ego?, does it make one look like a more experienced musician? Does it make a bad musician sound better? Do you get laid more often? Like Frankie Holt down there, he makes the point that his took 25 years to "relic". Will you be as happy with yours in twenty five years vs. If you had tried to keep it looking mint (which is impossible, but what most guitar lovers have tried to do since the Strat and the Tele came out in the fifties)? I wonder what Leo Fender would think of all of this, after he spent so many years creating and attaining his own vision of perfection in an instrument, and then seeing people beating his 'baby' to death, with chains. Real "nostalgia" can't be manufactured, it is what it is, and the relic trend, I think is trite, and disrespectful to a whole generation of players, (and craftsman) and to the guy that could only afford one good guitar and kept it going and really played it and loved it like Willie Nelson did... But now, just because there's money lying around, and a market, there's some guy out there that as we speak, is taking a vintage Martin N20 and paying his wealthy "luthier" friend to beat the shit out of it, and stick a Baldwin acoustic pickup on it, so he can pretend to own "Trigger", and later sell it as a "replica" on eBay when old Willie kicks the bucket. If it's really a "master build" as you suggest, then it's art, and therefore, if it's art, it's borderline "counterfeiting" to replicate, like painting your own relic Mona Lisa for your den, (complete with UV damage). Also, what the hell do you need a cigarette burn in the headstock for?! You probably don't even smoke cigarettes. Eric Clapton did that by accident, he wasn't trying to burn his headstock, he was just too busy playing to notice... Probably cursed at himself every time he forgot one. And what do you want to be reminded of by that?. Are you commemorating all the great Fender artists that have died from lung cancer since 1954? How far do you take this 'F'ad?! It's like with this generation, every day is Halloween, a big costume party, everyone trying to look the part, with all the realistic looking props, but it will never be like it was, no matter how "cool" it looks, and how much money you toss at it. The only thing "real" is the sound and the music you make with it anyway.

[@NathanSink]

A couple of things. It may be a trend or a fad, but you could apply that to a lot of guitars. Jazzmasters have gone in and out of "style". Jazz players never really liked them, but then they got popular in surf music, and then kind of went away when that genre died out. And then the alternative/grunge/shoegaze genres brought them back around. Similarly, the hot pink and yellow Ibanez or Charvel guitars that were big with hair bands in the 80s kind of followed the genre. They're still around now, but serve a different purpose. The point is, people like different things. I've said it before here and in comments for other videos of mine: how do you like your hotdog: with onions and relish? Not me; but you know what? That's fine. It's called preference. I don't hate on your hotdog choice, I just don't eat the same hotdog. Now regarding 'ol Frankie Holt down there; he looks like he's maybe in his 50s? That's great for him to have played his for 25 years and beat it up. I don't want to wait that long, and neither do a lot of people. Plus, if you buy even a really nice American Strat/Tele these days, it's finished in polyurethane! And guess what? It ain't gonna age at all like a nitro finished guitar. You'd have to go to the Custom Shop or build your own. Speaking of unattainable, you're right about the $100,000 vintage guitars. People can't afford one, but they still want it. To me, the greatest benefit of a relic guitar is that it feels broken in and comfortable to play. And that inspires me to play it; and that's what really matters. About the only thing I have reservations about (like you alluded to) is how will my guitar look 20 years from now? Will it be so beat up that it's unplayable or just plain ugly? In other words, how will it really age? I don't know, and I'm not really concerned about it. It's easy enough just to get another guitar or build one if I really want to. And btw, I didn't keep the neck in this video with the cigarette burn. When I finished/aged my own neck, I chose not to put the burn on there. I don't hate it, but I personally didn't want it. And there we go again: preference.

[@TempoDrift1480]

And those who suck dick, watch KZbin videos and make dumb comments based on their own preferences, like a selfish female.

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

Why tamper with the headstock like this. Just play it all your life and then it will look great before you die. Relic schmellic. Just impress people with your playing skills not your sculpting. Relicing is faking it and there’s nothing worse than pretending.

[@NathanSink]

You'd probably have to live a couple of lifetimes to relic a poly coated guitar (ie most guitars nowadays). And if like most guitar players, you own multiple guitars, you probably aren't going to wear-in even the nitro coated ones. It's a preference. Everyone has different preferences. Yours isn't better or worse than mine. To each his own. ✌

[@naxxodrop]

Why someone would do this to his guitar? Just fucking play it the necessary years to be aged, a real guitar player would take respect and care for his instrument.

[@NathanSink]

Yosafhat Cuellar First, there is actually a fairly large market for this kind of thing. Look up the Fender Custom Shop. They go for about $3,000 to $4,000 (which is too much, & that’s why I did my own). John Mayer’s “Black One” was made for him already beat up. I’d say he’s a real guitar player. Also, for example, one of the most followed guitarist on social media (Kfiro) also has a couple of these relic guitars. There are plenty of others. Second, a guitar with polyurethane coating, will NOT wear like this in a hundred years. Only nitrocellulose finished guitars will naturally age in a reasonable amount of time.

[@Hillcapper1]

If you are so against it why would you watch a video about relicing a guitar? Just so you can make a comment?

[@Dad-Gad]

Same reason people buy ripped jeans , rat rods , relic furniture . It's called choice .

[@zicowilco60]

That guitar has hardly been touched ...you wanna see mine .... it looks like its been to BEIRUT,AFGHANISTAN AND DRAGGED THROUGH THAMESMEAD IN SOUTH EAST LONDON 😂😂😂

[@zicowilco60]

That heart proves to me you can take a joke ..you done a great job ...subscribed Nathan ps ..if you ever visit london England never go to thamesmead 👍

[@Jargo1901]

Wrench? They are called pliers! what are you , Canadian? Stop biting your fingernails. gross

[@NathanSink]

Thanks, Dennis. I’ll try to kick these bad habits.

[@heathersink2339]

THANK YOU, biting fingernails IS gross Sincerely, his wife

[@gregfeo8639]

The truss rod on headstock ALL WRONG...makes your efforts mute ...just being honest.

[@NathanSink]

Greg Feo I did this on purpose. Just didn't want the inconvenience of adjusting the truss rod from the end of the neck. At least I didn't get a walnut plug, right?

[@gregfeo8639]

@@NathanSink your u need one if my relic decals for back if headstock...on Reverb. Read description... reverb.com/item/21377429-grimwoods-decal-beatles-gear?

[@bradspence9864]

Moot?

[@russianbot2397]

You should invest all that time in actually playing guitar instead of making it look like you played it. Legit. Stop wasting time, and play.

[@NathanSink]

Russian Bot you could have been playing guitar instead of writing that comment. 😜 Actually, so could I. Hmm....I’m out of here! 🎸

[@russianbot2397]

@@NathanSink no, you're right. KZbin is a waste of time when you're like me and work over 50 hours a week and not play guitar instead of watching KZbin videos. You're absolutely right.

[@mhauser9457]

Dude he must play that thing like 10 hours a day! Well actually no he’s just a poser and most likely is a John frusciante fan and plays only red hot chilli peppers. Bunch of goobers. Old beat up guitars are awesome but not when it’s fake wear.. SO LAME

[@NathanSink]

Thanks for watching.

[@ernieflanaganstingraybassm1463]

Great job Nathan

[@NathanSink]

Sting Ray Bassman Nashville, TN. Thanks!