Tele Guitar Relic - Mike's Guitar Workshop

[@TmsVgs]

Many people say that the best way to get a relic finish on your guitar is to play it a lot, but the truth is that guitars these days have extremely good paint, so it's almost impossible to get it naturally. This video is one of the best I've seen, the result was great!

[@ramencurry6672]

If you play for many decades with the modern poly finish, it eventually will crack and parts of the paint will flake off like how eggs shell pieces fall off a hard boiled egg. It actually won’t look good

[@dpajc056]

I love how you put the towel under the body minutes away from destroying it haha😂

[@rpmblues7018]

Hah! This grabbed my attention again 3 years later. I really like the relic job, thank you for the video.

[@garymiller531]

Was watching a guy in Singapore heat the finish while using a small chisel, by doing it that way, he just kind of rolled the paint off and it came out great!

[@jjcarter6539]

hi, could you please share the video?

[@jazzdrumguy5044]

I took a new Squier Tele and did a full blown relic of the body adding belt buckle rash, dents, dings, dulled the finish, chips, aged the neck, spider webbed the dots, "checked" the finish along with the body, cig burn, aged all hardware to make it non-chrome and non-shiny and it looks like a guitar you'd find in the back room of a bar in the South.........very cool! Nice work here.....

[@Vivaspecifico]

Probably one of the best I have seen this looks incredible!

[@fredfunf3456]

That neck came out lovely.

[@MoonshineSazerac]

I don't understand why people with poly-coated guitars try to get them relic'ed to look like an aged nitro-coated guitar. Polyurethane doesn't age like this, there is no instance where the paint flakes off or gets abraded in great huge chunks unless it's being done deliberately. Don't get me wrong, I love relic'ed guitars almost as much as an original, but the instant I saw that I knew it was a polyurethane-finished guitar. Polyurethane is literally just plastic. If you wanna age plastic you expose it to solvents, discolouration, and temperature fluctuations. Beside minor abrasions and dings there's no impact damage that will affect it down to the wood in great huge swathes like this.

[@Croccolucho]

Depends on the layer, not on the material.

[@pyrimid]

Nitro def looks better because you can check the paint. Without checking it’s too obvious. That being said. I found a way to relic poly without the checking, but it’s how a poly would age naturally so I’m digging it.

[@jbrentbarber]

@@pyrimid would you mind sharing your process

[@HerbertHabanero]

My cat's breath smells like tuna fish.

[@madeyoureadmyname3027]

Does your point really matter? No, does it look cool? Yes

[@user-vs1xw6fh4w]

a heat gun makes this process much easier, you can loosen the finish in specific areas and follow up with a file and a flathead. a swipe with the end of a flathead will lift the lacquer enough that you can use the file to scrape it away and not risk taking any of the wood away with it. just follow the natural angles of the body for authenticity and don't go overboard. otherwise, it's quite difficult to go wrong with this method

[@jepa2527]

I bought a factory reliced guitar and loving it. I have been using it and also displayed in our living room. I have the cort sunset tc worn butter. 😊

[@johnstahrstartcleanfitwell1051]

Totally 💯 Awesome Mike!!! I JUST got my Brande New Vanilla blonde Telle... It just so happened to arrive with a damaged box and a chip already in the corner right under the control knobs perfect spot to realize that this is a guitar I need to relic!!! So I found your channel art specifically this video which I find extremely awesome and informative! Thank you!!

[@tumadsvids]

thank you so much man, keen to see your results..

[@bluenotgreen63]

I would think the best way to make it looked relic’d is to leave all the hardware on while doing it. Maybe cover the hardware, pups, dials etc with paint tape and start going. After all, a true relic’d guitar didn’t get that way with the hardware off. Nevertheless, yours came out well. Great Job.

[@maexx71]

I also want to try it, to relic a guitar. A cheap guitar for the first time. This clip helps ma a little bit, to understand, what I have to do. Thanks for it !

[@GxBxN]

Wow that’s beautiful

[@Kevsadone]

I was doubtful at the beginning but the finished product turned out spectacular!

[@schubiduba1]

It hurts to see a guitar get damage like that. But the result looks great. Classical instruments like violins get reliced for over 100 years and it also looks very good

[@ramencurry6672]

Kind of. They get repainted and maintained to look as new as possible. There are famous guitarists out there who actually own a real 60s Strat and they have the body repainted to look as new as possible.

[@jpromano_]

I would love more details about the process for the fretboard, it really came out nice

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

many thanks

[@Sushi_Dinner]

I don't understand why people disapprove of other players' preferences. If someone wants to have their guitar relic'd, great. Otherwise the suggested alternatives are: pay a lot of money for an "authentic" one, don't play a guitar that you like the looks of, or aging it "naturally" by dropping it multiple times, rubbing it with giant metal buckles and watches, dragging it across the ground, and setting it on fire. I mean, to each their own, but one of these options seems like abuse.

[@chum7920]

If u dont like relics then why r u clickin on the video in the first place

[@grangerousdesigns4678]

Damn Mike, you do amazing work my friend.

[@vinylhead9938]

The thing with relicing is that you can pretty much always tell. It's relatively easy to make an instrument look beaten up and neglected, but it's much harder to make it look loved and played for half a century. If you want to make the guitar look used, just play the damn thing, and it will.

[@frossbog]

Not sure why you would need to shield a Tele pickguard though.

[@iainlove2343]

Excellent look mate. Please can you tell me if you scraped the fingerboard before dying and what dye did you use? Thanks

[@gregsell100]

Could you share please on the die you are using. I have a rosewood fingerboard that I would like to relic as well. Any suggestions?

[@SparkZetc]

How much do i dye it and like just the edges of the wood?

[@punkywozza4330]

Brutal Metal and Heavy Relicing Guitars.... Brutal :)

[@mcfats7652]

The soft, foreign relation to Bob Ross style voice and the chugn, shredn, metal almost made my spine disintegrate. He even said, "It just gives me an 'idear' of where we're going." Come around my jobsite and say 'idear?' Well, I reckon a fella might get arrested or worse.

[@mcfats7652]

Tops it off with feminine techno. I'm out dude

[@bryantherocker]

Seems like those who buy Relic Guitars either have too many guitars that they cannot play them all, or some would rather put artificial wear and tear on a guitar because they dont play guitar often to make a naturally relic. Many of them just know the basics in guitar playing and many of them suxs.

[@OrdinaryWatchGuy]

that's a lot of hate bro. Some people just like the relic look.

[@keithclark486]

@@OrdinaryWatchGuy Guilty?

[@TheForester71]

I’m sure you are the next Jimi Hendrix 🤨. Who cares how good you play if you enjoy it?

[@garettoverstreet]

What did you do to age the fretboard???

[@JakeSavich]

Beautiful mate

[@doctorstork_returns]

What did the foil do to the pickguard

[@cwei0425]

Hi Mike, thanks for your sharning, does it need to apply any oil to protect the exposed wood after relic? Thanks

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

Hi. Not really as it will then age as it goes along

[@walther9161]

Never seen in that wasn’t over done except maybe fender road worn is close 😊

[@FrankBell]

is this Nitro or Poly?

[@megagatvol]

You could’ve added some corrosion to the hardware aswell…

[@thelowlifex9437]

I think it would be easier and better looking if most of the poly gets sanded down and then work on the relic

[@EdKidgell]

Good one bru!

[@evertthebassist]

Yo where in South Africa are you from Mike? I'm from Pretoria

[@pepuletrz]

is this aged or beat up?

[@rpmblues7018]

OMG! Please stop with that noise. Your project came out really nice.

[@jasonjay732]

Nice work, you know you can be the greatest luthier/artist but you will never beat the art of time/age, so it looks “fake. some people like it, even through most are bedroom players, I personally don’t, I have a couple of honest dents on my relatively new tele, they look sexy! Luthiers can’t make time, in my opinion a relic guitar is like a young boy in an old man custom.

[@dylandodd8853]

Did you yellow the pickguard? Or did it come that way. If you did yellow it, how’d you do it?

[@JoeChadburn702]

I found the Most Authentic Way to Relic is Ask What They Play. If they Are Lead The Mid to High Neck will Be Very Worn, If Rhythm then Lows to Mids. I had a Lead Guy ask Me to Do a Relic and it wasn't Believable at all coz I (He Wanted it) the Lows to Mid 🤦🏼‍♂️. Ok the Customer is ALWAYS Right but Please Think before doings Such a Thing. I Relic-ed My LTD EC-50 To Hetfield's Iron Cross Mk1 and it was Very Believable that I Stole Papa Het's... Only Deal Breaker to the Fact I couldnt Say that its James' is He CAN AFFORD an ESP 🤣🤣🤣

[@fordhammie]

Ok... are these relics based on user tendencies with variables like ring dings, watch,pic & bracelet scuffs and whatnot?

[@stuartcarter7053]

Love the video content. Hate the background music.

[@DeeTee79]

Lekker!

[@ginosoul359]

Greetings Mike. I trust that you are well. I’m looking at having some work done on a telecaster I have my eyes on. It has 3/4 heavy knocks… where in SA are you based?

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

Hi I'm in Krugerdorp bud

[@ginosoul359]

@@Mikes-tuts-rev could I possibly have your number?

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

@@ginosoul359 hook up on FB I'll send it to ya. Search Mike Duncan. Blue pic with guitar.

[@ginosoul359]

@@Mikes-tuts-rev I’ve just added you

[@Paulmccarthy6801]

What kind of day do you use and how do you take it off

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

Howdi.. What kind of day?

[@grottyfloprecordings9065]

Older vintage guitars only look this bad, when the owner didn't care for their guitar. Not cleaning the body or neck ever. Checking of the paint will occur over time though. I wouldn't buy a guitar that looked this bad or a car for that matter, it shows neglect to me. Besides I think relic guitars never look like an aged guitar, I just saw one at a shop yesterday. It looks fake. It was a Fender Tele custom shop heavy relic. But to each his own.

[@HaraldMix-E-Gitarren-Review]

Good Job 👍 🎸

[@LunaticTheCat]

Doing this to a new guitar is so bizarre to me.

[@kabal911]

How much does a job like this cost in ZAR?

[@tumadsvids]

3000

[@buzzedalldrink9131]

I would an arm and a leg to do this for a customer

[@LeeHoMusic]

Came out great!

[@denboe2894]

Yes! THis guitar had some real buckling and craklure in the finish. All rightee than. Hust get on that finish with a chisel. THat will get it offs there purdy gud.

[@acadianr2leger]

what kind of finish was on that guitar?

[@jahyeet1137]

Poly

[@franfarelo414]

La mano nunca se pone delante del formón

[@jennywasnthere4453]

I don’t understand why u would want an aged guitar done artificially. Like all the scratches and dings on ur guitar should tell ur story from playing it so much, not how much u paid a guy to fuck it up for u.

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

I dont care for it personally either, the customer requested it

[@Milestone74]

I’m not against what you are doing here. But I am puzzled that you’d do a video like this and not mention the type of finish, wood, or even bother to show the finished product for more than 10 seconds. I never even saw the bottom or back of this guitar. Strange.

[@cristiangarrido4788]

I really liked you could do vídeos.

[@pl33]

it amuses me that the background music for a luthier has no guitars..

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp2cf2aen7arpZI

[@jcwab]

What are you on about??????

[@joshwilliams0391]

Why do so many people like relic’d guitars? I think it’s because there’s something about the electric guitar (especially a Fender Telecaster) that embodies an anti-establishment and almost working-class (or blue-collar) attitude of the 50s, 60s and 70s: we don’t need pristine classical instruments, we need something to express our attitude and rebelliousness

[@BlibbertyBlobberty]

Awful.

[@kennyburg5882]

Forced patina does not look real

[@texanleons]

It's a sin.

[@kevinreyes5135]

Very amateur approach

[@daviddesmond2143]

Another guitar butched by another fake relic job. Even real old guitars don't usually end up looking like this from use. Fake!

[@jameshullihen649]

True. Maybe it should be called arting a guitar.

[@Mikes-tuts-rev]

I agree totally. But the customer pays

[@ozflyer1]

You CANNOT relic poly finish and make it look anything like proper wear.....its always going to look like crap.

[@RoadRafa]

is it a Poly or a Nitro ?