The Ultimate Sub $500 Relic Tele!

[@intheblues]

Thanks to Ben for helping out with this review! I hope you dig it! Let me know what you think and you can check it out here on Artist Guitars - alnk.to/b7xXUJ5 (affiliate link)

[@davidhollyfield5148]

Yes. But what matters is that sound.

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

Thanks for having me for these vids, Shane! Artist have really stepped their game up, as demonstrated by these axes!

[@James-S3]

Great playing!

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

@James-S3 thanks, James! Always working on it, hopefully I'll get there someday 😆

[@kel_25]

Agreed, tasty blues rock playing with cool tones 👌

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

@kel_25 thank you kindly, mate. Much appreciated!

[@maccamac626]

Start putting the pressure on Shane. We need these in LH!!

[@skeletonsystem]

Yes please.

[@natemichaelmusic]

I pre-ordered one of these at release and its excellent. Rosewood board, steel frets, handwound pickups. Quality.

[@shawn_ten_toes]

Man, for under 500 bucks, it sounds pretty darn good in a mix. The relic job doesn't bother me at all. It has a vibe.

[@dragan4658]

Whether you like the relic job or not, the fact that you get stainless steel frets and locking tuners for the price is definately worth it! Too bad Artist guitars aren't available in Canada.

[@timparry715]

I really like Artist guitars. I'm more excited about the rosewood looking fingerboard than the relicing. I do that all by myself. Thanks for the review

[@ArtistGuitarsDemo]

The fingerboard is actual rosewood

[@DMSProduktions]

@@ArtistGuitarsDemo THAT is the only thing on my LP59 that annoys me, mine ISN'T! (GREAT guitar otherwise!)

[@S69Classic]

This is the Artist model that I've been waiting to see and hear a demo of. Thanks Shane & Ben, Cheers Rob P.

[@mattburrows185]

I’m a simple man, I see Ben I hit like. Great playing as always mate ❤

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

You're too kind, broski. ❤

[@shadowminister4090]

Yeah, I think most relic'd guitars are overdone; this one is no different. That said, if you want something to hang in a display cabinet, buy something shiny. I quite like this new range from Artist; stainless steel, lockers, strap-locks, etc. There is a lot to like. Thanks Shane (& Ben). 😊

[@silverwings1843]

Hilarious!!!! I just spent days repairing a large chip paint chip the size of a quarter on the tail edge of a black strat. Looks like I went the wrong way with it. Guess I should have tied it to my lawn mower and drug it around the yard.

[@DavidHBurkart]

😂😂

[@stringlocker]

Even with your plan it wouldn't get as bad as this one

[@brin57]

My only issue with this relic is that it's a stencil job. All the Artist tele relics look exactly the same ! I'd have to do a bit more to personalise it. Also sounds a bit on the thin side, so a pickup upgrade would be on the cards.

[@Glensully]

Eq genius

[@brin57]

@@Glensully whatever ya reckon Einstein

[@gigsandguitars6921]

Look and sounds good! Great deal at that money! Also Nice to see that Relic’ing is still dividing people 😂

[@shanewalton8888]

Waaaaaay to much relic for me. Too unrealistic. To each his own, however.

[@Scout_Warrior]

Less about realism, more about aesthetics. It looks sick.

[@ozflyer1]

Id suggest you go google heavy relic tele's..... on this one theres NOT ENOUGH relic...none to the neck and none to the chrome ware which should have been nickel anyway.

[@scottreynolds6317]

That Tele sounds fantastic! Ben’s playing is also great!!! 🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸

[@southyboy576]

Love that worn out look gives the guitar character

[@SteveHamilton-l1f]

Nice demo. Was that a take on an Australian Crawl song in the intro?

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Just no. I like my guitars shiny and new, and try my utmost to keep them that way. Even my 1978 Gibson shows far less wear and tear and it has been worked hard. I suppose relic’ed guitars are a reflection of the youth, wanting it all without putting in any work (flak coming). The guitar sounds great. Hopefully they make the same model without the relic work (dragging by a rope it from a truck for a few miles).

[@intheblues]

They do have an AT73 with a Paisley finish that looks pretty wild. :)

[@ArtistGuitarsDemo]

We will have this model in a non-relic Nitro finish in a few months

[@colhutchins]

@@ArtistGuitarsDemo Yesssssss! Great to hear, thanks guys/girls at Artist, that was going to be my comment i.e. how about a non-relic version :-) . What colours will the Nitro versions be available in, same as relic or different? Also, off topic, I got an Artist LP59 Apricot a few months back, bloody beautiful guitar!

[@mikestroud9969]

Goof channel bloke. Love the Aussies. Met some back in the military years ago in Somalia africa. I myself would never buy a relic guitar. Id prefer to relic it myself by playing it. Take care ❤️🙏🇺🇲💯🎸🎸 its like buying them new pair of pants with holes in them absurd Nonsense 🥶🤢

[@Kevin-the-Just]

If you like Teles, that seems like a no-brainer. That spec, that's a steal - even after you spring for a half-decent case.

[@crego7324]

Left handed please

[@djangle67]

Hopefully Artist will release these new colours in non relic versions in matt or gloss finishes in the future…..great deal nonetheless.

[@DavidHBurkart]

I dig this variant of a tele. I actually liked the relic job on this one.

[@mjhastings4534]

That neck pickup doesn't sound dark at all wow nice brightness to it

[@ondy71]

thanks to your great vids i now own another guitar, "So much for me downsizing my collection " (lol). i never liked faked relic guitars until i came across this one.

[@marklisa17]

It's great to hear guys like Ben on your channel Shane. It's very fluid and flowing like water in a river. Is the sound of the Artist tele compatible to your Fender tele? Thx. for your efforts Shane. ❤

[@peterabbington-blanch4391]

I don't understand this relic thing. I even had someone tell me once that it made them sound better, unless you can prove it in a blind test, I don't buy it; even then it would to be a lot of blind tests.

[@BeGoodBe]

Awesome! I want it.

[@davidhollyfield5148]

I don't care about the cosmetics It's how it sounds. And it sounds awesome.

[@DMSProduktions]

Nice Tele style! Rockin' Ben! \m/

[@kennethc2466]

Sounds like a fine Tele to me. Great video!

[@allanparker8515]

Hi, It would be great if you could do a review of the Artist AT73. Thanks

[@pearlandGUITARIST]

Nice to hear Lou Reed's "Rock 'n Roll" in the opening demo jam!

[@deanmccaskill5495]

GREAT CATCH! I assume you’ve heard the live R & R Animal version. Beast level!

[@pearlandGUITARIST]

@@deanmccaskill5495 Oh yes. Jammed along to it many times!

[@deanmccaskill5495]

I’m a super Welcome To My Nighmare Fan. Dick W and Steve H I hate to ask but are they still .. around?

[@pearlandGUITARIST]

@@deanmccaskill5495 I believe Steve Hunter is, but Dick Wagner passed away some time ago.

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

Even though I don't like the relic specs wise this is practically the perfect guitar for me right down to the Paulownia body

[@krackers777]

Nice video Shane, I just picked up a Artist AMB4 Chameleon Headless Bass Guitar w/ Active Pickups, very nice Bass.

[@tonepilot]

Ben’s a very melodic player. Nice addition to your vid. Guitar’s great too but I’d replace the bridge I think. A bit too shrill for me. Could be the amp settings though.

[@sjb1957]

You can turn down the tone.

[@baabaabaa-yp2jh]

Thanks Shane and Ben! Well it sounds like a Tele!! I got the Grungemaster a few yrs back, barring the ceramic pickups, its gd to muck about on... this is better.

[@johndooley7812]

Another great review Shane. Can you tell me where you buy your posters from please? Cheers John D: NZ

[@TheMichaelseymour]

that opening lead tone was chewy !

[@mostlypostie1]

I just got one via your link. I don't have Tele, or a relic yet, so I would have been crazy not too... lol Cheers!

[@GordonPavilion]

Not enough relic treatment.

[@ozflyer1]

Yes the rear of the neck and all the shiny chrome needs to be done...in fact the chrome SHOULD have been nickel.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

love it, and great playing

[@maxxyporky]

How to ket those to europe?

[@paulburton5150]

I think this guitar looks, and sounds, great. Unless it’s a £1500+ fender I don’t mind a relic job, if it’s done well i often prefer it to a thick poly finish. Artist look to have done a good heavy relic job on this one. Something you can rock hard without worrying about a few additional knocks and bangs. But what really wins me over are the ss frets, rosewood board, and hardware choices. Are these available in the UK?

[@ozflyer1]

its NOT rosewood its eco rosewood

[@pyratoothNL]

Very nice. The neck, frets and locking tuners is a great start/ But that bridge pickup has a great character. Nice job. But it seems Artists guitars have a different availability of models depending on where you are in the world. There relic models are on the AU site but not US or UK (which are also different from each other). Either way the price point of the instruments is great.

[@djangle67]

On the UK site now ship mid December.

[@evanwilliams8908]

Cheap guitars aren't commonly heavy. That makes no sense. Cheap guitars are made of lightest wood possible so save on transport costs.

[@ozflyer1]

yeah thats why chinese gibson copies are around 4 KG... lol you have no idea.

[@viktornesovski1884]

We will give you all the support to pressure these companies to make Leftie models. Petitions, calls, emails you name it!

[@TeleCS]

Looks like every colour is painted with a template. All the paintwork/scratches look identical on all colours.

[@DiagonalLawn]

It says in there website that this is a nitro finish? Can anyone confirm this? Seems way too good to be true. Also how is the radius at 14inch?

[@chrisgmurray3622]

Why can't they offer this in non-reliced? They are being economical with the nitro finish by doing this, so I guess there is a commercial reason beyond fashion. Whereas I don't mind the reliced look, it seems as if the manufacturer is giving you less for your money, because normally you'd get a full finish, and have the option of relicing it yourself if you so desire. Also it won't last as long as a fully finished guitar. Stainless steel frets are all well and good, and they last forever, but I've never liked the harsh trebley sound they give to the instrument compared to the softer warmer sound of the nickle frets. The Tele has always been a bright sounding guitar, so the stainless steel frets push it over the edge in sharp treble, and are too much for the guitar ; it would be better suited to have dull dounding guitars like Les Pauls, Jazz masters etc with the extra harsh top end of s/steel frets. If they offered the same instrument non-reliced and with nickle frets, it would sound amazing and after ten years you could have the neck refretted for much less, and it would be worth doing because the finish would still be pretty good and it would sound better. I believe the only reason they offer the "reliced" look on the instrument is not because it may be fashionable for insecure musicians who are mire concerned with posing than in good sound..., no they're doing it because it might look as if you're an old muso with years of experience (when you're not) which to me is dishonest, and it actually saves them some money to make it.?If you must have the look, you can always buy a well finished guitar and "relic it yourself" if you want to look as if you've been playing for much longer. It's up to the individual if they like this, but it removes the free choice of buyers who may not want that look. Sound is more important than looks anyway, but you can choose if you want that look... but here you have no choice!

[@giabgr]

I'm getting used to the whole relic thing, but that relic job is shocking.

[@brotherhawk3228]

Has anyone heard of J&D Luthiers guitars ? I live in Thailand and just picked up a gold top p90 for 175 bucks .

[@garymcaleer6112]

Buying a guitar that looks like it came out of a dumpster...what more can I say?

[@ItsaCatsLife]

Never understood why people want to buy a pre-damaged guitar and then pay more for it! Nuts

[@tonytonychopperfan2605]

Haha Custom Shop, yeah sure

[@ozflyer1]

yeah Shane thinks all custom shop fenders are light :)

[@helotaxi]

How can it be the “ultimate” if it’s built backwards? “Relic” finish is an acquired taste that I don’t think I’ll ever acquire. A guitar that earned its wear and has a history is one thing, but just beating up a brand new guitar and then charging/paying extra for it…not something I can get behind. Scars and wear on a tool tell a story. The only story this tells is “We turned a guitar that we’d have to sell as a ‘blemish’ or ‘B-stock’ into a guitar we can sell for more than one we didn’t screw up on”.

[@markellis6668]

Sounds very thin

[@ianhuddo2770]

Love relics, but this is a fail. Great job on body..... nothing on hardware....shame

[@RevGerryRM]

It needs a good sanding and painting!

[@ozflyer1]

You need to stick to knitting.

[@isitreallyisitreally1756]

Well appointed instrument but looks awful , just awful , it’s a marketing scam for lazy players and posers , I’ve been lucky to play some early 60’s well gigged guitars and NONE of them looked like this or other fake aged snake oil guitars , kings new clothes with six strings attached 😂

[@ozflyer1]

Wake up dude....Ive got guitars that go back to the late 1920s...and numerous from the late 60s~early 70s....the ones Ive gigged with the most and travelled with the most now show their own style. Bonnie Raiit bought a 60s strat and got her tech to strip it.....wonder why??? GO TAKE A LISTEN. "marketing scam"????? wtf drugs are you on. Go google SRVs strat..... or rory's strat and come back and tell us they look fake. You have played NO well gigged guitars form the 60s mate....stop the dribble.

[@MercilessGuitar151]

That relic is actually pretty bad. It is very obvious thst it has been relic'd and it just does not look natural to me.

[@intheblues]

The relic thing goes either way with folks, that's for sure. :)

[@ArtistGuitarsDemo]

We will have this model in a non-relic Nitro finish in a few months

[@cliveward7346]

​@@ArtistGuitarsDemoawesome. Will it be nitro over poly or straight nitro?

[@johnplaystheguitar123]

​@@ArtistGuitarsDemoomg no way! You guys are making my dreams come true. With exact same specs? Paulownia body. SS frets etc?

[@colhutchins]

@@ArtistGuitarsDemo Same questions as Clive and John