The Relic era started in the mid-90s in the Fender Custom Shop. And since then, guitarists have been arguing about Fender relic guitars, and relics in general. Some feel they are “fake authenticity” while others contend that relic jobs increase a guitar’s comfort by making it feel “broken-in.” Who is right? We’d like to offer a few level-headed thoughts, counter-arguments, and a perspective that I seemingly never read in discussions on this topic.
The Original Relics
The first Fender Custom Shop Relic guitars were introduced at the 1995 Winter NAMM show. Proof that things often swing back the opposite direction, the brightly-colored “Super Strat” era of the ’80s gave way to the vintage guitar boom in the early ’90s, which was characterized by a renewed appreciation for older Fender and Gibson guitars, especially those made in the 1950’s and 60’s. Since these guitars were 30+ years old at the time, almost all of them showed some level of wear. This became the template for the original relic jobs in the Fender Custom Shop. The original vision of the Fender Custom shop was to make a new guitar feel like an old guitar.
Fender did such a good job on the original Relics that they decided to stamp the neck pocket with “Relic” to thwart counterfeiting! The original Relic prototypes were very well received at the show, and Fender was off to the races, subsequently expanding relic production to multiple guitar models, and multiple levels of reliced distress. Other makers soon jumped on the trend, and today reliced guitars are everywhere. Gibson introduced their Murphy Lab guitars a few years back, which are produced in Gibson’s Custom Shop.
Relics Today
Relics are everywhere today, and it’s not only Fender and Gibson. Newer guitar companies like Novo Guitars and Nash Guitars have made relicing a prominent part of their identity. Fender blazed the relic trail, and is still the most popular brand for Tele and Strat style relics.
Fender Relic Levels
Fender offers the following levels of distressing (relicing), ordered from least to most:
- NOS – “New Old Stock”, not reliced.
- Closet Classic – Light relic, offering some patina and light wear and finish scratches.
- Journeyman Relic – This is where we get into the heavier relic level, with dings and scratches. Includes neck sanding that removes finish from the back of the neck. Still might be considered light-ish, but noticeably more than a Closet Classic.
- Relic – This is where the real damage starts—dings, deep scratches, worn finish, bare wood, maybe some burn marks.
- Heavy Relic – Relic level on steroids—rusted hardware, sections of finish missing, dirty worn fretboards and necks.
Gibson Relic Levels
Gibson Murphy Lab offers four levels of aging for Gibson relic guitars:
- Ultra Light Aged – Slightly above “case queen” status, minimal relicing with just a little bit of wear in select places, “VOS” nitrocellulose finish (Vintage Original Spec).
- Light Aged – A bumped-up version of Light Aging, it includes a bit more wear including minor dings and increased softening of edges.
- Heavy Aged – Designed specifically to approximate a road-worn guitar with significant wear and tear, including buckle rash and neck wear.
- Ultra Heavy Aged – Comparable to a Heavy Relic, the highest level includes lots of finish checking, dings, buckle rash, and even exposed wood.
Creating a Relic
Guitar makers have their own secret techniques, some specific to their instruments and finishes. That said, some of the tools of the trade include hammers, rocks, razor blades, and various other sharp and blunt devices. Novo Guitars pulls back the curtain here and shows us exactly how they relic their guitars. Novo is one of the newer guitar makers known for their reliced finishes:
Are Relic Guitars For Losers?
The relic debate is polarizing, so allow me to offer a couple ways to look at it. Relicing affects two dimensions of the guitar: Appearance and Feel. Sounds obvious, but most people only focus on the look that the relicing process produces, and conclude that a guitarist is focused only on the image of having a vintage looking version of a new guitar.
Older, broken-in guitars feel the way they do because of the wear they’ve earned over time, and this wear can directly translate into an improvement in feel when playing the instrument. Slightly worn finish areas on both the body and neck are why “old” guitars feel friendly in a way that showroom new ones don’t. So in this way, relicing isn’t completely pointless if it improves the feel of an already good guitar. Therefore, my answer is no—relic guitars are not for losers!
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Now here is where I jump off the relic bandwagon: I don’t personally believe in Relic levels much above Closet Classic. Why? Well, it’s based on the same reason that I do believe that light relicing can improve feel and playability: Relicing that includes numerous dents, dings, missing fretboard wood, grime, etc…doesn’t help the guitar play or sound better!
In the case of a heavily reliced guitar, the appeal comes down to the image. How exactly does a paint ding through the finish on the top of a guitar help the guitar play better? It doesn’t. And, in the case of heavily reliced guitars, the wear is so excessive that it is obviously contrived; very, very few guitars in playable condition, no matter the age, show that amount of wear. It’s like the story where a new relic owner had to immediately bring their guitar to their tech because they couldn’t adjust the pickup heights because the screws were “distressed” (i.e., rusted!).
The reason I like light relicing, e.g., Closet Classic level, is that it replicates the actual wear that would occur over time on a guitar that has been played and handled with reasonable care. And that wear arguably offers the tangible benefit of a “broken-in” feel. Pre-owned guitars often exhibit this type of wear, so Closet Classics aren’t too far off from what actually happens to guitars as they age.
Conclusion
Wherever you land on the relic debate, keep in mind what you’re buying it for. For enhanced feel and playability, reliced guitars can’t be beat. And if you insist on having the road worn vintage vibe, then perhaps a heavier relic guitar is for you.
In my experience, I have found it more satisfying to relic a guitar through the natural process of time—and my own clumsiness! For example, I own a 20 year-old guitar with a spruce top that has sustained a few small dings, including one that goes through the finish. I remember when and how each of them happened. There is a certain nostalgia to the idea that, much like each of us, our instruments develop character marks as we age. Your cherished guitar’s scrapes and scratches remind you of where you’ve been—and no relic job can do that.
Happy playing!