Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 First of all, let me say that I am not refinishing these guitars to look like what most think of as a "relic"...a guitar that is meant to fool anyone into thinking it is truly an old guitar. I have a few that I have done that way, but not these two. They're kind of a combination of wear that would be somewhat accurate and a finish approach that I think looks cool. While in no way a Trussart, somewhat of his approach to creating guitars that look different, if nothing else. This first one started out as a Squier Standard Strat that I bought a number of years ago because I liked the neck. It was a medium blue color with poly finish. I took the finish off completely, down to the wood, before redoing the body. The headstock was a large '70s shape and is now reshaped in such a way that it only resembles a Fender, but is not exactly the same. The nut was replaced with a Graphtech tusq with wider string spacing as the neck was wide enough to allow this. The guitar plays better with this wider spacing. Pickups are GFS Greybottom Overwounds. The neck was also tinted a vintage amber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 I like it. The crackle finish is cool. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 Looks good to me (a general non-fan of relics). I especially like the fact that you haven't artificially rusted the metal parts, dinged up the screws, scuffed the pickguard, etc. The actual finish on the body looks pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mfergel Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 More along the lines of what AXL does with the Badwater series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 This guitar started out as an natural finished Benford. I did not sand the body, not did I apply a base coat as I wanted the paint to easily chip. The pickups currently have too much amber tint to them and will be redone. The neck was also tinted amber. Bridge pickup is now a SD Little '59. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 211dave112 Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 any pics of the re-shaped headstock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 Looks good to me (a general non-fan of relics). I especially like the fact that you haven't artificially rusted the metal parts, dinged up the screws, scuffed the pickguard, etc. The actual finish on the body looks pretty good. I think that's what bugs me about some of the relics. They look like they are trying too hard. The crackle paint is just another finish option and looks good here. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 any pics of the re-shaped headstock? So far, I've left the large rounded part of the '70s headstock alone and just reshaped the lower part. Since I removed all indication that it started out as a Squier and didn't like the look of a plain label-less headstock, I added my own "brand name" to the guitar. It's quite removed from the Squier it started out as, anyway. I'm undecided as to whether I want to do some more work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 I think that's what bugs me about some of the relics. They look like they are trying too hard. The crackle paint is just another finish option and looks good here.EG Thanks EG...and to you other guys who seem to see this the same way I do. I like the worn look, but see no point in trying to fake someone out. I just wanted to create some cool looking guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashtray Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 It looks like you used thin layers of house paint and a brush. It's not a bad effect, but it reminds me of an outdoor painted structure, like a barn or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 More along the lines of what AXL does with the Badwater series. Yes. somewhat like that. I have two AXL's Badwaters and they just look like a different finish approach that, while looking old and beat up, aren't really trying to be fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evh1984 Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 I generally do not like relics either, but I much like the crackle paint job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoople Head Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 I really like both of them. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 It looks like you used thin layers of house paint and a brush. It's not a bad effect, but it reminds me of an outdoor painted structure, like a barn or something. They were hand-brushed. I could spray the colored paints, but the ceramic crackle (which creates the cracked look) is just too thick to do that. The blue guitar had a final sanding after the crackle and antique glaze (which adds the black in the cracks) was done. If I get more serious about this I will consider trying to spray everything to get rid of the brush strokes. As it is, I don't want to make the investment right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 bump for the evening crowd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mmkco Posted November 4, 2009 Members Share Posted November 4, 2009 Nice work man! I totally get what you are saying on those. I think they look really cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 Nice work man! I totally get what you are saying on those. I think they look really cool. Thanks! And thanks to all who have said good things about these guitars. I'm hoping on the next one to correct some things I still don't like about the results, though. The brush strokes are the toughest to eliminate. Not with the paint itself, but with the thick crackle stuff that I apply to create the cracks. I'm actually doing this in a reverse order from what is normal. Usually, a color base coat is applied, then the crackle and then a white top coat which shrinks and cracks because of the crackle layer below it. It would look like this: I did it in this reverse manner, because that was not the look on these guitars that I was looking for. I also heard about another technique yesterday which is totally different than what I've been doing and I may try that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stormin1155 Posted November 5, 2009 Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 More of an "antique" finish like you would see on primitive style furniture than what I would call relic. Interesting approach. I don't care for it myself, but I applaud your creativity with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cold Gin Posted November 5, 2009 Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 The blue one looks cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Heel Posted November 5, 2009 Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 Those look awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintage55 Posted November 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 More of an "antique" finish like you would see on primitive style furniture than what I would call relic. Interesting approach. I don't care for it myself, but I applaud your creativity with it. Exactly... I used the same paint that would be used on furniture. thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MichaelSaulnier Posted November 5, 2009 Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 On the blue one in particular it reminded me of the "sponge" technique you sometimes see in interior wall painting. I actually like the crackled one you showed at the end... although without a clearcoat over it... it seems like the more you wore it, the more stuff would keep coming off. This is kinda like the liquor sticker guy the other day... very "crafty" ideas. Cool, but not sure I would ever do it to one of my guitars! I don't know if it's because I don't have any old nitro finish guitars, or I just don't play each of them alot or whatever, but none of my guitars, even my 1986 Charvel, show ANY real wear on them. A few dings and little belt rash here and there... but it really makes me wonder what people like SRV and Rory Gallagher DO to their guitars. I KNOW they play the heck out of them... for hours and hours... every day... for years and years... But I always wondered... like with SRV's #1... what did it look like when he got it? It was used and already a decade or so old... did he do ALL of that to it, or was some or most of it before him? M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Funderbunk Posted November 5, 2009 Members Share Posted November 5, 2009 Yes. somewhat like that. I have two AXL's Badwaters and they just look like a different finish approach that, while looking old and beat up, aren't really trying to be fake. In a similar vein, the Spear RD Relic that I got a while back has crazy texturing on the top that I really dig, but like the Axls, isn't really attempting to look like a "legit" old guitar. This picture kind of shows the texture - what looks like wrinkles are actually carved into the wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.