Relic Guitars, Whats the point and when Did It All Start And Why?

Music Related | 9th May, 2023

Before 1995, fake aging and playing wear was applied to old guitars while being repaired. To avoid a new piece of wood looking out of place on an old battered guitar, a Lutheir would age the new piece to match the existing wood. Similar to antique furniture repair

Fender NAMM Relic

The idea behind relic guitars is to make the instrument look as though it has seen decades of road and studio use, while the reality is that the guitar is brand new.

Vince Cunettor and J W Black were two master builders with Fender experimenting with the aging process of new guitars. Fender was impressed with their work and in 1995 decided to display two prototype guitars at the NAMM guitar show.

The two guitars chosen were a 50s Nocaster’ and ‘50s Stratocaster. Both guitars, straight from the factory, were displayed in a glass case and quickly caught fans attention impressed by what they believed were historic vintage guitars.

At first fans were not sure about purposely making a new guitar look vintage. Many dealers believed that fake vintage guitars would upset the buyers market.

Fender decided to stamp their guitars to prove they were a relic resulting in the market exploding with the demand from players wanting a vintage look, without paying the high price.

Gibson Relic Guitars

Fender would be alone in the relic guitar market until Gibson Guitars joined in the late Ninettes with their own marketing spin.

Fender had been reissuing relic guitars based on a particular year. Gibson would market their guitars differently by replicating guitars that had been played by famous celebrity guitar players.

Guitar fans could purchase the exact same guitar as their guitar hero, warts and all.

Every scratch and dent that appeared on the original after decades of use was replicated in the factory.

Since Fender brought their first relic guitars to NAMM the demand has grown to an extent that smaller guitar brands, and new companies, have released their own relics into the market.

Why Buy A Relic Guitar

Relic guitars have divided the guitar community since first introduced at NAMM back in the Nineties.

For many buying a relic guitar is the equivalent to buying a new Porche with rust and dents on the body.

Professional musicians will often use relic guitars while on tour. The risk of damaging their personal guitar valued at over $ 100,000 is not worth taking when a replica will look and play just as good.

Though having a scratch on the body of the guitar will have no impact on sound, some players claim that a relic guitar has a better feel and playability due to the sticky coat on the neck being worn away and smooth.

While there might be a slight difference to the neck, the reality is that the only difference between a relic guitar and a standard guitar is the scratches and dents.

There will always be a market for players who want to buy the same brand as their guitar hero, and having the option to have an exact copy of a guitar that appeared on an album cover or a photograph from a recording session will continue for many years to come.