Fender '57 Heavy Relic Stratocaster® limited release

[bert]

anybody got more news/details on this axe.....
is it a masterbuild release, or just regular Fender customshop guitar ???
price indication ?
'cause i have GAS!!!!!!!! :dude


Bert

[rickc007]

You think you have GAS now, wait till you get your mitts on it

I played it at NAMM, great V neck, killer guitar
I played the 2 tone sunburst version, it's on my list as well

it is "not" a masterbuilt, it is team built limited to 100
top shelf all the way

Heard from my dealer, it's probably a few months away
these are not shipping at present, and he's usually very accurate

List Price is either 5 to 5.2k ....street around 3 to 3.5k

[jazzandmetal?]

http://www.themusiczoo.com/Vintage_Strat_Relic_Blk_R32401combo.jpg
They will probably look alot like this one...only with a RW board..this is from the music zoo...they listed it right after namm.

[bert]

You think you have GAS now, wait till you get your mitts on it

I played it at NAMM, great V neck, killer guitar
I played the 2 tone sunburst version, it's on my list as well

it is "not" a masterbuilt, it is team built limited to 100
top shelf all the way

Heard from my dealer, it's probably a few months away
these are not shipping at present, and he's usually very accurate

List Price is either 5 to 5.2k ....street around 3 to 3.5k

sounds great !!
who's this dealer ??

Bert

[Old Tele man]

...somehow, playing NEW prices for a USED guitar just don't "make it."

...I'm for "aging" stuff the old-fashioned way, naturally, as in "...one year at a time, year after year."

...paying LI$T prices for OLD stuff just makes me laugh.

[rickc007]

sounds great !!
who's this dealer ??

Bert

uhhh, no way....not til I get my hands on it :-)

If he gets 2...I'll let you know

But they are very similar to the wildwood 10 series
Got the feeling the neck is a little smaller, and they
have diff pickups, but you can get the idea from the
wildwood run

cheers, and I will ask my dealer if he is getting 2

[esoteric pete]

http://www.themusiczoo.com/Vintage_Strat_Relic_Blk_R32401combo.jpg
They will probably look alot like this one...only with a RW board..this is from the music zoo...they listed it right after namm.


cant be a 62'....look at the headstock....

[Samba]

Here's a pic of the NAMM '57 and '62. Both guitars feature ash bodies (just like the '69 NAMM Heavy Relic of last year) 6105 frets, non-period correct PUPS and quarter sawn necks.
Though I find the unusual specs of interest, these mix 'n match specification Strats illustrate the fact that Fender is running out of vintage pieces to recreate. I'll take the LPB '62…;)

http://www.fender.jp/gallery/photo/fcs00122_org.jpg

[telesquire]

Someone closed the 'think tank' down at the Fender CS a while back!

[webe123]

Chalk up another one to the DREMEL TOOL MAN!

[brad347]

hmm... those relic jobs look kind of "stylized."

[The Everlove]

anyone know where I can get a relic'd pickguard like that LBP 62?

[Killcrop]

It kills me when they charge extra for "Heavy Relicing". That's what they all used to look like. I guess there is a reason why the Cunettos sell for what they do.

The new Relics kinda look like a new guitar with a bunch of dings. They don't even wear the back of the necks anymore.

[jazzandmetal?]

cant be a 62'....look at the headstock....

My bad...the listing just says 60s...

[bazooka47]

There are certainly some strong opinions about whether relic guitars are cool or not.

I don't have any "reliced" guitars, but I have some vintage pieces that are pretty well-played, some of which I have had since the 70's. Like a lot of players I LOVE and feel the look of those old guitars, but to me part of the allure of having those old pieces is knowing at some point in time, somebody was on the road making a livin' with that guitar, or, if not doing exactly that, at least putting a lot of licks in and gettin a lot of music out of the thing.

Having made that observation I also think that the idea of "relicing" (is that a word?) is kinda neat, especially given the staggering cost of vintage guitars (and not every one of those were great guitars). So, I can see how and why a player would want to play something that looks like it has spent its life in blues clubs, or smoky honky-tonks, in the hands of accomplished players who HAD to be good at what they did- or they didn't work.

To me, the real rub would come after you purchase that relic Fender Custom Shop '57 Heavy Relic Strat, and you take it out to a gig or a party. How do you respond to the first person that says, "Wow- cool old Strat- what year is it? Where did you find it? How long have you played it?". If the person laying on the compliment is another player, is he/she going to be impressed when you say "It's a brand new Fender Heavy Relic whatever, and I just bought it new- it' still under factory warranty."? If the admirer is a "civilian", perhaps an attractive member of the opposite sex, is it going to make you look good when you explain that there is a company that builds replicas of old beat-up guitars, and they cost as much as 2 or 3 times what the exact same guitar would cost in new condition, and all the wear and tear that attractive person is admiring was done not with the hands of a skilled musician living a life of pain, but rather with compressed air, steel wool and a Dremel drill?

Although some of the Fender relics have tempted me, I will most likely not buy one for the above reasons- it's just not real- TO ME.

[opdev]

They are not real but they feel sooo good.

I am bot going to be alive for 50 years to but that king of wear into a new axe.

[pickaguitar]

anyone know where I can get a relic'd pickguard like that LBP 62?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mint-Green-Aged-Relic-Stratocaster-Pickguard-Strat_W0QQitemZ260226457248QQihZ016QQcategoryZ4142 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Shamus]

...somehow, playing NEW prices for a USED guitar just don't "make it."

...I'm for "aging" stuff the old-fashioned way, naturally, as in "...one year at a time, year after year."

...paying LI$T prices for OLD stuff just makes me laugh.

Done sounding like an old fart? Don't be, what we call in the 21st century, a "hater" because you bought broken in guitars when they were dirt cheap. Don't be a "hater" because new players want their guitars to feel vintage, without paying vintage prices.

If you don't like relic's - cool. Simply keep the "tard" statements to a minimum.
:horse

And yeah, I rode my bike 12 miles to and from middle school growing up & I do play the hell out of my guitars...

[Relicula]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/22gtrz/P4021407-1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/22gtrz/P4021401.jpg

The sunburst is a 57 NAMM heavy relic, you can go relic your guitar yourself, its the only guitar you will have. I prefer to take advantage of some of the best instruments that Fender is producing, wether you like the relic authenticity aspect or not, these guitars are something special.

The oly white guitar next to it was reliced the old fashioned way. I bought it in this condition, so all the road warrior vibe meant nothing to the guy who sold it. If I show up at a gig with either one, I am no more credible to the relic it yourself crowd. Every time I put a ding, or dent in a shiny new guitar, I look at it not like its earning its stripes, but its devaluing in front of my eyes. With any of my relics I can whack them with a beer bottle just for fun, and I end up feeling better, relicing my relic myself

[gregory49]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/22gtrz/P4021407-1.jpg




Sweet guitar!!! I have a '62 Heavy Relic that I love, It's the best strat I've ever played hands down!

Right now I'm more interested in that sweet Marshall Cab!?

[Relicula]

That's actually a sweet Marshall combo, a 50 watt M/V, from 78.

I have a 62 violinburst from the 07 NAMM run, these two guitars are my favorite's so far.

People who take the moral high ground about authenticity regarding wearing in a guitar are in the minority. If your playing wears the finish off a body and neck it comes over years of playing. I have a shelf life of about one to two years on any guitar, and so do many others.

I am my own relic, I do not have to scratch up a guitar over years to validate my playing. I have owned many guitars, Fender has just been able to make them feel good, and sound good, before I could.:crazy

I dont hate on anyone that wears in a guitar by playing it, nor do I care if your guitar is shiny, and new looking. But I will tell you one thing, my relic will probably kick your guitars ass.

[kingsleyd]

To me, the real rub would come after you purchase that relic Fender Custom Shop '57 Heavy Relic Strat, and you take it out to a gig or a party. How do you respond to the first person that says, "Wow- cool old Strat- what year is it? Where did you find it? How long have you played it?". If the person laying on the compliment is another player, is he/she going to be impressed when you say "It's a brand new Fender Heavy Relic whatever, and I just bought it new- it' still under factory warranty."? If the admirer is a "civilian", perhaps an attractive member of the opposite sex, is it going to make you look good when you explain that there is a company that builds replicas of old beat-up guitars, and they cost as much as 2 or 3 times what the exact same guitar would cost in new condition, and all the wear and tear that attractive person is admiring was done not with the hands of a skilled musician living a life of pain, but rather with compressed air, steel wool and a Dremel drill?

Opinions are fine, but...

1. I don't care nearly as much as you seem to what someone in the audience thinks about my guitar. In fact I'm more likely to tell someone that the vintage guitar I played last set is a "brand-new relic" because I don't especially want that stranger to know it's worth $$$.

2. A very attractive friend who runs a big design firm saw my new NAMM heavy relic '57 Strat (GREAT guitar, btw, for anyone who's innarested) and thought it was the coolest thing ever. She totally got the ART of it all. That's how pretty much every civilian I know has reacted if they showed any interest at all in my guitars. As for other guitarists... meh... I don't give a flyin' fook what they think. (unless they're my friends, in which case all they care about is, "is it a good guitar?!?")

3. 2 or 3 times?!?!? I don't know where you shop but in my experience relics don't cost a whole lot more than the EQUIVALENT non-relic guitar. The trick is (sometimes) finding out what the EQUIVALENT is.

I mean... ...everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but I've never heard a REASON for relics not being a good thing that wasn't either stupid or factually incorrect or excessively self-congratulatory. In my world, a good guitar is a good guitar and whether it's brand-shiny-new or artificially-beat-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life is a purely cosmetic thing that really and truly does not matter in any way other than aesthetically.

[dougk]

http://www.themusiczoo.com/Vintage_Strat_Relic_Blk_R32401combo.jpg
They will probably look alot like this one...only with a RW board..this is from the music zoo...they listed it right after namm.

Back of the neck just looks so awful. No wait... I mean all my guitars have worn the neck on an exact straight line :rolleyes:

I love fenders but that just screams lazy to me.

[kingsleyd]

Back of the neck just looks so awful. No wait... I mean all my guitars have worn the neck on an exact straight line :rolleyes:

I love fenders but that just screams lazy to me.

The back of the neck of my real '65 looks almost exactly like the back of the neck of my '07 relic.

[Cosmic]

I can't wait until they make a relic 1989 classic strat. LOL!

[Drew68]

If you don't like relic's - cool. Simply keep the "tard" statements to a minimum.


Well said.

Some of us have families to support in non-musician occupations and can't spend 16 hours a day "relicing" our guitars.

Some of us don't have five figures to spend on an authentic vintage relic'd guitar that is too valuable to even play.

Why does every thread dealing with relics bring out such acrimony?

[jazzandmetal?]

Back of the neck just looks so awful. No wait... I mean all my guitars have worn the neck on an exact straight line :rolleyes:

I love fenders but that just screams lazy to me.

Screams BADASS to me!:RoCkIn

[Relicula]

I played Kingsleys red NAMM relic right before he bought it. If he had not I would have. Since then I got my hands on two of them since playing the one he bought. It rings acoustically forever, feels like an old baseball glove, and in person just looks killer.

These particular guitars were a special run that was taken to NAMM for the show. Only a limited amount of them are in existence to my knowledge, and I know the heavy relic series is available still, but the backplate on these identifies they were made just for the show.

Having owned almost every custom shop Fender, Nash's, and vintage, including 60's and 70's Strats, and Les Pauls, nothing comes close in my experience to what these guitars have accomplished.

The whole relic bashing thing amazes me, I dont know anyone that buys a relic with the intention of fooling their audience, or a dealer,or anyone really.

They sound good, and feel good.

[dougk]

The back of the neck of my real '65 looks almost exactly like the back of the neck of my '07 relic.

It probably does. I've seen better looking necks from Fender than the one pictured above. I think they actually did a decent job with the color and wear... 'cept that damned straight line where the "wear" abruptly ends towards the nut.

I thought the body and the rest was one if their nicer looking ones though. I dig relics but Im pretty anal about a few details on them.

[Relicula]

The neck wear on the back being straight can be easily fixed if it bothers anyone. Look at this pic.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/22gtrz/Cunettocloseneck.jpg

[MrNick]

Here's a pic of the NAMM '57 and '62. Both guitars feature ash bodies (just like the '69 NAMM Heavy Relic of last year) 6105 frets, non-period correct PUPS and quarter sawn necks.
Though I find the unusual specs of interest, these mix 'n match specification Strats illustrate the fact that Fender is running out of vintage pieces to recreate. I'll take the LPB '62…;)

http://www.fender.jp/gallery/photo/fcs00122_org.jpg

Can someone post a pic of a vintage guitar that has a logo that looks anything like that?

[Relicula]

Can someone post a vintage guitar that cost 3k?

I am sure the decal is worth the extra money.

[avincent52`]

There are certainly some strong opinions about whether relic guitars are cool or not.

I don't have any "reliced" guitars, but I have some vintage pieces that are pretty well-played, some of which I have had since the 70's. Like a lot of players I LOVE and feel the look of those old guitars, but to me part of the allure of having those old pieces is knowing at some point in time, somebody was on the road making a livin' with that guitar, or, if not doing exactly that, at least putting a lot of licks in and gettin a lot of music out of the thing.

To me, the real rub would come after you purchase that relic Fender Custom Shop '57 Heavy Relic Strat, and you take it out to a gig or a party. How do you respond to the first person that says, "Wow- cool old Strat- what year is it? Where did you find it? ... If the admirer is a "civilian", perhaps an attractive member of the opposite sex, is it going to make you look good when you explain that there is a company that builds replicas of old beat-up guitars, and they cost as much as 2 or 3 times what the exact same guitar would cost in new condition, and all the wear and tear that attractive person is admiring was done not with the hands of a skilled musician living a life of pain, but rather with compressed air, steel wool and a Dremel drill?

The attractive member of the opposite sex asks about your vintage guitar and you say "Oh, I've had it since the 70s."

Response: "That means you're older than my Dad. Ick."

The guitar geek asks about your guitar and you say "Well it's got mojo. Not my mojo. But real mojo nonetheless. I bought it this way. Me? I'm afraid to play it for fear I'll wear through the lacquer on the maple fretboard. It's worth $55,000."

Response: "Stick 'em up."

You're right that there's an art to relicing. (FWIW, I'm not particularly impressed by this particular relic). But this two-to-three times the cost comparison is bogus. The Custom Shop makes plenty of very shiny $5,000 guitars.

Just for curiousity, do you go up to people playing PRSes and ridicule them for paying for that flamed wood and gold hardware?

To each his own. That's my motto.

What's yours? My way or the Highway (one).

allen

[dave s]

Well said.

Some of us have families to support in non-musician occupations and can't spend 16 hours a day "relicing" our guitars.



LOL! Good one, Drew! Me? I roll in from work about 6pm each evening and take the first 8 hour shift playing and 'relicing' my guitar the right way. Then, my wife takes over for several more hours before she goes to work. She doesn't play so her job is to kick it around a bit on the hardwood floors downstairs so as not to wake me or our hs freshman.

After several months of this, my CS '69 Heavy Relics still look cooler, play better and sound nicer! :crazy

dave

[buddastrat]

Can someone tell me how a Fender's '57 soft V feel? I was thinking about a relic and it happens to have that carve. Does it feel chunky at all? I really don't like a pointy V feel down the middle of the neck, but a real sublte one is okay, as long as the neck has some beef to it. What do you guys think?

[sgt_steiner]

This NAMM '07 Edition Custom Shop LPB '62 Strat is simply a MIND-BLOWING player. I recently put it head-to-head with a vintage '62, and you know what -- feel, sound, look were too close to call. And yeah, the vintage '62 had very similar arm-wear.

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/docaloc/sday002.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/docaloc/sday003.jpg

Point being -- if you CAN'T get the "real thing", why not be able to enjoy something every bit as awesome, minus the ridiculous price tag? IMO this smacks of the same sort of elitism -- often focused against Relics -- which drove the market for the "real ones" bonkers to begin with...

End of the day, why SHOULDN'T a young kid enjoy a killer Strat with relic'd mojo? Who benefits by he/she NOT EVER being able to play one, or to only see one hanging on some stockbroker's wall?

[mmasters]

I may have snagged the best one in the batch. Been wondering into guitar shops and playing quality axes for 15 years. This one takes the prize. Best I've ever heard AND plays like a breeze. My camera mic sucks but you can still hear the tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUJqw_vtZfU

[mmasters]

Can someone tell me how a Fender's '57 soft V feel? I was thinking about a relic and it happens to have that carve. Does it feel chunky at all? I really don't like a pointy V feel down the middle of the neck, but a real sublte one is okay, as long as the neck has some beef to it. What do you guys think?

Best neck I've ever felt in my life. The V is very subtle.

[burner]

The neck wear on the back being straight can be easily fixed if it bothers anyone. Look at this pic.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/22gtrz/Cunettocloseneck.jpg

Certainly, but you shouldn't have to for that kind of dough.
just my opinion....

[Relicula]

Remember the guitar is not being custom built for any one individual. The back of the finish may not suit you, and in about 5 minutes you can change that cosmetic aspect to fit your personal concern about the neck.

How many guitars or amps for that matter have been tweaked by their new owners regardless of the money they spent. Pickups, pots, caps, knobs, tuners etc, etc.

There are always an abundance of relic haters, thinking they pay more to have the finish beat up, you dont pay more, its part of the finish process that is different than a shiny new guitar, but in no way are you paying extra. Gibson, and Fender make many guitars in the price range of relic'd finishes that certainly is not less money.

Wether people like relic finishes or not, Fender, Gibson, and many others are selling a lot of these guitars for a reason, people are willing to buy them, and pay the going rate.

If you play your one guitar enough to have it look worn in, and possess all the vibe of the old vintage guitars, you are in the minority.

This does not include guitars that you buy that have been worn in by others, that makes for the same lack of authenticity as the custom shop doing it for you. I have reliced hundreds of guitars, just a little nick here or there, then sold them. So my relicing of a guitar has taken place over many years, just a little at a time. Some of you may even own a guitar that I have relic'd just a little bit. Have fun with them, play em, and pass them on to their new owners.:crazy

[buddastrat]

Best neck I've ever felt in my life. The V is very subtle.

But is there some beef to it? Fender makes an American Deluxe with a soft V neck, and it's thin and kind've spiney feeling. So I was hoping the CS's soft V was different. I'd prefer it so subtle it's nearly a C, but it has to have a little meat to it. Whaddya think?

[mmasters]

But is there some beef to it? Fender makes an American Deluxe with a soft V neck, and it's thin and kind've spiney feeling. So I was hoping the CS's soft V was different. I'd prefer it so subtle it's nearly a C, but it has to have a little meat to it. Whaddya think?
It really feels like a C (I didn't know it was a V until it was pointed out to me) . It's not thin or overly fat but just right. I have large hands and I haven't come across a more comfortable neck. For comparision I have 10 gauge strings on this guitar and it's easier to play than my perfectly set up PRS with 9 gauge strings.

[buddastrat]

Thanks mmasters. Btw, I just realized you posted a clip of it, and that's a nice woody, warm toned strat sound. Nice.

[bluesjuke]

The whole relic bashing thing amazes me, I dont know anyone that buys a relic with the intention of fooling their audience, or a dealer,or anyone really.


I don't either and also doubt any do.
There's just things about them that make them Oh so right for many of us.

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

57 Relic Strat

My Brother put this one together..... I am probably going to buy it (if he gives me a good deal). I thought my EJ Strat sounded good, but this thing spanks the EJ !

Here are some details:

Fender JV series 50s body from aprox 1982 with aged 2 tone SB lacquer finish.
Neck is a Fender MIJ 54 reissue V neck w/ aged lacquer finish. It has been re-fretted with wider frets and has a compound radius 7.25 to aprox 9.

Pickups are 2 aged JM Rolphs and an aged Voodoo in the neck.
Has the Calaham steel trem block and re-pro aged Pat. Pend. saddles.

Also has a real 1957 ser# plate and the tuner ferrels are true vintage as well.


http://i35.tinypic.com/jrf9yu.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/a3ic5v.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/2uejqqc.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/10ydz86.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/54g1p2.jpg


It's a pretty decent job. No belt sanders here kids !


I never got into the relic thing that much, but after playing this one, it's like putting on an old pair of jeans .... it just feels right! :drink

( plus my Brother mentioned that we don't have 50 years left to relic one naturally anymore ) :cry:


I was thinking it was pricy at $1,200, but after looking at what Fender charges for less acurate work, it seems like a good deal.

[Sniper-V]

I'm looking for a '57 Heavy Relic Strat in 2-color Sunburst...

Looking to probably trade towards...