Advice for relic-ing a guitar

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by Kingbeegtrs

checking is a tricky thing. I don't do it because it usually comes out looking fake. If you look at REAL vintage guitars the lacquer checks in straight lines either vertically or horizontally. When you do it yourself with compressed air or switching from hot to cold it usually has the "spider" effect which is a dead giveaway.

I've owned many old guitars, and a few (not many!) have had the spiderweb checking. I currently own a '65 Goya that has a shattered finish in addition to vertical and horisontal checking (and cracks for that matter). It really depends on the formulation of the lacquer, how it was applied, and what kind of life the guitar has led. I've seen it on 50's Gibsons and Fenders as well.

[AustinIsPresent]

Hm, sadly, my '94 Gibson Nighthawk is already getting some fairly substantial checking. It's generally running vertical up and down the body, same direction the neck runs. I suspect it's due to the "in and out of the cold car to warm venue" situation, as the case I've got isn't too stellar, and by the looks of it, the old owner wasn't all too careful. Try lending it to a buddy for a little while, I'm sure he won't be as careful with it as you are

[Kingbeegtrs]

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

I've owned many old guitars, and a few (not many!) have had the spiderweb checking. I currently own a '65 Goya that has a shattered finish in addition to vertical and horisontal checking (and cracks for that matter). It really depends on the formulation of the lacquer, how it was applied, and what kind of life the guitar has led. I've seen it on 50's Gibsons and Fenders as well.

the 65 goya probably doesn't have a nitro finish. There were EPA regulations on Nitro made in the mid-60's. Fender, for example, used poly base coats starting around '65.

MOST of the guitars I've seen had vertical or horizontal checking. People who relic guitars want them to look like MOST of the vintage guitars. make sense?

[Chris Rice]

Yes, makes sense for your finishes. What I like about old guitars is the personality and differences from one to the next. The Goya is most definately nitro. The EPA had no jurisdiction in Sweden.
The Goya:
http://ricecustomguitars.com/random/IMG_4323.jpg

[Six Strings]

What about the metal parts? What techniques are used to age them?

[Kyle Ashley]

Originally Posted by tlecky

What about the metal parts? What techniques are used to age them?

PCB etchant
a bath in sea salt, peroxide, and a hunk of steel wool

work carefully with very short application times

[gkelm]

Originally Posted by Kyle Ashley

PCB etchant
a bath in sea salt, peroxide, and a hunk of steel wool

work carefully with very short application times

That sounds interesting...a nice safe and friendly option to the muratic acid I've used.

Greg

[Kyle Ashley]

Originally Posted by gkelm

That sounds interesting...a nice safe and friendly option to the muratic acid I've used.

Greg

well the etchant is pretty brutal...it will burn your skin and stain like crazy, but it dulls nickel hardware well if dunked in for a few seconds.

[Vince]

I had a couple of great aging artists helping me when we were doing the original first line for Fender back in the mid 90's, and our artistic philosophy started with a pretty simple approach. Every guitar would be assigned a "personality" and a fictional history, and everything that was done to it would have to be consistent with that story. I used to really enjoy some of the "tales" they'd come up with about who'd owned the guitar, where it had been played, how it had changed hands over the years, etc. It was fun to do, but it also helps give the piece life and can help each one be unique.

I also took the guys to the vintage shows every year and drilled and drilled and taught them how to really "see" what old guitars look like and why.

[Blooz1]

I learned a lot about finish checking "the hard way" back in the 70's before there was such a thing as a "relic" guitar.

My LP Custom was in the shop, and a friend of mine lent me his pristine Goldtop LP so I could play a gig.It was the middle of a New England winter, and a very cold night. We were caught for over an hour in a traffic jam caused by an accident, and got to the gig almost an hour late.

We had to load in and set up as fast as possible, so there was no time to let guitars warm up slowly. By the end of the night the gold top of the LP was covered with "spiderwebs"! The sides and back were fine, but the top was ruined!

Needless to say, I was really embarassed to give the guitar back to my friend! I paid to have the top re-done, which cost $350 at a place in New York.It was almost as much as just buying a new guitar for him, but he was quite attached to the Goldtop since it had been a gift to him from a family member.

[bitsandvolts]

Originally Posted by Blooz1

I learned a lot about finish checking "the hard way" back in the 70's before there was such a thing as a "relic" guitar.

My LP Custom was in the shop, and a friend of mine lent me his pristine Goldtop LP so I could play a gig.It was the middle of a New England winter, and a very cold night. We were caught for over an hour in a traffic jam caused by an accident, and got to the gig almost an hour late.

We had to load in and set up as fast as possible, so there was no time to let guitars warm up slowly. By the end of the night the gold top of the LP was covered with "spiderwebs"! The sides and back were fine, but the top was ruined!

Needless to say, I was really embarassed to give the guitar back to my friend! I paid to have the top re-done, which cost $350 at a place in New York.It was almost as much as just buying a new guitar for him, but he was quite attached to the Goldtop since it had been a gift to him from a family member.

Given the relic craze, I have to ask...

Did your friend call you up recently and go "remember when you ruined my goldtop? Can you do it again?"