apl
Stand Up Comity
How is it done?
muttley600
Banned
Do you mean what in the trade the furniture boys and us luthiers used to call "distressing"? If so there are many many different ways and it's an art in itself. I wouldn't go there if I was you. There is nothing worse than a badly distressed piece.
3
32-20-Blues
New member
I'll get the smart answer out of the way, will I?
Play the guitar for forty years...
On a more helpful note, I believe Yuri Shiskov, the Fender custom shop luthier, has a technique whereby he sprays a nitro finish with a household furniture polsih aerosol (something like Pledge, Mister Sheen, etc). Apparently, this produces a 'crazing' effect in the finish. The exact technique, however, is some sort of closely guarded secret. And it only works on nitro. Indeed, reliccing in general seems to be more succesful on nitro guitars. Poly finishes are more resilient, and harder to age convincingly.
Others like to soak plastic parts in a solution of strong coffee. This does work, but I'm not sure how permanent it may be.
I think the most important thing to bear in mind, however, is to put the artificial wear in the correct places. I'm tired of seeing 'relicced' strats with wear on the inside of the cutaways, for example.
For a Strat shaped guitar, it seems to me that the most likely areas for wear would be the forearm contour, the back (buckle rash) and the edges of the headstock. Most of this can presumably be applied with a careful application of succesively finer sandpaper. A blade of some sort will provide authentic nicks in the headstock.
In my opinion, less is more! Go carefully.
Good luck with whatever project you have in mind, APL.
Play the guitar for forty years...
On a more helpful note, I believe Yuri Shiskov, the Fender custom shop luthier, has a technique whereby he sprays a nitro finish with a household furniture polsih aerosol (something like Pledge, Mister Sheen, etc). Apparently, this produces a 'crazing' effect in the finish. The exact technique, however, is some sort of closely guarded secret. And it only works on nitro. Indeed, reliccing in general seems to be more succesful on nitro guitars. Poly finishes are more resilient, and harder to age convincingly.
Others like to soak plastic parts in a solution of strong coffee. This does work, but I'm not sure how permanent it may be.
I think the most important thing to bear in mind, however, is to put the artificial wear in the correct places. I'm tired of seeing 'relicced' strats with wear on the inside of the cutaways, for example.
For a Strat shaped guitar, it seems to me that the most likely areas for wear would be the forearm contour, the back (buckle rash) and the edges of the headstock. Most of this can presumably be applied with a careful application of succesively finer sandpaper. A blade of some sort will provide authentic nicks in the headstock.
In my opinion, less is more! Go carefully.
Good luck with whatever project you have in mind, APL.
apl
Stand Up Comity
Thanks!
Yeah, it's an art. britt went to see John Mayer and she got a bunch of pix and his guitars are beat up.
I think you could do pick wear with a weedeater.
Yeah, it's an art. britt went to see John Mayer and she got a bunch of pix and his guitars are beat up.
I think you could do pick wear with a weedeater.
apl
Stand Up Comity
Funny you should mention that...I know a guy who did some pick wear (on an acoustic) with one of those battery operated coffee frothers with a piece of weedwhacker line attached to it. It looks fairly convincing, and doesn't take too long.
Good thinking. I was envisioning using the whole thing, when all you need is spinning string.
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
better not be distressing my aplCUSTOM git
M
MatchBookNotes
New member
I remember when i worked for a custom furniture operation they'd age their furniture, their general technique was beating the shit out of the wood with their sepcially designed rack of keys, and I think if they went a little to hard they'd fill in some of the deeper welts with puddy and they'd sand and scruff up paint n' such with different types of sandpaper, and then they'd glaze it, they were a bunch of crazy frenchmen but their stuff sold to yuppy and 'antique' hunter alike.
Supercreep
Lizard People
I'm mystified as to why people do this.
I saw a replica Alex Lifeson ES-335 in Sweetwater for like $20,000.
First of all - it's Alex Lifeson, okay?
Second, for 20k you should get the actual fuckin' guitar. With Lifeson still attached.
Go buy a real ES-335 and just tell people it's an AL replica. You could even write "Alex Lifeson Rulez" on it with a sharpie. There you go. Your pretend guitar is just as "real" as their pretend guitar.
And I just saved you $18,000.
I saw a replica Alex Lifeson ES-335 in Sweetwater for like $20,000.
First of all - it's Alex Lifeson, okay?
Second, for 20k you should get the actual fuckin' guitar. With Lifeson still attached.
Go buy a real ES-335 and just tell people it's an AL replica. You could even write "Alex Lifeson Rulez" on it with a sharpie. There you go. Your pretend guitar is just as "real" as their pretend guitar.
And I just saved you $18,000.
mikemorgan
panned out
For way less than $20,000, Alex Lifeson will come to your home an personally distress you.
M
MatchBookNotes
New member
so you've seen that episode of trailer park boys too, eh?
guitar junkie
Guitar User.
try reading this much....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118798577900108191.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118798577900108191.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
mixmkr
we don't need rest!!
I've got some 30 year old guitars that still look great. They aren't all beat up and such.
I have a '88 Strat... granted only 20 years old, that the only "distressing" is fret wear, and I've played the heck out of it.
Actually, I can't really envision having a guitar that the dang paint is worn off. And yes, I've had a couple years of 8 hrs/day playing on one axe, and it doesn't show. (on the gtr that is... maybe me yes!!)
I have a '88 Strat... granted only 20 years old, that the only "distressing" is fret wear, and I've played the heck out of it.
Actually, I can't really envision having a guitar that the dang paint is worn off. And yes, I've had a couple years of 8 hrs/day playing on one axe, and it doesn't show. (on the gtr that is... maybe me yes!!)
Armistice
Son of Yoda
Light
New member
The stupidest call I've ever taken at the shop was the guy who called, frantic, asking if we could touch up the nick he put in his relic'ed Custom Shop Strat.
I said no.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
I said no.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
D
Dani Pace
New member
I almost fell off my chair laughing! That just about goes beyond all sensibility.
legionserial
New member
I don't understand why anyone would want to deliberately distress a guitar. So they can pretend they've been playing longer than they have? So they can pretend their guitar is worth more than it is? In fact all the possible reasons I can think of, interestingly, have a similar sentence structure to those two examples.
muttley600
Banned
The only reason I do anything like that is to make repairs less obvious. Touch ins and any new timber often needs to be toned down or distressed to make it appear more appropriate. I never attempt to completely hide a repair just to blend it as well as possible. Even a good repair will still be visible and should be in most cases on an old or valuable instrument distressing new parts, timber finish is entirely appropriate. I agree however never a case for it on perfectly good instrument in my book.
rayc
retroreprobate
The bass I bought in 1982 has three nicks on the front and a little buckle rash on the back with just a touch of degradation to the brass bridge.
My Epi Sheraton 2 is in much, much better condition except for the deterioration of the nickel (?) under the gold (?) coating on the pickups.
My Fender 12 string is almost mint.
My reso is super sweet.
As you'd guess: I use them then put them in their cases. The nicks on the bass were done by a "friend" I "loaned" it to overnight.
My ancient Brunos look that way - but did when I acquired them.
Distressing is musical instrument botox.
My Epi Sheraton 2 is in much, much better condition except for the deterioration of the nickel (?) under the gold (?) coating on the pickups.
My Fender 12 string is almost mint.
My reso is super sweet.
As you'd guess: I use them then put them in their cases. The nicks on the bass were done by a "friend" I "loaned" it to overnight.
My ancient Brunos look that way - but did when I acquired them.
Distressing is musical instrument botox.