SGFan2 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Hello, I was wondering why replicas of famous guitars need to be "aged". I can definitely understand why some people would like to have a guitar that sounded "exactly" like an original iconic guitar (Clapton's Lucy, being a good example), but to want a replica that has all the aging marks of the original seems a bit too much for me. After all, they are "replicas", not the original instrument. Furthermore, replicating the marks of the original guitar ought to be a costly process (I imagine it must be done by hand"). Signature Models are new guitars that follow the artist's specification. Do you think there would be a market for "technical" copies of famous individual guitars (i.e., guitars that have the exact specification of famous guitars, but that look new)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Yeah... Actually it appears to me Gibson is pretty much doing things that way, as opposed to some other manufacturers. For what it's worth, I do some first person living history stuff - and the idea of using 150-year-old clothing and other items that look old is ludicrous. If I'm living in 1867, I'm wearing recently manufactured clothing, etc., just as my great grandfather did in '67... So that's what I wear when I'm presenting as though I were just plucked from the past. I figure the same thing on guitars. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Perhaps some people like guitars as a wall art that looks quite closely to the image it was made after at the time the remake was done. As for me, being a player I would like an instrument that feels flawlessly but comes close to the sound of the original. The latter often seems to be reduced to wood species and make of pickups, pots, capacitors etc. However, I think that wood species should not be selected for looks only but for sonic properties, too. It's a matter of course that one can artificially age magnets which isn't even obvious, but not woods. Predicting the tonal behaviour of a certain piece of timber is the hardest task IMHO, and so there always will appear certain differences. Each guitar will be an individual piece in the end, even when created in mass production, and rightly can be seen as a single item or one-off. Therefore I think that finally looks may be able to support a player's imagination when striving for a specific sound, and artificial aging may be a part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I've never liked any of the "road-worn," "relic-ed," "aged," or any of those worn-out and dinged-up looks. I hate 'em all... I want a new guitar and I want any marks put on my guitars to be only the marks I put on 'em... I don't like a guitar that looks like a trashed-up beater... Shiny, glossy, new guitars make me happy... Having said that, clearly there's a market for it and the makers are getting a huge profit by mimicing years of wear and travel on a guitar for whatever reason. If there wasn't a market for it, nobody would be doing it, but clearly lots of people like 'em that way. I'm just not one of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 They need to be "aged" as they appeal to a certain crowd who will buy them. I won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I'd rather not have Billy Gibbon's aging on my Les Paul GoldTop... The aged version available to the public: Or the pinstriping either actually, but to each his own... Billy's actual axe: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbsurfer Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Gibson has been doing this in good taste in my opinion. I think Fender, on the other hand, has taken it too an extreme with some of the heavy relics they've been producing. But no matter how much I play I think I show more signs of age then my guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 ... But no matter how much I play I think I show more signs of age then my guitars. Same here, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10K-DB Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I have a 84 Kramer that I aged myself,,,I aged it in a bathtub full of cool whip,,set it in the sun for a few days,,and shined it,, cleaned it up,,its sounds pretty tasty now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drog Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Interesting thoughts here. I bought a 2012 ES-175 '59 VOS, because I liked the look of the yellow binding, dull finish and aged looking hardware. But, I would not want it to be beat up, for myself that is too much. But I can see the charm in a limited run copies of the artists guitar ( I almost bought an EVH Frankenstein worth $25,000, instead I opted for the Charvel Art Series and took care of my Van Halen fix). They would however be collector guitars and rarely played. My .02 cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 its all about Money but I cannot understand why anyone would spend more to get less... after all , buying a new guitar, it usually Shiney , unmarked, and not beat to crap for the sake of a buck.. down the road ... when will you be able to tell if the Guitars beat or is it the way it was bought new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10K-DB Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Wow just wow is all I can say. Sorry FZ,,my 1st response was in really poor taste,,dont mean to offend . Seriously,,I dont think it matters what the cosmetics are,,if you get great sound+ playability,,thats all that matters really. Now ,,if you are a "collector" and have $$ to get anything you want,,well then thats a bit different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brytam Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I'm with Jimi Mac - Never been a fan of the relic'd idea. Any scratches or dings that give the guitar character I want from it my hand. That makes it unique to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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