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Frozen Lester


deepblue

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I just had some work done on one of my Strats.

Got the call to pick her up today so while there I asked the Luthier ( a well respected one )

about pre-aging guitars.

He told me if you want to crack the surface of a nitro finish you leave it in the freezer or put

the guitar outside in the winter for a half hour to forty five minutes. Then, bring it into a warm room.

He said within seconds itll crack as the wood expands faster than the Nitro. Hes seen it many times.

 

Can it be that simple?...would it crack evenly?....If this is the case then why does this Murphy fella

make a mint checking guitars?

 

Myself, id never think of doing it. I want my Lester to age normally and earn her battle scars.

 

anyone ever leave their Lesters in the deep freeze?

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If you are looking to age cream or white plastic parts like knobs or Jazzmaster pickup covers, soaking them in espresso does a killer job. A friend of mine did this on a P-bass and the results were very sexy.

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There's more to aging than just having the finish check - you've got to age the metal pieces' date=' age the plastic pieces, as well as add wear to the finish.

 

A brand new guitar with checking will still look like a brand new guitar.[/quote']

 

And after going to all the trouble to age a new guitar, you'll be wanting a custom case to protect it from damage. ;)

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The problem would be that the back of the neck could check as well.

 

I recently added a bone nut to my Casino, I soaked the nut in coffee for a few minutes and it worked great, now the nut is very close to the cream color of the binding.

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I would stop the natural checking if I could. Nothing looks as good as a brand new guitar' date=' even if it is 50 years old. I wish I could stop this checking on my face...

 

[/quote']

 

I've noticed that face-checking thing seems to be worse when I first arise. I'm thinking about not going to bed anymore; what the hey, I don't sleep for squat anymore anyway...no sleep, no face-checking...right? Right? Is this thing on? megaphone.gif

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And then when you get tired of ANY GIBSON' date=' you'll wonder why you can't get a good price for it...

Murphy aged LPs hold their value better than the rest.[/quote']

 

Clarification, if you please, Tim. Does this mean a Murphy aged LP will hold its value better than one aged by a different party, or better than the same model not aged?

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Yes, he has a name in the industry and a lot of people love his work. I meant if you (say) bought a new 2009 R9 and a new 2009 Murphy R9, then sold them later on, the Murphy would likely hold it's value better. Not sure how a Murphy would hold up against one aged by a different party, like Historic Makeovers. They also age guitars and they're also well known and respected.

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Both Cruzn' Murphy's come with a certificate of authenticity and he has a name in the industry.

 

Yes' date=' he has a name in the industry and a lot of people love his work. I meant if you (say) bought a new 2009 R9 and a new 2009 Murphy R9' date=' then sold them later on, the Murphy would likely hold it's value better. Not sure how a Murphy would hold up against one aged by a different party, like Historic Makeovers. They also age guitars and they're also well known and respected.[/quote'']

 

Thanks, guys, I appreciate the pointers. Something to be learned every day. Now I gotta go study these peeps and see what make's them the top of the pile.

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Now I gotta go study these peeps and see what make's them the top of the pile.

I'll tell ya what makes them better - nothing!! Some guys swear the guitars that go to Murphy for aging are "the best of the best" but I don't buy it. They're no different than the non-aged ones other than a few dents & some checking. I've only played a few of them and thought they were junk. I'm no LP guru but I've said that about a lot of reissues.

 

The same goes for Yamano Les Pauls. They used to be selected for the Japanese market based on looks only but people in the US took that as better sounding guitars.

 

If you look at guitars aged by Historic Makovers, you'll notice a difference...probably both in tone but more so in price!!. That's because HM can also makes physical changes to the guitar and their more expensive package used to include a Brazilian fretboard.

 

If...I won't say if, WHEN I buy another LP (after 2010 :- ) I'll consider a Murphy if I can find one that I like.

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...If...I won't say if' date=' WHEN I buy another LP (after 2010 [biggrin'] ) I'll consider a Murphy if I can find one that I like.

 

Aha...thought you were gonna slip up there. :-k Five dolla Five dolla $$$ It may take a year or so to find it. Best of luck.

 

I will have to check out HM - that is a new one on me.

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