RELIC RANT
The need to conserve our forests for future generations is becoming a regular theme, (see Feedback issues 421 & 423) and I’m sure most Guitarist readers support the efforts being made in this respect. But what are we doing about the barbarians who are taking these precious tone woods and deliberately abusing them in the manufacture of so called Road Worn guitars. The first person to vandalise scarce resources in this way should have been hung by his thumbs while his backside was rubbed with sandpaper until his outer layer was also ‘road worn’…
I remember seeing the review of the 2016 Limited Edition 1956 Relic Stratocaster in Guitarist issue 405 and thinking it was the Editor’s idea of an April Fool’s. I suspect what actually limited this edition was the number of people daft enough to pay £3,179 for a bad paint job. I recently saw in an otherwise reputable shop a beautiful Gibson Les Paul with a single huge bash in it that was clearly the result of careless handling by either a customer or a member of staff. I kid you not, this instrument was labelled ‘Road Worn’ and was priced at £3k plus. There is even a whole series of videos on YouTube telling you ‘how to relic a guitar’.
But the daddy of them all must surely be the Paisley Strat, which is oversprayed with black and then relic’d to show the Paisley underneath. I looked it up in the dictionary and you know what? There is no verb relating to the word relic, because you can’t actually make a relic.You can only make fakes.
When my children were small I used to tell them the story of The Emperor’s New
Clothes. I tell my grandchildren the same story now but it is now called The Emperor’s New Road Worn Guitar… Edward Rodriguez, via email The debate over relic-ing continues. It’s the ‘Marmite’ issue of our time, but it’s interesting to note that when we visited Fender’s Custom Shop a while back they told us that the overwhelming majority of their orders are for relic’d guitars. So lots of players love them, clearly. A poll of
Guitarist staffers reveals our favourite ageing treatments are the subtlest, such as Gibson’s VOS or Fender’s Closet Classic, which just take that box-fresh shine off a new guitar and make it feel like an old friend. Will anyone speak out in praise of heavy relics, though? Defenders of the factoryaged faith step forth…
You’re nicked!
I read with interest the article on Vox at 60 in issue 425. It reminded me of a memorable date – 8 August 1963, the night of the Great Train Robbery.
I was in a band from Carmarthen, West Wales, called the Dynamites. We had bought Vox AC30 amps and decided that we needed new guitars, too. We contacted Jennings by telephone and bought two Vox guitars and one Vox Symphonic Bass guitar. We were to collect them on 8 August 1963.
We travelled to Bexley Heath to collect them. We were stopped about six times by the police and searched: unknown to us they were looking for the train robbers. I remember arriving in Bexley Heath in the early hours when there was a hammering on the side of the van. Yes, the police again.
What times we had travelling and gigging around the country. We played with quite a few chart-topping bands. We recorded two demo discs in Regent Sound In Denmark Street. I even did the Germany bit in 1967. My drummer then was Terry Williams who found fame with Dire Straits and bass player Martin Ace who was with Man for many years. I am now 75 years young and at last learning to play the guitar! Charles Coughlan, via email Thanks for sharing your memories of Vox and the fateful night of the Great Train Robbery. Getting pulled over six times on the journey must be some sort of record! Thanks too for the great pics – they capture the excitement of the rock ‘n’ roll scene perfectly. We bet you had a lot of fun with that band. All the very best with your conversion to guitar playing, too.