Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Is anybody getting bored of "reliced" instruments?


prowla
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1487803055' post='3243167']
I thought fanned frets were really cool the first time I noticed them.
But they're just a fad.
[/quote]

Depends on what you're doing with the bass I think. If you're playing Djent music, with very low drop A tuning then having the long scale length on the thick string makes a world of difference. Likewise having a shorter scale length on the thinner strings stops them from being painfully taught on that same bass.

Were I playing this kind of music I'd certainly be looking to a Dingwall or other fanned bass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1487754201' post='3242367']
Clive is 30 but he looks 65. He's that good.
[/quote]

I used to work for a Luthier in Ripon, the same small town as Clive operated in and he was held in great esteem.

Edited by yorks5stringer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1487753814' post='3242363']
But, you see, IMHO relic'ing does affect the playability when the neck finish is artificially worn. If you mean the [b]setup [/b]is not affected, then yes I agree, but to me the feel of the neck is part of the playability. YMMV!
[/quote]

Yes indeed. Lewis has a very similar collection of basses to me - we both have the Fender RW Jazz & P basses, and the Flea sig Jazz.
The necks on all of these Fender basses are absolutely amazing! I know I keep banging on about them, but they really do feel "played in" or "worn in" - I don't know quite how they've achieved this on these instruments, but achieve it they have. Absolutely amazing - and as I've said before, I've owned several US Fenders, new and old, and I think the RW necks are the best yet.....

Fender have supposedly used select woods for the bodies of the RW basses and guitars too. My RW P is the lightest P bass I've ever come across, and the Flea sig Jazz is incredibly lightweight too. Never used to understand why people asked this question before - but weight starts to become an issue for your shoulder, as your age and human relicing advance ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was looking for a great P bass, a shop owner insisted I tried a Pino. I'm not into signature basses (although a big Pino fan), and don't like fake ageing, so I was reluctant. But it was a great, great playing and sounding bass, so it came home with me.

Unfortunately, in the 7 years I own it, I had to replace the pickup-height screws and just this week the bridge, since the rust rendered them unusable because screws were stuck and so brittle that pieces come off when using a screwdriver with a little force.

So yeah, relicing can be pretty tedious, when gone too far...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My two main gigging instruments, both fender copies, one Pbass one Strat are in states of disrepair. The Pbass wasn't when it was still all poly-finished 10 years ago, but I never liked the feel (or the look of it) so i refinished it with oil and green wood stain. It is now a bit relicy looking indeed, but sounds (and more importantly feels) a whole lot nicer. I didn't mean to relic it, I just refinished it really badly.
The strat has a poly body, and as such it looks a bit chipped, but otherwise as good as it did 30 years ago. The neck is all but stripped from my sweaty hands, and the pickguard (no idea how it was finished, it's the only one of my guitars that has done this) has a big white bit in the middle of the black. No relicing involved.

My fretless however (made out of an old Ibanez with a Warmoth neck) looks like I did a sander job on it. What actually happened was I was in the middle of doing a refinish job on it 7 years or so ago when I got a last minute dep gig and had to put it back together again half-stripped. I liked the look of it, and the feel of it, and the sound of it so much I left it like that. So probably a relic now, if only by mistake.

I accept that...
:useless:
and apologise duly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the opposite of relicing?
I'm very interested in an instrument for sale on this site, I won't say what as I haven't posted on the for sale ad yet. It's a sixties instrument, pretty much all original bar for one part, quite rare but would need a complete restoration to be made playable again. I would love to buy, restore and gig this instrument but I really don't like the look of the body as it's badly chipped all round the bottom and has been poorly touched up, I would want to refinish the body so this instrument would end up looking practically new, albeit with a very vintage vibe.
My question is, is making an old instrument look like new going to get the same reaction as making a new instrument look old?
This is a genuine dilemma as I really don't know if I should refinish this sixties instrument, but I don't think I want it if it stays in its beaten up state.

Edited by Maude
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you buy it, it's yours so do what pleases you. If others don't like it, tough, they should have bought it first. I love old cars as well as Basses and enjoy seeing weather worn originals more than a fully restored car but am in the process of fully restoring a Capri - the condition was such that leaving as was just wasn't an option. Often the condition determines the best course of action.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1488722483' post='3251261']
What about the opposite of relicing?
I'm very interested in an instrument for sale on this site, I won't say what as I haven't posted on the for sale ad yet. It's a sixties instrument, pretty much all original bar for one part, quite rare but would need a complete restoration to be made playable again. I would love to buy, restore and gig this instrument but I really don't like the look of the body as it's badly chipped all round the bottom and has been poorly touched up, I would want to refinish the body so this instrument would end up looking practically new, albeit with a very vintage vibe.
My question is, is making an old instrument look like new going to get the same reaction as making a new instrument look old?
This is a genuine dilemma as I really don't know if I should refinish this sixties instrument, but I don't think I want it if it stays in its beaten up state.
[/quote]
Well, some of the value of a vintage instrument is the fact that it has been used and that the parts are original.
So making it pristine again could have an impact on its value.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The decision has been made for me, it's sold.

I'd have restored it including a refin, but being one of only eight made and a couple of those being known to have been properly hacked up to the point of being unrecognisable, almost makes you feel responsible to preserve its originality.

Doesn't matter now anyway :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...