Roadworn

[therealting]

@cLepto-bass Colour me picky, but I’ve not seen a Limelight that I consider to be realistically reliced. Having said that, they are very inexpensive for what they are. 

[therealting]

@Woodinblack Does she have longer nails?

[Woodinblack]

3 minutes ago, therealting said:

@Woodinblack Does she have longer nails?

nope. we are about the same.

[bassfan]

Here’s mine @stewblack courtesy of Mr Shuker....

[bassfan]

23 minutes ago, bassfan said:

Here’s mine @stewblack courtesy of Mr Shuker....

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by bassfan

[LukeFRC]

9 hours ago, therealting said:

they are indistinguishable from good examples of the real thing. 

In sound or looks or both?

[stewblack]

2 hours ago, skej21 said:

For me (and as you say this always descends in to an argument so it’s hard to present an objective argument without people taking it personally etc) but I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that a large majority of bass players don’t really understand the specifications of a bass (and therefore the reasons wear that produces this type of finish happens at different rates).

Nitro finishes are expensive. As such, earlier Fender copies (such as Arias etc) avoided using nitro to keep costs low. If you use a cheap alternative like gloss polyurethane, ‘natural wear’ from playing is more likely to be the odd chip out of the paint but the gradual erosion of the finish simply doesn’t happen at the same rate (maybe over a few hundred years rather than decades) or in the same way as softer nitro will (the look or a soft finish that has gradually worn down compared to a hard finish that’s been aggressively sanded back look very different!).

So, in Fender’s current range a model like the American Original 60s Precision will wear and carry a more traditional worn look after 38 years of playing than a MIM Player series bass would (or your Aria). Also, nickel tarnishes and ages much quicker than chrome 🙂

Obviously that also means that relic techniques do not work in the same way for modern poly body/neck finishes and chrome hardware to produce a ‘relic’ finish on instruments using etc

This is full of information I didn't know. Thank you. 

[therealting]

46 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

In sound or looks or both?

Both, IMO.

[skej21]

6 minutes ago, stewblack said:

This is full of information I didn't know. Thank you. 

If you're interested, this is quite informative  

He also mentions the "sticky" feel, which you see a lot on forums. People buying guitars with Nitro finishes without realising and then when going through the "sticky" phases, they end up taking sandpaper to it in an attempt to smooth things out again etc (not realising that it'll happen again eventually, as nitro takes a long time to cure)

Edited May 14, 2020 by skej21

[Cuzzie]

I learnt a lot doing my own Tru-Oil and nitro can finishes.

its amazing how stuff behaves and actually they need time to rest between work on it

[uk_lefty]

For me it needs to be an older style bass to wear the roadworn look best, like a P a J or a Gibson bass, not something too modern with a design that hasn't been around long enough to get the wear, just my personal opinion. I also see Sandbergs and think they all look the same in wear patterns, someone earlier mentioned the Flea Jazz, that bugs me too. I want roadwear to be unique to the bass. My old MIM Jazz had a poly finish but had been poorly treated by a previous owner. While it was a great playing bass I'd carry it without a case most the time, let the strings drag on the body when I swapped them out, didn't cover up a hole drilled through the headstock, etc etc to let it take on a life of its own. It even had a bit of chrome finish from the giant bridge ashtray flake off which added to its world-weary appearance. I smashed the bottom in to the floor in a fit of punkness in protest at being asked to wind up early in a sh!thole practice room and had to reset the strap button but left the bare wood where the paint had come off in big chunks, the wear was encouraged but never forced, though I was tempted. 

[Cuzzie]

1 minute ago, uk_lefty said:

For me it needs to be an older style bass to wear the roadworn look best, like a P a J or a Gibson bass, not something too modern with a design that hasn't been around long enough to get the wear, just my personal opinion. I also see Sandbergs and think they all look the same in wear patterns, someone earlier mentioned the Flea Jazz, that bugs me too. I want roadwear to be unique to the bass. My old MIM Jazz had a poly finish but had been poorly treated by a previous owner. While it was a great playing bass I'd carry it without a case most the time, let the strings drag on the body when I swapped them out, didn't cover up a hole drilled through the headstock, etc etc to let it take on a life of its own. It even had a bit of chrome finish from the giant bridge ashtray flake off which added to its world-weary appearance. I smashed the bottom in to the floor in a fit of punkness in protest at being asked to wind up early in a sh!thole practice room and had to reset the strap button but left the bare wood where the paint had come off in big chunks, the wear was encouraged but never forced, though I was tempted. 

There will be an element of similarity in the Sandbergs, but they have different age patterns - soft aged, Hardcore Aged, Hardcore reserve, masterpiece, MarloweDK, TSBS - they all have their own pattern and look, but within each category granted they will look very similar

[uk_lefty]

4 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

There will be an element of similarity in the Sandbergs, but they have different age patterns - soft aged, Hardcore Aged, Hardcore reserve, masterpiece, MarloweDK, TSBS - they all have their own pattern and look, but within each category granted they will look very similar

Yeah, that was sort of my point. I'm in no way criticising Sandbergs BTW... The Sandberg P+MM I played at the bass show a few years back is probably the best instrument I've ever played. 

[Cuzzie]

Just now, uk_lefty said:

Yeah, that was sort of my point. I'm in no way criticising Sandbergs BTW... The Sandberg P+MM I played at the bass show a few years back is probably the best instrument I've ever played. 

I got that, no criticism felt, it was more to fluff out the facts you made - casual reader may have thought they only do 1 type of relic, where in fact there are multiple sorts Across the line

[Cuzzie]

Also I think if you look across the ‘ages’ of how long they have been going the ageing and pattern of ageing has subtly changed 

[BigRedX]

The "relic" wear is very much a function of the nitro finish. IME you'd have to be a very aggressive/careless player to get the classic wear on a non-nitro finished instrument.

I used to own a mid-80s Overwater which was my main bass all the way through the 90s and got on average 20 hours playing time at rehearsals and gigs every week for a decade and showed almost zero wear apart from a couple chips and dings on the body and headstock. My black Gus G3 which replaced it 18 years ago has a couple of areas where the matt finish has polished up to a semi-gloss and few places on the pickup covers where the anodised black has worn off and that is it. At this rate it will take about another 18 years before the finish starts to wear through to the undercoat anywhere on the bass!

[stewblack]

This has been a great read, thanks everyone. 

[Pow_22]

4 hours ago, therealting said:

@cLepto-bass Colour me picky, but I’ve not seen a Limelight that I consider to be realistically reliced. Having said that, they are very inexpensive for what they are. 

Agreed.  Limelight are the worst of the lot when it comes to genuine looking relicing. Im sure they just attack it with a sander!  Sandberg look tasteful and quite genuine, Bravewood look outstanding too

[BigRedX]

22 hours ago, stewblack said:

I know Rory Gallagher's strat had it's own extreme mojo and I suspect that and others like it may be the template here, but no one in their right mind would taske a new bass and hack chunks out of it to match my Aria that's for sure!

I've actually seen Rory Gallagher's strat "in the flesh" - well it was behind glass in a sealed cabinet, probably for health and safety reasons. It's minging! The bridge in particular is 50% rust 50% dead skin and other human detritus...

[4000]

5 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Sometimes it is what people say. My wife absolutely destroys laptop keyboards, you can see the more common keys on her laptops because they have no letters any more. 

Her latest macbook (underlit) has survived better than most but it is still 2 years newer than mine. Mine looks like new, hers looks like a relic.

I always assumed that is because basically women have acid for blood but maybe that is not true?

A friend of mine is similar. He just dissolves stuff, including the hardware on his guitars. I think he might be part Alien.😉

[skej21]

4 hours ago, stewblack said:

This has been a great read, thanks everyone. 

Agreed, thanks for starting it. Looked pretty objective and positive for almost a page and a half (although it looks like some are trying to fish for the arguments you mentioned in your initial post by slagging off certain makers etc!). 
 

[stewblack]

6 minutes ago, skej21 said:

Agreed, thanks for starting it. Looked pretty objective and positive for almost a page and a half (although it looks like some are trying to fish for the arguments you mentioned in your initial post by slagging off certain makers etc!). 
 

Human nature. But I think it's been civilised, it's ok to say you prefer x over y

 

[LukeFRC]

6 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Human nature. But I think it's been civilised, it's ok to say you prefer x over y

 

I prefer @skej21 over @stewblack 

[TheGreek]

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I always assumed that is because basically women have acid for blood ...

I have heard that Mrs @Woodinblack is now looking for a builder to undertake some work on a new patio.

@Woodinblack has not been heard from in some time.

He should have known better than to post such heresy on a public forum. He will be missed, I'm sure...

[therealting]

34 minutes ago, skej21 said:

Agreed, thanks for starting it. Looked pretty objective and positive for almost a page and a half (although it looks like some are trying to fish for the arguments you mentioned in your initial post by slagging off certain makers etc!). 

I hope you didn’t mean me - I just responded to a recommendation for Limelight by saying that, IMO, I hadn’t seen one I found convincing... but then to be fair I think there are lots of relicers whose work doesn’t look realistic - like actual, real wear - to me. I know they have many customers, and they seem like a great deal for what they cost.

The most convincing ones are generally not overdone, nice finish checking, a few dents in usual places, light wear... ideally mostly put on by the players on a thin nitro coat that ages quickly, and the best ones have been Bravewood, Crinson / @Rick's Fine '52, Nash, and some of the Masterbuilt Fenders.