I’ve been involved with guitars for decades, and in all that time I can probably count on two hands the vintage instruments I’ve seen with half the finish gone. Has guitar relic'ing gone too far?

I’ve told you before about my first Fender Relic, a ’51 Fender Nocaster that I bought off the Fender stand at the London Music Show. It was the first year Relics surfaced, so I suppose that makes me an ‘early adopter’.

Years ago I let go of the few vintage guitars that I owned, and today have two Custom Shop Strats, a Tom Murphy aged Les Paul, and a Hummingbird acoustic. All of these feature ultra-light to medium distressing.

To my eyes, it enhances them as it provides the look of decades-old guitars that have been played but loved, the way most vintage instruments have been.

My issue with the age-ing business now is that it’s become extreme and unrealistic. By unrealistic, I mean the number of vintage guitars that lost that much lacquer is tiny compared with those that didn’t.

Obviously, Rory’s and SRV’s are cases that test my point, but those Strats were toured constantly for decades, played excessively hard in sweaty clubs and theaters, often doing 300-plus shows per year.

However, most old Fenders, Gibsons, Gretsches, Rickenbackers, and the like were cherished and nurtured by their proud owners. They were significant investments that warranted care and attention. Hence most of them have survived with only light to moderate wear.

I’ve been involved with guitars for decades, and in all that time I can probably count on two hands the vintage instruments I’ve seen with half the finish gone from the front, and a circle of it gouged out of the back. But this is now so prevalent in the world of relic'ing.

It’s not for me to say what’s wrong or right – and drastic ageing is certainly not wrong if people like it, and many seem to. It’s just that I don’t particularly, even though I’ve seen a couple of spectacular examples. I must stress that both Fender Custom Shop and Gibson Murphy Lab do very light ageing, too, and it’s usually excellent.

I also don’t like guitars with the finish removed from the neck because, although this was common on Strats and Teles that were played for years, I’ve yet to see one that looks convincing. In fact, I’ve declined two otherwise beautiful Teles recently for this very reason.

My old Lake Placid Blue Strat’s neck finish had completely gone, but it didn’t look like bare wood; it was buffed to a glossy sheen, and the transition into the headstock and heel’s lacquer was smooth and elegant.

[Ed. note – Let us know your thoughts on relic'ing in the comments below!]