The Art of Relic (Fender 50s Reissue Stratocaster)

The more I think about the concept of relic-ing a new guitar, the more I find human behavior strange -- including mine.  Why are we obsessed with the vintage, the old and worn?  Is it because anything that is worn has a more personal feel to it?  Warmth, a personal connection to some past.  Whereas the new feels cold and detached.  That used guitar in the pawn shop may have played thousands of songs. If only there was a way to audition a used instrument before I buy it.  This 50s Reissue Fender Stratocaster did not have much of a history when I bought it off some kid in La Puente.  One small nick in the sunburst body is all.  The fretboard was perfect.  Too perfect for my taste.

Enter the Art of Relic.  For about a week now, I have vowed to make this guitar worthy of its 50s pedigree.  I haven't put it in a case, hang it nor even cared where I set it down.  Next to the fireplace, on the kitchen counter, on top of the pile on the desk.  Call it accelerated aging.  Bumped it a few times.  Didn't care.  But most importantly, I had played it every day for the entire time.  I even put the original pickguard back, the one with a couple small screw holes the previous owner had done, the one I had temporarily replaced with a new pearloid one.

This guitar had also somewhat been a little more frustrating than most other Strats I've owned simply because the truss rod adjustment is at the neck heel.  I take pride in being able to setup my own guitars but the sweet spot on this one had proven elusive.  I've had to loosen the pickguard to get full access to the adjustment screw.

And finally, the finish on this Strat body is so durable, aging it will take a little more than I initially anticipated.  From the above picture, one can almost see the thick lacquer coat (see tremolo spring cavity photo).  So what seems like a 1-mm thick protective coat works really well.  I've bumped it against some sharp objects (screws, keys, etc) and all it got was some very minor scratches.  At the very least, the high-gloss finish is becoming more matte after a week's effort.