Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey everyone

Here's a photo challenge! Is this bass the genuine vintage article or a
recently completed relic???

haha...

My guess is that is a fake. My reasoning goes as follows:

1. Why would you post this if it was genuine.

2. An instrument that has been played as much as this one seems to have been played wouldn't have the pickup guard. The only function of the pickup guard seem to be to get in the way.

I think I will have to say new. At least that fb and frets look to new or have just been replaced.

I think more pictures are in order. Can I buy a vowel please?

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hey hey now, what's with this logical approach???    I'll give the
answer this afternoon, just in case a few more people want to answer.   

my gut says real

if the owner is like me, I still have original hubcaps

Hence the guard

Reminds me of my 62' strat with the rosewood fingerboard. I know that it's a fake cause all those little extra parts (bridge cover, wammy spring cover, etc were all long gone on mine and I know I would have taken that big bridge cover off and that other big ugly contraption over the strings would definately be gone.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

There doesn't appear to be enough scratching or wear in the pickguard to make this anything other than a relic. Not old enough for a real one, and more than likely most folks would keep their guitar from being so abused. I vote for relic.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

It looks an awful lot like some reproduction Fenders I saw in a guitar shop recently. I vote for new.

_________________
John Cavanaugh
Saint Paul, MN
"What could possibly go wrong?"

I thought "relic" meant it was the genuine article.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Elderly music has a relic on their website at the moment. The relic is Fender custom shop's name for a distressed reproduction. The one on Elderly's website has an embossed F on the lower pickup cover.

It's definitely an interesting trend. I mentioned in the thread I started
regarding the Fretboard Journal that I'm not a huge Nash fan. There are
some guys doing relics that I really enjoy, and some that I don't. I don't
like the beat look, but I like the look of some age (as long as it isn't
obviously fake).

Ok here goes.

I've been studying an early 60's Jazzmaster that's found an unfortunate
home at Guitar Center for every little finish detail I can find. I'd LOVE to
get the pics off my phone, but my phone doesn't connect to my
powerbook (talk about a first!).

The look and lack of scratches in the pickguard is identical to the bass in
the pic.

The look and condition of the fretboard is identical to the bass in the pic.

I haven't actually looked at the chrome much.

The discoloration in the plastic is identical to the bass in the pic.

The jazzmaster has its side dings, along with some major flaking in the
back.

I haven't looked at the frets of the jazzmaster.

So the ruling is.....

Jeff Senn (http://jeffsennguitars.com) makes the most believable replica
I've seen!

It's a relic. I've found that it's actually fairly easy to get the right lustre in
the finish....just buff by hand. But aging the pickguard?! And aging the
fretboard?!

I'm definitely using this bass as a model for the electric I'm working on
right now. The color is driving me crazy. I've already stripped the base
color once because I went JUST past the right shade. I'm considering
doing it again. I'll take a pic if I have time before class tonight. I'm
working on my last final of the summer right now

This is my psuedo-strat in progress. Two coats of color this time and I feel like I went right past the mark again. What do you think? Compared to the center of the bass above.

James, that looks really cool! Too hard to compare the color though with
such different lighting.

Did you make the pickguard?

_________________
Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

There are alot of ways to get the proper vintage look

a UV lamp will help to darken the wood and to add a look of age. This will also make it so there is a bigger contrast if in the future the pickguard is taken off as it will appear to be the right age based on the difference in wood tone for the unexposed wood.

To take away finish in appropriate places buffing can look too obvious if not done very carefully. I have used handfuls of hardwood shavings as they can be somewhat course but dont leave a grit pattern as sanding will. Any oils or resins in the shavings also add to the smoothness of the rubbed wear area.

For metal wear areas such as on a bridge post, scotch brite pads work well as long as fine enough.

To add a look of age to around screwheads, try black or brown shoe polish, apply and let dry and then rub off. Just enough residue will remain around the screws and in the screwhead slots that they will look older. Knobs can be soaked in an expresso or tobacco tea and then buffed and it will add a look of age to knobs.

A paste wax can be applied to the fingerboard and under the strings on the body and then wiped off. The smudged look will appear to be age and on the fingerboard will add to the look of old grimey rosewood fingerboards.

Thanks, Mike. Tomorrow I may start the shading. I'm pretty nervous
about that, but we'll see.

Shawn, the wax thing is really interesting! Thanks for sharing that. I've
been interested in the coffee/tea thing too, but haven't seen any originals
that look stained.

I like to actually hang hardware in a coffee can with just a bit of amonia in
the bottom. A few seconds at a time, because the fumes act fast.

James,
You might want to touch base with THE Man who started it all at Gibson ( at least for them he is/was THE best)...TOM Murphy. Tom's a nice guy, very accessable. I can't find his tel# at the moment. I am sure if you call Gibson they can put you in touch. His work has become known as "murphy-izing" a guitar. After being Murphy-ized a guitar is worth 3-5K more. Sometimes A lot more depending on how far Tom decides to go...He's got the checking process, metal aging, binding aging etc. down to a science. He's amazing.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Thanks Dave. I love Tom's work. It would be amazing to speak with him
about it. Talk about an intimidating cold call though. I know he uses a
very fine razor to cut his checking. I'd love to know how he ages his
binding though.