I'm not a guitarist, but a "relic'd" guitar makes about as much sense to me as a pair of "ripped" or "destroyed" jeans.
 

 
 

relic = LOL

I saw a guitar the other day some guy had poured lighter fluid on and set ablaze for that relic look.
 
head shaking...

The movie Idiocracy is, evidently, a glimpse into our future and not just comedy.

craigb
The movie Idiocracy is, evidently, a glimpse into our future and not just comedy.

In 50 years they'll do a remake.  Then it will be a documentary

Hardwood flooring (real 1" thick oak flooring) is the only place I can actually agree with this, only because 1) removing urethane sucks and 2) the "basketball court" look is nasty. Folks do pay extra to mar them before finishing and I wouldn't fault them. The previous owner of my house had used a walnut-stained urethane on an unsanded floor (too dark for my taste), so I got a lot of cool grain/texture effects when I redid them properly, BUT that is a "once in a lifetime" thing. Never again.

There are two tiers of "relic'd" guitars: the oness that someone actually beat on with a hammer, and the ones that have the supposed wear marks painted on. One year at NAMM, Fender had a long glass case with perhaps 20 of the latter all in a row. It looked absolutely ludicrous to see all those identically-abused guitar bodies in a neat row.
 
Now, I suppose you could buy one of the fake-distressed guitars and hang on to it long enough to wear off the silly scratch-mark decals. Would it then be worth more?

Or....just buy a used guitar that is broke in.

It certainly is a fad that I'll never understand.  I LOVE that "new guitar" look, though I completely understand the attraction to an old, beat-up, relic that's been reliable for years as the "one you take to gigs."
 
As I've shown several times before, here's Walter Trout's main axe (which used to be Artic White!) getting ready to have a new D string.  If you saw it sitting next to a dumpster, you might leave it there, yet this girl sounds incredible!
 

Rain

jbow

michaelhanson
I would prefer to relic my own guitars over 20 years of usage. I have never quite gotten the concept of buying a guitar at an inflated price because someone purposely disfigured it. I'm ok with a few battle scars, but faking them seems weird.

Don't get me wrong, I love a nicely broken in used instrument, but the ones that are naturally broken in, are to me,much more subtle and nicely done. A guy in our worship band has a 20 year old 3 tone sunburst Strat that is to die for. Such a beautifully aged instrument. If he ever decides to part with that one, I am jumping in line.

I wish I had acid sweat like Krist... my guitar finish just stays the same.
 
J

 
Check out my white LP, which I got back in April but only really started to play later this summer...
 

 

 
And the good old SG, of course...
 

Would you consider a guitar playing service? I send you a Strat or Les Paul and you play it for a year or so? How much would you charge?
 
J