It’s hard to describe exactly what makes a relic’d guitar appealing. There’s a certain kind of “je nais se quois” to a relic’d guitar: the cracks in the finish, the wear in the fretboard, the exposed wood on the body. Maybe Eric Clapton summed it up best about purchasing his iconic “Brownie” guitar when he said, “What I always looked for on a Strat was a neck that had been worn out – you know that was a thing. It was like a restaurant, if it is lots of people there, you know it’s going to be good food. So I just thought if it had all those kinds of worn-out patches it meant that it had been well-favored.”

Whatever the reason, the call for relic’d guitars has increased dramatically since the demand for vintage guitars boomed in the 90s. While its detractors will raise an eyebrow at the concept of a new item looking damaged, players of a certain kind have always understood the appeal. Fender Custom Shop has long been the standard for guitar relics, and their six different levels of relics are worth a deep dive.

N.O.S. (New Old Stock)
As close to a time machine as you’re bound to get, the N.O.S. guitars look and feel brand new, but as though you traveled back to the 50s or 60s to buy it. With vintage specs and an all-lacquer finish, the N.O.S. all-lacquer finish looks like it hasn’t aged a day, and is the perfect choice for players that want to earn every scratch and ding by themselves.

Closet Classic
Perhaps you’ve heard a similar story: someone started cleaning out grandpa’s attic and found a dusty guitar case, cracked it open, and found a true vintage guitar in near-mint condition. The Closet Classic finish seeks to replicate that look, with no real playing wear, but subtle appointments that imply a passage of time, such as a slight discoloration of the pickguard, a fade in the finish, and slight oxidation in the metal parts. This relic looks and feels like an unearthed gem.


Journeyman Relic
This is the first relic style that someone might begin to call “broken in”.  This finish evokes a guitar that has been played regularly for some decades, but still well taken care of. With some wear like finish checking, dulling hardware, and some harmless nicks in the wood from the occasional weekend gig at the local bar, this guitar feels like a well-played, well-loved, and well-maintained treasure.

Relic
If you’ve ever seen a well-worn instrument, its owner may tell you, “Every mark is a story,” and this guitar relic style has years of stories to tell. With scratches, dings, and checks across the whole instrument, this guitar relic feels fully broken in and encourages even the most timid players to create their own stories with it and play rough; it can take it.

Heavy Relic
With plenty of exposed wood, harsh checking, dings, dents, and maybe even burns, playing this guitar feels like a hard-fought victory. This relic style evokes a guitar that may have been a touring artist’s primary ax for decades of punishing travel and concerts. This one that has seen it all and has the scars to prove it.

Super Heavy Relic
You can picture the iconic instruments: SRV’s Number One, John Mayer’s Black1, Rory Gallagher’s battered Strat. With an extensive amount of exposed wood and we ar across the instrument, this relic style evokes a guitar that barely resembles the same guitar that first left the shop spotless half a century ago. Playing one is like slipping into your favorite shoes, totally broken-in and worn-out in all the best ways and all the right places.

Check out Detroit Guitar’s selection of Fender Custom Shop guitars, complete with a wide array of finishes and relics!