How to get that worn finish

Hey, I'm looking at getting one of those DIY guitar kits off of ebay, and I was wondering if anyone knows how to get that grungey, old, and worn look, similar to the Tele at 1:13 here ->fuRKRFjm-HA

Thanks for any help :D

great clip there dude

Soak it in a chlorine pool for 3 hours, and drag it behind your car on the way to work for a couple days. Then take a flamethrower to it after pouring cheap beer on it.

It will look exactly like those custom shop heavy relics!;)

Soak it in a chlorine pool for 3 hours, and drag it behind your car on the way to work for a couple days. Then take a flamethrower to it after pouring cheap beer on it.

It will look exactly like those custom shop heavy relics!;)

I may be dumb, but I'm not that stupid :lol:


Seriously though, I love that tele, do you actually know how to get it like that?

road worn right?,,, tie it to your bumper and have a nice day
PS: drive alot

Thanks guys, appreciate the help.

Here you go (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+relic+a+guitar).

I'm pretty sure the guy in that video did it by playing the hell out of it.

If you haven't guessed by now, opinions are strongly divided about guitar relicing around here. :lol:

Here you go (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+relic+a+guitar).

I'm pretty sure the guy in that video did it by playing the hell out of it.

If you haven't guessed by now, opinions are strongly divided about guitar relicing around here. :lol:

Yeah I guess so, it just seems more "grungey" than relic, especially the pick guard. i was thinking of just spilling coffee on the pick guard and letting it sit for awhile, do you think that'll work?

buy a road worn or relic or diy

Never wash your hands or clothes after working on your car or eating pizza and chicken wings.
Use those clothes when you play guitar.
Smoke a lot and play with other smokers.
Being a drunken slob helps.

buy a road worn or relic or diy

I AM buying a DIY, I just want to know how to paint it so it gets that grungey look, it's not a relic, or worn really.

It seems like asking this question was a waste of my time, I find it funny that I, a fifeteen year old, is more mature than you. So thanks for answering my question.


You could have just said, "hey it's not proper
to do this" but no, you had to be *******s.


To the guy whoactually tried to help me, Thank you.

To the rest, **** you.

To the rest, **** you.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af181/ibanezfanatic/6f3b79a8.jpg

Sorry this hadn't been a pleasant experience so far. :wink:

Stick around, and don't take the ribbing too seriously. There's a search function at the top of this page; I find that the google search option in that menu works better than the on-site search function.

I personally would never want to do this to a guitar, but if that's the effect you want, the good news is you really can't screw it up. :lol:

I suppose I'd scuff the body up unevenly with some coarse sandpaper, spray some enamel--or anything, really--over the top and handle/smudge it when it's tacky. You could try to match the original color, so the effect is more textural, or go for a contrasting color. If you did that a few times with different colors, you could get a fairly complex effect, I suppose.

Scuff up the pickguard and stain it with tea or shoe polish and then try to rub it off with a paper towel.

There are lots of ways to deal with the hardware, some of them using pretty harsh chemicals (acids). People usually scuff the surface of the metal parts too, to give the acid something to bite into.

Good luck with it. Post pics of what you come up with--but put on your flame-proof underwear first. :cool:

I AM buying a DIY, I just want to know how to paint it so it gets that grungey look, it's not a relic, or worn really.

It seems like asking this question was a waste of my time, I find it funny that I, a fifeteen year old, is more mature than you. So thanks for answering my question.


You could have just said, "hey it's not proper
to do this" but no, you had to be *******s.


To the guy whoactually tried to help me, Thank you.

To the rest, **** you.

Sorry you did not like the responses. I am a new guy here, but a lot of the folks on this sub-forum build their own guitars and shudder at the thought of taking a pristine beautiful guitar and trashing it. We work very hard to make them beautiful and what you want goes against our grain.

You can do whatever you want with your guitar. But coming in here was not the best choice possibly for what you want to do. Plus, a bunch of us are crusty old farts who love to poke fun at some ideas. Relax and enjoy the ride. If that does not work, then perhaps you should follow your own advise.

Sorry this hadn't been a pleasant experience so far. :wink:

Stick around, and don't take the ribbing too seriously. There's a search function at the top of this page; I find that the google search option in that menu works better than the on-site search function.

I personally would never want to do this to a guitar, but if that's the effect you want, the good news is you really can't screw it up. :lol:

I suppose I'd scuff the body up unevenly with some coarse sandpaper, spray some enamel--or anything, really--over the top and handle/smudge it when it's tacky. You could try to match the original color, so the effect is more textural, or go for a contrasting color. If you did that a few times with different colors, you could get a fairly complex effect, I suppose.

Scuff up the pickguard and stain it with tea or shoe polish and then try to rub it off with a paper towel.

There are lots of ways to deal with the hardware, some of them using pretty harsh chemicals (acids). People usually scuff the surface of the metal parts too, to give the acid something to bite into.

Good luck with it. Post pics of what you come up with--but put on your flame-proof underwear first. :cool:

Thank you!

I have been a member of several forums, and have never came across so many asshats.

I'm sorry that I don't like what the majority likes, I think this looks cool, so I'm not going to put in the effort to paint it nice, if the end goal is to have it grunged out.

Why is that so hard to understand?

I was going to suggest some finishing websites, but the more I thought about your comment about being mature-then negating it by calling people's names and cursing at them, I decided I would rather point out that some of those posts were probably meant to be funny. Your attitude will not get you much help from people, at 15, a good lesson would be to take a look at how many people have viewed this thread and how many have posted. This forum has been very helpful to me, but I also am willing to take the humor as well as comments against my point of view in a completely different way.

to knock the shine off of it use 3M artificial steel wool (the finest or least coarse you can find like 0000 and it's grey) soaked in naptha and gently wipe in random circles all over the guitar. you might try dirtying up the naptha that you are using by melting a black grease pencil "lead" in it. Do not push on the pad, rather let the pad just glide across the finish using the naptha as a lubricant. Start very slowly remember usually, less is more.

You can take canned air (like to clean keyboards) and shake it up and spray it on the finish while holding the can upside down to get the very cold propellant to crack the finish( if the nitrocellulose lacquer has cured sufficiently) bear in mind, this yields very spiderwebby cracks. after the cracking, you can wipe it down with the dirty naptha to show the cracks more.

You can get random minor dings by knocking the guitar with keys and random stuff lying around.
the look you want is subtle, so take care not to overdo any of this stuff. I cannot stress this enough. and don't set anything on fire. Burning anything on your guitar is a quick way to make your guitar look phony and stupid.

search on the TDPRI about using muriatic acid fumes or circuit board etchant to work over the metal parts of the guitar.take heed to all of the precautions as this can be pretty bad stuff.

Be prepared to be called a phony and a poser and how it wasn't "earned", isn't REAL, questioning your playing,and your manhood etc.,etc., ad nauseum.
Do a good enough job, and they'll never know. (mind you, it is very hard to do this kind of job, but don't let that stop you.) have fun doing it!

...I decided I would rather point out that some of those posts were probably meant to be funny.

The problem lies when they are so unsuccessful in their attempt to be humorous, that nobody is laughing and then they add insult to injury by not offering ANY real suggestions or otherwise answering the question asked.
Also, that specific vein of "humor" begins the decline of the thread and leads to ,quite possibly, more threads being locked than those of any other subject.
If Thumper's mother were around she might say " If you don't have anything positive to add to a thread, then don't post anything at all."

If nothing else, it pays to remember that "Opinions are like (butt)holes; every body has one and they all stink."

Remember relicing is a finish option not an affront to your emotions.Sorry, normally I don't comment on relic-ing threads anymore, but the Red Fang video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuRKRFjm-HA) posted and the OP's desire to replicate that look brought out unneeded smart-arsery.

I AM buying a DIY, I just want to know how to paint it so it gets that grungey look, it's not a relic, or worn really.

It seems like asking this question was a waste of my time, I find it funny that I, a fifeteen year old, is more mature than you. So thanks for answering my question.


You could have just said, "hey it's not proper
to do this" but no, you had to be *******s.


To the guy whoactually tried to help me, Thank you.

To the rest, **** you.

Wow, um I don't even know how to respond to this. My post was meant in all seriousness. I must have missed where you mentioned a 'kit guitar', I did watch the video. I love relics and have built many myself both from new guitars and ones I've finished (painted) and put together myself.

From your posts it seems that you have a tendency to snap at people for very little reason. There is no need for name calling and cursing. This forum is not harmony central, just relax, we are pretty civilized around here. I'm going to answer your question despite the hateful remarks.

Doing a good relic is not easy, do your research, its the fine details that make it look authentic.

My recommendations:
-Nitro Finish (easier to age convincingly) -wear a real painters mask if you use this type of paint
-Muriatic Acid for the hardware (nickel ages better than chrome) - put the liquid in a tupperwear then the hardware in a smaller tupperwear inside the other container-Vinegar works too
-Use keys to gently ding up the guitar randomly, don't go overboard and don't hit the back of the neck
-Make a few well placed chips in the finish with a razor blad or a knife, don't go overboard. Less is more.
-Fine Grit sandpaper to knock down the finish (600+)
-Look at lots of close up picktures of relics and worn old guitars, watch videos on youtube and keep searching online, there is a ton of info on how to do this well.

Thanks for the help guys, I have to deal with enough "trolls" at school and on Youtube, I'd rather not have to here, which is why I snapped so easy.

As for not being a man because I have a "reliced" guitar, whatever, I don't care I think it looks cool and if you don't, that's your own opinion.

I'll be sure to post pics, once it's done.

I was going to suggest some finishing websites, but the more I thought about your comment about being mature-then negating it by calling people's names and cursing at them, I decided I would rather point out that some of those posts were probably meant to be funny. Your attitude will not get you much help from people, at 15, a good lesson would be to take a look at how many people have viewed this thread and how many have posted. This forum has been very helpful to me, but I also am willing to take the humor as well as comments against my point of view in a completely different way.

I'm sorry for my insults, but I thought a forum would be a good place to ask my question, however it seems that people just find this funny.

I don't see why this is so Taboo, sure you're not "earning it" but I can paint it nice, and then just treat it like ****? Or I can just go straight to the worn and grungey look.

With a kit, you're going to have to do a pretty good finish and then work backwards to get it to look right.
There are lots of ways you can research this type of finish.

First, you need to decide if you want the guitar to look like that, and if you are prepared for the feel of it. Grungy guitars like that are pretty hard to get used to. That thing looks like it would feel rather "sticky".

So, if you want it to look that way and have an "authentic" feel, just start gunking it up! As already suggested, build the best quality guitar you can, then start replicating the wear on it. I would pay attention how the mechanics of your playing wear the guitar, then exaggerate the damages with steel wool, light sandpaper, and such.

His guitar looks pretty grungy, the comment about working on your car then playing, may actually be a good one!

If you want the grungy look, but still a nice feel, others on here would be a much better solution.

Btw, I tried the coffee and tea thin on my pickguard and tuning keys of another guitar, and it did not make a noticeable difference. However, I roughed everything up with steel wool, and rubbed them in the dirt, then left them outside for a few days. That made a huge difference

Thanks for answering my questions guys, even though I was a big dick haha

I think I'm going to give it a fairly light and flat coat, then just let it wear naturally, that way it doesn't look to "fake" I play a lot so it shouldn't take that long :)