How about a mojo thread?

[S. Cane]

So, guitars, just like us, aren't a perfectly impechable crystal relic.

Many of them, even brand new, have their own small flaws in the finish (either from the very making process or due to climate changes throughout storage, shipping, paint shrinking, and so...), which are just like the freckles or beauty spots on our own skin, and as we play, jam, rehearse and gig with them, they get their battle scars along the way.

It's beautiful, actually. I'm not into babying guitars, they are on the road with the band just like me and they see action, baby

Guys at les paul forums usually like that mojo and post pics with such details.

Why not do it with our strats?? I'll post a few myself. Post yours, guys!!

[Old Ranger]

Sorry, I guess I don't understand. Not sure where you're going here.
You mean you want pics of guitars that are messed up?

[melody]

[smitty_p]

Well, de Melo, I don't have much to show on my Stratocaster.

This little ding in the finish between the jack plate and the neck tone knob is all I have on my Strat. My '74 Gibson SG has a lot more in the way of battle scars, but this is about the only thing on my Strat.

I don't know how it happened. It is definitely gig-related, but I don't know when it happened, exactly.

[Old Ranger]

Do old dirty looking and aged by real age on pickups and knobs count? My Strat's got no dings or dents in it though. Guess I could beat it with a chain or something though like when folks "antiqued" their perfectly nice furniture back in the 70's.

[Don]

Here's a pic of where my pinky wore through through the finish and deeply into the wood on my T-Style where I apparently hang on while playing. This, and the wear on my grandfather's mandolin, are a couple of reasons why I don't like relic instruments. Wear should tell a story.

[Don]

Oh, then there's this- my 1969 Gibson 12 string. It was given to me in this condition.

[phantomman]

Oh, then there's this- my 1969 Gibson 12 string. It was given to me in this condition.

[Volumeknob]

agreed.........

[S. Cane]

Sorry, I guess I don't understand. Not sure where you're going here.
You mean you want pics of guitars that are messed up?

Yes, Ranger.

You know, I don't like relic jobs. Really, it's pointless to inflict "damage" to a new guitar just to make it look like a vintage piece.

But some people, your little brother included, like the poetry in the looks of instruments that have been around and show some scars from the road.

Other forums have threads like this and I thought it would be cool to open one here in case someone else likes that mojo too.

[Volumeknob]

Sounds a great idea, I will see if I can get some pics of some of the "battle scars" on some of mine later this evening. :)

[Old Ranger]

Well to be brutally honest, I believe that people that take a perfectly fine and well finished instrument then take a sander to it, purposely ding it up, and stain it's plastic parts to look old. And simply destroy a perfectly fine instrument just to make it "look" old? Well to me they're complete idiots! I sure as hell know that they don't do that crap to their cars. So why their instruments? One reason comes to mind, beyond inbred stupidity, envy. Either envy of some star's instrument and they want to copy it so they think they're like that star now. Or envy to be gained (in their minds) from when people look at what they had done and make comments on it. Then the instrument abuser feels his life's complete since he got a "complement" for beating his guitar up. Either way it's just plain flat out stupid.

[Volumeknob]

Ah, O.R. you are forgetting LAZY.....and impatient.

I can use my Strat for 20 years, and it will be properly aged, and "naturally reliced" ----

OR I can take a new one and sand and beat the crap out of it---rub salt water on the metal bits.....and in a week I have geetar what looks 30 years old......besides, in a month or two I will be on to some "other hobby" anyway----folks have the attention span of fruit flies.....no time to wait around for the guitar to age lol

[gibsonjunkie]

I am one of those sick, odd people who cries every time one of my precious babies gets the smallest ding...

[Cogs]

I like artificial aging if it is done well. I can't understand for the life of me why some consider this moral turpitude.

[Don]

I didn't mean to add to any anti-artificial aging sentiments. I'm not into it myself but have seen some nice relic guitars. I typically stay out discussions on the subject because it's none of my business what other people like.

[S. Cane]

You people seem to have misunderstood the point.

Like I said: I don't like artificial relic jobs (but I don't criticize who does, though).

I mean NATURAL age/use markings, which are more than nice, as they show the history of the instrument and your history too.

I'll borrow some pics from our twin forum the lespaulforum.com to illustrate a bit:






I mean old instruments, not reliced ones.

[smitty_p]

You people seem to have misunderstood the point.

Like I said: I don't like artificial relic jobs (but I don't criticize who does, though).

I mean NATURAL age/use markings, which are more than nice, as they show the history of the instrument and your history too.

I understood your meaning. Honestly, that little ding is all I have in my Stratocaster. I think it happened a couple of years ago loading in or out of a gig. I don't know exactly. Around the house, my guitars are ALWAYS in the case except when I'm playing them.

[Don]

You people seem to have misunderstood the point.

We understood. We just get sidetracked easily.

I'll try to get some pics of the wear on my grampa's mandolin and the divots in the fretboard of my '59 ES-225.

[S. Cane]

No problem about that!

I was just explaining, as some of the comments about relicing sounded a bit harsh...

[Volumeknob]

SIDETRACKED EASILY????? I am rarely ON TRACK!

[Old Ranger]

OK, forget I said anything. Yes, I'm a grumpy old man and believe intentional damage to an object, any object, is foolish. But bear in mind, I'm from the poorest reservation located in the U.S. continent. Nearly everything I've ever owned was either old, handed down, or bought after saving for ages, and chances are that was also a used item.... New things for me are rare. But I take care of all things I own, new and old. My instruments are always wiped down after playing, and polished weekly. They stay in cases when not being played. My few amps are covered when not in use. My weapons are spotless and cleaned right after use. And my car, a true Rez Rocket, may not be new and pretty, but I keep it running as best I can. And it sure wasn't new and pretty when I got it either. So I think I'm gonna take a little vacation now and load some ammo. Oh, and that ammo's gonna be loaded on old, but very clean well maintained tools.

[Doc W]

I like artificial aging if it is done well. I can't understand for the life of me why some consider this moral turpitude.

(flips through the dictionary looking for "turpitude" and finds it)

Oh yah???

[Doc W]

I like artificial aging if it is done well. I can't understand for the life of me why some consider this moral turpitude.

OK, forget I said anything. Yes, I'm a grumpy old man and believe intentional damage to an object, any object, is foolish. But bear in mind, I'm from the poorest reservation located in the U.S. continent. Nearly everything I've ever owned was either old, handed down, or bought after saving for ages, and chances are that was also a used item.... New things for me are rare. But I take care of all things I own, new and old. My instruments are always wiped down after playing, and polished weekly. They stay in cases when not being played. My few amps are covered when not in use. My weapons are spotless and cleaned right after use. And my car, a true Rez Rocket, may not be new and pretty, but I keep it running as best I can. And it sure wasn't new and pretty when I got it either. So I think I'm gonna take a little vacation now and load some ammo. Oh, and that ammo's gonna be loaded on old, but very clean well maintained tools.

Don't apologize to me. I can't possibly imagine why anyone would deliberately "stress" any tool, but I am not accusing anyone of moral turpentine! (with apologies to 71818)

But seriously folks, Ranger is still relatively new to the forum and has not yet been involved in the perennial posting battles over such as issues as relic vs stock, rosewood vs maple, and so on. All that stuff. Although he did, IIRC, get into the classic SS vs tube beef for a whlie.

I think our position (Ranger and I) is perfectly legit. Relic'ing will never make sense to us. It is partly generation, for sure. I take it a step further. A few years ago, I got a Rutters custom Tele with a nitro finish and because it was nitro and I was not used to brand new nitro, I put a few dings in it, which I got fixed right away! . Some folks would have liked the effect, but I wanted it to look as new as it could for as long as it could. The finish where my arm rests is getting a little worn. Nothing I can do about that.

You have to admit that relic'ikng can get a little silly from the perpsective of guys like Ranger and I, but I am willing to live and let live.

Now with regard to what de Melo said, I think he is right. There is a cachet and charm that comes with use. In the antique business they call it "patina" (which is what relics are imitating). I love the photo he posted of the 1952 Les Paul. Some of you know I recently had mine "sort of" restored. I really wish that it had that old finish, cracks and all, but alas, mine had no paint at all and thus the restoration.

[FrankJohnson]

that Jazz probably knows some nice lines!

I play a Roadworn Jazz - because I like it. If I had a genuine 62-64 Jazzz.......... I would be on it like Stink on Ka-Ka!
My money is light - you know what I am saying everypeople?

I have friends who have some instruments with real mojo on them though........

[stratcat55]

Here's my 1957 Dano U1. A photographer and musician buddy of mine found this in the trash, thought it was cool and hung it in his studio. I kept asking him if he was ever going to do something with it so he gave it to me. He didn't know how old it was. I did a little snooping and everything matches to a 57. Serial, pot numbers headstock etc. It's pretty beat up, but looks cool and sounds and plays pretty nice considering. I tool the photos and as usual, I get a little carried away.
What amazes me is none of the tuners were damaged. I need to replace the selector switch.

[S. Cane]

Beautiful!!

[FrankJohnson]

Nice Dano -

That tele I posted on its own is Bob Margolins - If I remember correctly it was Muddy's at one point

I got to play it a little through that Vicky -
I needed a towel and a Lucky Strike when I was done

[S. Cane]

Whose is it now?

[melody]

Whose is it now?

Bob Margolin owns it..

[Cogs]

Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin

[jeru]

Here's my 1957 Dano U1.

What amazes me is none of the tuners were damaged. I need to replace the selector switch.

Mr. Cat -- what does the selector switch do on the single-pup Dano..?

[FrankJohnson]

Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin

One of the nicest guys I ever met - makes you feel like you can't remember a time you weren't friends

[Heket]

Within a month of getting it:

[stratcat55]

Mr. Cat -- what does the selector switch do on the single-pup Dano..?

It's just tone caps. A little bassier, a little cut. I need to fix it. Right now it does nothing.

[ch willie]

I like to think that my 96 Martin is accumulating mojo.

My 78 Rick 4001 has plenty of it, including a bit of worn off finish. The mapleglo doesn't really show it, and that's fine by me.

[ch willie]

Y'all know what de Melo means.

ONE reason road-worn instruments exist--so that it can appear that the player has ridden the pony hard while paying dues.

Being a lefty and having little choice, all of my lefties came to me new. Every ding has a story.

But I was thinking about it, and here are the types of mojo a guitar can have
1)Never-worth-a-turd-when-they-were-made-but-now-romanticized-mojo: All those dept. store guitars with the strings an inch off the bowed fretboard
2)Accident-prone-mojo: dings from such stupidities as leaning the geet neck against something like a coffee table and tripping over our chord
3)Wored-da-fu-kout: you get it
4) Tried-to-fix-or-paint-it-but-have-no-talent-mojo: This one explains a couple of places on my geets
5)Real mojo--indefinable