Looking for a great custom relic guitar? Then check out Rock N’ Roll Relics! Billy, the owner, hand-builds every relic guitar he sells. He uses bodies that are locally hand cut, then adds in reissued Fender hardware and gives the guitar an amazing nitro finish. The end result is a high-quality guitar that looks like it’s been around for years! While he does create some relics to sell at local guitar shops, he will also hand-build a guitar to your specifications. He will find the pickups, neck, and more that you want.
Billy has been playing rock and roll for more than 25 years, so he knows what players want. He was actually part of Jetboy, a rock band formed in 1983. Although the band broke up for some time, they have recently re-formed and are working on a new album. He also worked as a guitar tech for Chris Isaak during the late 90s. It was during this time that he started buying and selling vintage guitars. Eventually, he decided to build his own instead of simply restoring damaged relics.
Recently, Billy has been building a large number of relics to meet growing customer demand and to keep dealers stocked with instruments. He has built two guitars for James Hetfield of Metallica: a Les Paul re-fin and a 52 b-bender Tele reissue. He’s also done two custom builds and a refin for Stevie D. of Buckcherry. Country star Keith Urban hand picked one of Billy’s Jazzbastards from one of the dealers who stocks Rock N’ Roll Relics instruments.
Many of Billy’s relic guitars can be found on the Rock N’ Roll Relics website, which is currently undergoing a re-design so that it will be viewable on iPhones and iPads. If you’re interested in ordering one of his fine instruments, check it out at www.rocknrollrelics.net.
Fano is a fairly popular brand of relic guitar, because they make some really high quality instruments. One of their Alt de Facto line, the JM6 shares much of the high quality and attention to detail that other Alt de Facto instruments have. However, it does have a few extra options and extras that set it apart from the others.
The Alt de Facto JM6 features three body choices: alder, swamp ash, or mahogany. All have front and back contours and use aged nickel hardware. The neck comes in either maple or mahogany, while the fingerboard is done in rosewood or maple. The guitar uses 21 frets and 6105 fretwire. The tuners are Gotoh Kluson, and it has a TonePros T-O-M stoptail. The guitar has a 3-way toggle, volume, and tonestyler controls. All of this is wrapped up in a distressed nitrocellulose lacquer finish that really makes the guitar look old.
As with all Fano products, you’ve got some other options. For example, you can get the JM6 with a Korina body or neck if you choose, or go with aged gold hardware. Custom paint colors are also available, as is a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. You can discuss all of your options with a Fano dealer before you make your final purchase.
Grosh Guitars has created many different models of relic guitar, but they believe that their Set Neck model may actually be one of their finest instruments. It took some time, intense thought, and even a bit of obsession to create the Set Neck model. They pulled inspiration from the Ted McCarty design, but the guitar isn’t a derivative of it or any other model. In fact, the Grosh Set Neck actually fixes many of the balance and neck access issues that plagued the McCarty.
The Set Neck Limited features a long tenon joint placed just under the neck pickup and has a double action truss rod. The balanced design makes it very comfortable and easy to play this guitar both standing and sitting, and it’s all hand-crafted. The limited differentiates itself from the other Grosh Set Neck models by features special inlays and other, more vibrant and luxurious details. It is available with either dual P-90s or a dual humbucker, features Tonepro’s TOM/stop tail bridge, and has many other options. The body and neck bindings are full grained Ivoroid, and the guitar features a full 22 frets. It is available from all Grosh Guitar dealers.
In 1960, rock and roll pioneer Eddie Cochran was killed in a car crash. However, his music lived on, and now so does his uniquely modified Gretsch G6120 guitar. Cochran made some changes to the G6120 that made it different from any other instrument out there, and now Gretsch has recreated this guitar as the Gretsch Guitars Eddie Cochran Tribute Model. This relic guitar was created by Gretsch master guitar maker Stephen Stern and his team after examining Cochran’s original guitar from its home at the Cleveland, Ohio, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Cochran Tribute Model features a single cutaway body made from laminated maple. The neck is made from a three piece maple, walnut, and maple wood. It uses a Seymour Duncan Dog Ear single coil pickup on the neck and a DynaSonic single coil on the bridge. The pickup switching has three positions: bridge, bridge and neck, and neck. The fretboard is made from rosewood and has a nine inch radius. The guitar has 22 frets and the finish is a distressed gloss nitrocellulose lacquer.
In addition to these features, the Cochran Tribute comes with a reproduction of the personalized leather guitar strap that Cochran used while playing and a reproduction of the polishing cloth he used after his 1960 British tour. Several other extras, such as a tour poster, fan club items, promotional photos, and a DVD detailing how the recreation was made also come with the guitar.
While slightly related to the Marquee Capricorn in design, the AXL Badwater Capricorn is a relic guitar that has its own unique features and sound. It's design mixes some classic relic elements with a more modern appearance to create a guitar that is both attractive to those looking for a different kind of new guitar and those who want a vintage or replica style model.
This unique relic guitar from AXL features an offset, distressed solid alder body with a maple neck. The body is done in a double cutaway style. The fretboard is made from rosewood. The Badwater Capricorn uses two EMG-designed single coil Alnico pickups. The instrument also uses independent volume controls for each of the pickups so players can easily decide if they want warm and fat tones or want to sound more aggressive and crispy. The pickguard is an interesting antiqued two-piece affair that looks more classic but features a modern edge to it. Likewise, the bridge is done in a vintage style, and when combined with the elephant ear tuners, you’ve got a guitar that crosses the line between relic and modern. The AXL Badwater Capricorn can be purchased from any authorized AXL retailer, and if there isn’t one in your area, the guitar can be ordered and shipped.
The James Trussart Steel O Matic combines that vintage instrument feel and look with the James Trussart-designed recessed steel top plate. This metal plate fits down in a recessed section on the front of the instrument. It adds some extra mass to the headstock which , in turn, helps to increase the instrument’s sustain. The steel also helps to create a unique sound that only the Steel O Matic has. It provides everything from thick classic sounds to heavy lead tones. With the original art engraved on the steel plate, this instrument is as much a piece of art as it is a guitar.
This fine relic guitar also features custom metal appointments that match the plate and look great. The body is made from alder, while the maple neck is bolted on and features a recessed steel head cap. You have three options for the fingerboard: maple, rosewood, or ebony. The frets are #6105 narrow tall frets. The guitar features volume, tone, and a five way control, plus it uses three Trussart/Arcane single coils, although a a Humbucker, and two single coils are also an option. Left handed Steel O Matics are available for left handed players.
The James Trussart Steel O Matic looks amazing and sounds just as great, but it doesn’t come cheap. It costs $4799 if ordered new from James Trussart.
If you’re looking for a great relic guitar and don’t mind it shipping from the UK, you’ll enjoy the Vintage V100TSB Les Paul relic. It looks amazing—the excellent finish and grain actually shows through the paint, giving it the look of a much more expensive guitar. The guitar sounds great, too. The neck pickups deliver a great clean tone. The bridge, too, is clean, bright, and sparkly, but it’s not very harsh at all. Players have used the Les Paul Copy for playing all sorts of gigs, including soul, metal, blues, rock, jazz, and more.
The Vintage V100TSB Les Paul Copy features two humbuckers, 22 Les Paul standard frets, a Tune-O-Matic bridge, and Wilkinson Double Coil pickups. The body is made out of mahogany, as is the set on neck. The top is maple. The instrument also have a three-way selector switch.
Players all around the world love the Vintage V100TSB Les Paul Copy relic guitar. Two of the key selling points are the fact that the guitar is of excellent build and sound and the fact that it is reasonably priced.
Reverend Guitars is known for working with some great musicians, including Pete Anderson and Unknown Hinson, the man who calls himself the King of Country Western Troubadours. In addition to producing guitars based on the designs and desires of these players, Reverend also has a number of limited edition instruments. The Six Gun Limited Edition was created in 2010, and once all of them are sold out, no more will be made.
The Six Gun Limited Edition takes the standard Six Gun guitar and modifies it so that it’s truly a one-of-a-kind instrument. It features a reverse headstock, a white pickguard and white neck and middle pickups, a Wilkinson V50 tremolo, and a limited edition logo found on the back of the headstock. Read more
Taking a relic guitar look and adding a bit of modern flair to it, Suhr has created the Suhr Custom 2010 Limited Edition guitar. The design may not look quite as relic as some may like, but for those who want a bit of a modern look to their instrument, it’s perfect. The 2010 Limited Edition is based on the Suhr Custom guitar, but it’s got a few new changes to it. For one, the set-neck construction gives the instrument a completely new feel and sound to it, plus it looks different, too. This look was designed by John Suhr to provide neck-body stability and maximum resonance. The characteristics and response are both quite different from bolt-on necks.
The set-neck construction isn’t always considered better than the bolt-on neck, but it does create a different type of sound and look. The Suhr Custom 2010 Limited Edition is the first Suhr guitar to feature a set-neck, so it will be quite a valuable collector’s piece in addition to being a great instrument that can be played for years. Only 125 Suhr Custom 2010 Limited Edition guitars will be made, although Suhr does plan to construct more set-neck instruments in the future. However, if you want a 2010 LE, you’d better order one soon before they’re all gone.
The Nash S-67 was inspired by the playing and tone of David Gilmour. While it’s a new instrument, the Nash S-67 captures everything that Gilmour loved about his classic Strats. The S-67 also features some new, modern additions, including Lollar Strat pickups and a maple fretboard.
The Nash S-67 relic guitar features an alder body and a three-ply pickguard. The maple neck is done in a medium C birds eye style, and it features a CBS era shape. The wide headstock and the Gilmour styled white knobs, pickup covers, and whammy round out this awesome guitar. The Nash S-67 is available in black with a black pickguard, and the white accessories really stand out. This is one of Nash’s most beautiful instruments, and, just like all of their relic guitars, every S-67 is hand assembled and features only top quality components. They generally retail for around $1,800.
