Relic finish: faking age cracks on a 1956 Strat

A common perception, but is it true? Maybe it’s time to reconsider. Recent high-end historic replicas from Gibson and Fender manage to provide astoundingly realistic “old guitar” experiences. One example is the “Dutchburst” 1960 Les Paul replica from Gibson’s Collector’s Choice series, an $8,000 beauty fender 1960 relic stratocaster with matching headstock
 that genuinely feels 54 years old. Another is this 1954 Heavy Relic Stratocaster, created by the Fender Custom Shop in honor of the iconic axe’s big six-oh. It’s not as pricy as the Dutchburst, though it still commands a daunting $4,720 street price. I do this by sucking up some of the milky stearate that settles to the bottom of an unshaken can of vinyl sealer. Stearate is the powdery substance that adds sandability and a milky cast to lacquer sanding sealers. Using a turkey baster, I mixed a little of this stearate into an airbrush jar full of lacquer thinner. Two or three light passes on low air pressure (15-20 psi) leaves the surface dull — just like the original finish.