There’s nothing quite like an old beat up and distressed guitar to help you look the part of a seasoned rock star. From paint chips and body dings to buckle-rash and cigarette burns, the road-worn look is something you could previously only enjoy after taking your beloved instrument on tour for years.
Fender and Gibson Signature Models
These days, major manufacturers like Gibson and Fender produce their own brand new road-worn guitars straight from the custom workshop. With some judiciously applied sandpaper, a few hand tools and a tub of hydrochloric acid they create replicas of some of the most iconic vintage guitars around like Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” and Irish blues-master Rory Gallagher’s paint-stripped Strat from Fender, or the iconic Dickey Betts SG from Gibson.
The upside of this is that you can get a great looking instrument that looks like it’s been through the wars, without the downside of it being impossibly valuable or dangerously fragile. The downside is you’ll be several thousand dollars out of pocket to buy any one of these signature models.
If you’re handy in the workshop and aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty though, you can create a relic finish to your own guitar at minimal cost.
Preparation
The body and all the hardware are treated separately, so you first need to take off all the strings and remove all the hardware such as the machine heads, pick guard and bridge assembly. On a Fender Strat-type guitar all the electronics come away with the pick guard so set this aside someplace safe.
Creating Scratches and Dings
Before you do anything make sure you look up pictures of suitably distressed guitars. Study the patterns of wear and tear and plan where you’re going to replicate this on your guitar.
You’ll find that the areas of most significant wear are places where the player’s arm or plectrum rub or scratch against the body. The areas around the bridge, and above and below the strings often have deep gouges caused by pick scratches. The top arch of the guitar and the cutaway at the neck joint is smoothed out by constant rubbing of the players arm.
Take some medium grade sandpaper and rub away at the areas you want to distress. For deeper gauges you might need to use a screwdriver, or smash a big bunch of keys into the body to create the kind of deeper dings that might happen if a guitar falls over on stage. Try to get a smooth gradation of the worn area.
No vintage guitar is complete without a dose of buckle-rash: these are the scratches on the reverse of a guitar caused by constant rubbing against a metal belt buckle.
Cracking the Paintwork
Real vintage guitars often feature a unique cracked appearance in the lacquer. This is usually takes years to be developed, but you can create a similar effect with a hair dryer and a can of compressed air.
Heat up the guitar's body with a hairdryer for a few minutes. This will cause the wood to expand beneath the surface finish. Spray the compressed air directly onto the hot body to cool it quickly. The rapid cooling will create tiny cracks in the lacquer finish, though you might need to do this a few times to get an even effect overall. Repeat this process on different areas to get the kind of even, cracked appearance common on old guitars.
Buff the whole thing up when you’re done, but don’t give it a high-gloss finish. A gentle polish will just help to even out the damage you’ve done to your once pristine instrument.
Distressing the Hardware
If you’re at all nervous about using hydrochloric acid then you’d be best to leave the hardware alone, or alternatively buy ready-aged replacements from one of the many on-line retailers that specialise in such parts. If you’re brave though, take sensible precautions like wearing heavy gloves, a long-sleeved top and eye goggles before handling acid.
Rub the hardware on a rough stone surface to roughen the pieces up a little, but don't try to relic your bridge; it's best to leave this piece alone as you can easily damage the functionality. You should not attempt to distress the bridge assembly as this is a carefully calibrated part of the guitar. Give everything a rub with some fine grade sandpaper too.
Put the whole lot into a large plastic bucket and with your protective goggles and gloves on pour a little hydrochloric acid into a small plastic bowl. Place this inside the bucket and cover it with a lid. The acid vapor alone will distress the parts enough without damaging their operation.
Check every few hours, but you can leave the hardware for up to 48 hours for a really beat up look. With your safety gear on, remove everything and give it a good rinse in fresh water before laying on an old towel. Pour the acid back into its original container and put it away securely.
Spray the hardware with WD-40 and once dry you can give them a final buff up with a soft cloth.
Put everything back together again, string up your axe and rock out like an old-timer.
Alasdair Smith - Scottish-based education, travel, family-history and food writer with a passion for all things French and Italian.
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