A relic guitar is a new guitar that has been worn on purpose: the lacquer checked, the edges rubbed through, the hardware tarnished, the neck worn where a player's hand would be. It is done by hand, in Fender's Custom Shop in California and in Gibson's Murphy Lab in Nashville, and it is priced by how much wear you order.
On November 3, 2026, Thomann had 197 Fender Custom Shop guitars and basses and 103 Gibson Custom Shop models with an aging level in the name.
Gibson: VOS to Ultra Heavy Aged
Gibson's clean version is VOS, a satin finish that looks like a well-kept old guitar. Above it, the Murphy Lab sells four levels of aging.
| Gibson level | Models in stock | Median price | Same model over VOS, median |
|---|---|---|---|
| VOS | 48 | $5,381 | |
| Ultra Light Aged | 20 | $7,228 | +17% |
| Light Aged | 14 | $8,355 | +41% |
| Heavy Aged | 15 | $8,747 | +59% |
| Ultra Heavy Aged | 6 | $8,125 | +46 to +74% |
The middle column mixes different models; the last one compares the same model at different levels, which is the fairer view.
Gibson Les Paul 57 Goldtop VOS, $4,811
A Custom Shop reissue of the 1957 Les Paul: an arched maple top on mahogany, a one-piece mahogany neck, a chunky C profile and unpotted Custombucker pickups, finished to look new and cared for. #92 of 251 single cut guitars.
Gibson Les Paul 57 Goldtop Ultra Heavy Aged, $8,506
The same 1957 reissue from the Murphy Lab, hot-hide-glued throughout, with historic hardware and the heaviest wear Gibson sells.
| Les Paul 57 Goldtop | Price |
|---|---|
| VOS | $4,821 |
| Ultra Light Aged | $5,045 |
| Ultra Heavy Aged | $8,401 |
The Lemon Burst 1958 Les Paul shows the same climb: VOS at $4,744, Light Aged at $6,727 and Heavy Aged at $7,850. A 1964 SG Standard with a Maestro vibrato goes from $4,665 as VOS to $7,626 Heavy Aged.
Fender: NOS to Heavy Relic
Fender's Custom Shop uses its own ladder. NOS, "new old stock", looks like a guitar that never left its case. Closet Classic adds light finish checking. Journeyman Relic shows a few years of playing, Relic a working musician's decades, and Heavy Relic a guitar played hard every night.
| Fender Custom Shop level | Models in stock | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| NOS | 17 | $5,607 |
| Closet Classic | 17 | $5,831 |
| Journeyman Relic | 47 | $5,831 |
| Relic | 82 | $6,426 |
| Heavy Relic | 34 | $6,728 |
At Fender the steps are smaller. Between the median NOS and the median Heavy Relic guitar is about $1,100, 20%. Relic is also by far the most common level at Thomann, with 82 models.
Fender '60 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic, $5,147
A two-piece alder body, a plain grain maple neck with a 60s oval C profile and AAA rosewood, and three Custom Shop '60 single coils, in Candy Apple Red with light wear. #99 of 609 ST style guitars.
The cheapest Custom Shop Stratocaster at Thomann is a clean 50s Strat NOS at $4,373.
Is the wear worth it?
Aging changes how a guitar looks and feels in the hand: a worn neck feels played-in, and many players like that. It doesn't change the woods or the pickups, although the Murphy Lab adds a few historic construction details such as hot hide glue. If the guitar is going to be played for decades, it will collect its own wear for free.
If you do want the look, Fender's Journeyman Relic costs about the same as a clean Custom Shop guitar, while Gibson charges a sixth more even for its lightest level.
Where the numbers come from. Every Fender and Gibson electric guitar and bass Thomann had in stock on November 3, 2026, from its partner feed. Aging levels are read from the model names (VOS, ULA, LA, HA, UHA; NOS, Closet Classic, Journeyman, Relic, Heavy Relic). "Same model over VOS" compares versions of one model at Thomann; finishes can differ between versions. Prices are Thomann's US-dollar prices.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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