RS Guitarworks custom & relic guitars

One of the things I like doing is trawling forums for interesting stories and products that I might not otherwise know about. Lately I’ve been going through my bi-annual Strat G.A.S. period. I don’t know why I don’t just save myself the pain and save up for one but instead I choose to drool over Custom Shop Fender’s, Suhr, Grosh and Tom Anderson guitars all well outside of my current financial reach.

So anyway while browsing the other day I saw a forum thread about recommending a Strat and the name RS Guitarworks popped up, I had never heard of them but when I checked out their website I was pleasantly surprised to see they have not only invested time and money into getting someone to design their site but also to use a CMS and keep it updated. RS Guitarworks seem to specialise in relic guitars called RS Old Friend Guitars as well as Ageing and Refinishing guitars both of which I’ll come back to because the thing that really caught my eye was the RS Stepside Guitars, particular the STEPSIDE MkII (Elite) pictured above which features an Alder body, 2 custom single coil pickups and 1 Humbucker, a Maple neck and fingerboard with a 10” radius, Abalone inlays, a Vintage hard tail bridge and vintage style tuners. The body shape says Stratocaster but the slanted front and middle pickup along with the curved pickguard shape make for a unique lopsided look. Add to that the stepped body shape and you have yourself a pretty unique looking geetar!

Ok so what about the relic guitars, well love ‘em or hate ‘em relic guitars are here to stay and if you want one to look authentic you have to pay the price and not just get an oversanded guitar that looks like it has been attacked with an icepick. The Old Friend Slab and Contour guitars (that’s Tele and Strat without the lawsuit) look as good as the work that comes from the Fender master builder’s custom relic guitars. How about if you already have a guitar that you want aged, well RS Guitarworks can do that too. They have an online store chock full of aged components such as tuners, trem arms, knobs, pickup rings… well just about everything actually whether you have a Fender style guitar or a Gibson style guitar. If you want the full ageing makeover they can do that too with their different stages of ageing and refinishing, such as:

“Under the bed” - Gives the look and feel of a guitar that has been stashed away for the last 30 years. The finish is slightly dulled and has some checking but shows little wear.

“Played, but loved” - This looks like a guitar that has been played, but has bee taken care of. It has a dulled and checked finish, some scratches and dings, and the fingerboard edges have been slightly rolled.

“Road warrior” -  This is for people who want their guitar to look like it’s been played to death! Dulled finish, finish checking, scratches, dents, chips, belt wear, arm wear, and pick wear round out the details. The neck will be heavily rolled, and forearm binding (if applicable) will also be heavily rolled.

Oh and if you prefer you can have your guitar restored from it’s battered state to brand new or as they call it “Mint” or have a new “Custom” finish applied.

I am really impressed by the depth of services RS Guitarworks offer and I’ve seen nothing but praise in the various guitar forums I checked out so whether you are looking for a new guitar, need a guitar refinished or just need some bits and pieces for your relic project check out RS Guitarworks. Even if you don’t need any of the above their site is worth checking out, it is as good if not better than some of the big name guitar sites.