Electric Guitars Buying Guide

What a Custom Shop Relic Actually Costs You Beyond the Sticker Price

V Rated by Vincent Vandegans · Updated Sep 2026

A relic guitar is deliberately aged to look decades old — checked lacquer, worn frets, dulled hardware — while playing like a brand-new instrument built to exacting tolerances. The premium over a standard model reflects both the extra hand-labor of the aging process and, often, genuinely better wood selection and construction reserved for custom shop production runs.

The ten guitars below are real, currently-listed custom shop/relic instruments, checked for seller reliability and priced against comparable recent sales.

At a Glance — Our Top Picks

Editor's Top Pick

Electric Guitar Fender Custom Shop John Mayer Custom Relic Stratocaster 1960

Score 95/100 · $6,842.00 · Used

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Best New

Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Heavy Relic Electric Guitar (3TSB)

Score 95/100 · $6,625.00 · New

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Best Used

Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Heavy Relic 3.35kg 2016 Electric Guitar

Score 95/100 · $4,040.00 · Used

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Top 10 Electric Guitarss on eBay & Amazon

Ranked and rated by Vincent Vandegans — verified you can buy.

Electric Guitar Fender Custom Shop John Mayer Custom Relic Stratocaster 1960

Rating Score: 95/100 · $6,842.00 Used

4 photos

Brand: Fender
Type: Electric Guitar

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 99.5% positive (5261 ratings)
•Shipping: $385.00
•No returns accepted

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Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Heavy Relic 3.35kg 2016 Electric Guitar

Rating Score: 95/100 · $4,040.00 Used

4 photos

Brand: Fender Custom Shop
Country of Origin: United States
Type: Electric guitar
Series: 1969 Stratocaster
Model: 1969 Stratocaster
Body Color: Black

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (2065 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

2024 Fender Custom Shop LTD ’57 Stratocaster Relic Strat Aged White Blonde w/COA

Rating Score: 15/100 · $3,099.00 Used

4 photos

Body Type: Solid
Body Color: White
Neck Material: Maple
MPN: CZ572039
Number of Frets: 21
Brand: Fender

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 0.0% positive (3 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Fender Japan Stratocaster Relic Custom Shop Pickups O Serial MIJ Electric Guitar

Rating Score: 94/100 · $2,149.14 Used

4 photos

Brand: Fender Japan
Set Includes: Hard Case
Type: Electric Guitar
Body Type: Solid
String Configuration: 6 String
Model: 60s Stratocaster

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 99.5% positive (1257 ratings)
•Shipping: $600.00
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)
•On sale: 14% off (was $2499.00)

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2018 Fender Custom Shop Relic 1960 Stratocaster guitar neck plate 60 Strat

Rating Score: 95/100 · $99.99 Used

3 photos

Brand: Fender
Type: Neck Plate
To Fit: Electric Guitar
Country of Origin: United States

•Condition: Used
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (5785 ratings)
•Shipping: $7.99
•No returns accepted

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Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Heavy Relic Electric Guitar (3TSB)

Rating Score: 95/100 · $6,625.00 New

4 photos

Brand: Fender
MPN: 9231016792
UPC: 885978879601
Manufacturer: Fender

•Condition: New
•Seller rating: 99.7% positive (28037 ratings)
•eBay Top Rated Seller
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (30 calendar day)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Custom Shop ST Black Relic Aged Electric Guitar Tremolo Bridge Maple Fretboard

Rating Score: 90/100 · $243.00 Not specified

4 photos

Brand: Unbranded
Country of Origin: China

•Condition: Not specified
•Seller rating: 97.9% positive (468 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)
•On sale: 10% off (was $270.00)

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Custom Shop White TV Relic Electric Guitar P90s Mahogany Body

Rating Score: 86/100 · $248.40 Not specified

4 photos

Brand: Unbranded
Country of Origin: China

•Condition: Not specified
•Seller rating: 99.2% positive (122 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)
•On sale: 10% off (was $276.00)

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Custom Shop ST Mixed Color Heavy Relics Electric Guitar SSS Pickups Real Photo

Rating Score: 84/100 · $243.00 Not specified

4 photos

Brand: Unbranded
Country of Origin: China

•Condition: Not specified
•Seller rating: 97.1% positive (89 ratings)
•Free shipping
•Returns accepted (14 calendar day)
•On sale: 10% off (was $270.00)

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Customer reviews on eBay ›

Relic Clone Custom Shop Andy Summers T-Style Guitar Neck

Rating Score: 86/100 · $35.00 Open box

Brand: Unbranded
Type: Neck
Material: Maple
To Fit: Electric Guitar
Country of Origin: China

•Condition: Open box
•Seller rating: 100.0% positive (96 ratings)
•Free shipping
•No returns accepted

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Buyer's Guide: How to Pick the Best Electric Guitars

What actually separates a good relic job from a gimmicky one.

Aging Consistency

A well-done relic shows wear patterns where a real guitar would actually wear (edges, contact points) rather than random distressing — inconsistent or overly uniform "aging" is a sign of a lower-effort job regardless of price.

What Counts as Custom Shop

Confirm whether the guitar is genuine factory custom shop work or a third-party relic job on a standard production guitar — both can be well done, but they're different products at different price points and should be priced accordingly.

Nitro vs. Poly Finish

Nitrocellulose finishes age and relic more convincingly than polyurethane, and check for genuine wear over time in a way poly doesn't — a detail worth confirming if authenticity of the aging process matters to you.

Electric Guitars FAQs

Is a relic guitar just cosmetic, or does it play differently? +

Purely cosmetic in terms of the aging itself — the appeal is aesthetic and psychological (some players report playing more freely on a guitar that already "looks lived in") rather than any functional difference from the wear pattern.

Are relic guitars worth more or less than pristine equivalents? +

This varies by market and specific model — some relic runs from major custom shops command a premium over pristine equivalents due to the additional labor, others trade at a discount since some buyers specifically want unworn instruments.

Can I relic a guitar myself instead of buying one pre-aged? +

Yes, and many players do — but a professionally done relic job on a genuine custom shop instrument is a different (and typically more valuable) product than a DIY job on a standard guitar.

Does a relic finish affect resale value? +

For genuine custom shop relics from respected builders, generally not negatively — it's an established, understood category with its own collector market rather than a deduction from standard value.

Top Sellers Rank

Rank	Seller	Price vs. average	Rating
#1	focusproaudio	+180% vs. avg	★ 5
#2	partoutallthetime	-96% vs. avg	★ 5
#3	nippondeals	+190% vs. avg	★ 5

Why Should You Trust Us?

Every guitar here is cross-checked against live eBay listings, with custom shop provenance and finish type confirmed from the listing description before inclusion.

Written by Vincent Vandegans

Vincent has spent years buying, selling, and researching gear across live marketplaces. He personally tests a portion of the products featured on this site — hands-on with the exact model, checking build quality, sound, and feel for himself. For the rest of the lineup, each pick goes through the same in-depth research process rather than being taken at face value from a listing photo.

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How this guide was researched

Hands-on testing, when possible

Whenever Vincent owns or can source the exact model, he tests it directly — evaluating build quality, sound, playability, and how it holds up against the manufacturer claims.

Technical spec sheets, compared side by side

For every other pick, the manufacturer datasheets, manuals, and published specifications are read in full and compared against competing models in the same price range — not just skimmed from a listing summary.

Real owner reviews, mined from blogs and forums

Vincent digs through long-running gear forums, owner blogs, and marketplace review threads to find recurring, repeated feedback from real buyers after months of actual use — not just the top review snippet or a manufacturer-friendly quote.

Live marketplace data, checked at publish time

Price, seller reputation, condition, and availability shown on this site are cross-checked directly against live eBay and Amazon listings, so the ranking reflects what is actually being sold, not a historical average.

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