2013 Kelton Swade Relic 1953

Kelton Swade Relic Tele 1953, 2013 full front view

Comments	Here’s a very, very cool 2013 Kelton Swade Relic 1953. Kelton Swade’s guitars have become popular with top artists who need the tone and vibe of a genuine early instrument, but don’t want to risk the real thing on the road. Artists using these instruments include Keith Urban, Johnny Hiland, and Vince Gill.Picking one up and actually playing it will tell you why. It’s an outstanding instrument, well made and vibrant.Here is what Kelton Swade says about his manufacturing process: ” I use a special technique that I use to pretreat the bodies and necks. This is a process that takes about 3 months and essentially ages the wood. I do a variety of bodies and necks at the same time. Through a balance of science and art, it hardens the pores of the wood making it behave and sound like a vintage guitar. After this process, the wood behaves like an instrument and not a tree! The tone is incredible and that’s why a lot of pretty famous players choose my guitars over others. Also, it causes the guitar to be naturally lighter because it removes all the moisture unlike other procedures. Both the removal of moisture and the crystallization of the resin are dealt with at once. I always have plenty of necks and bodies available for custom orders and this is why I can have a much faster build time then anyone else, usually about 2 – 4 weeks. I never use any kind of polymer base underneath the nitro cellulose lacquer like my competitors do (that adds weight and kills the tone) so that the wood can continue to breathe and sing!”
Serial Number	#1953, built 2/19/2013 in the USA.
Pricing	$3450 CAD with case.
Neck	Maple neck with walnut ‘skunk’ stripe.
Frets	Medium high fretwire.
Body	Ash body with 1953 style contours.
Finish	Relic’d nitrocellulose lacquer finish, original style blonde body and natural finish neck.
Hardware/electronics	Bone nut, rewound ’53 style’ pickups, Kluson-style split shaft tuners, Swade bridge with brass saddles.
Playability/Action	Plays exceptionally well – rather like a well played and well maintained 1953 model.
Case	Case included.