Guns and guitars… condition/value

[Model29-26.5]

It's ironic that people will pay top dollar for a "stressed "model Guitar. Whereas guns are the opposite..

Take the Brent Mason telecaster model…
The standard model is about 2500 bucks, but if you want a stressed one which has been worn in to look exactly like Brent's and the wear on his tele… $12k

It's a different mindset, I guess.
We all love a pristine piece of metal.
I guess some guys are different about Guitars. It depends on the person.
I don't mind one with some character. Pristine is nice too. I guess I'm the same with Smith revolvers.
I see an old beater and I see something that I feel could be restored to its former glory.

 

[rays44]

I never got the concept of paying a premium for a "distressed" guitar. Fine if you want one aged so it looks and feels like a road dog. I get that. But, to pay an enormous premium for the cosmetic change is nuts. There's nothing like the look of a gleaming well kept Les Paul. I have guitars I bought in the '70's that look like they were made last year. They all have countless hours of playing gigs in smoky bars.
I would never buy a new Colt or S&W that had a "well used finish" even if it cost the same as factory new. Wouldn't buy a new beat up car, cloths, home, etc. Yet with guitars, it is an industry itself. I'll care for my wood.

 

[blackdeuce]

I only have one relic'd guitar. It's a Fender Custom Shop 56 Stratocaster. It was a little pricey, but I bought it because it was priced considerably lower than typical for that model.

Everything else that I have is mint with the exception of a couple of older guitars that have a little honest wear.

 

[Telecaster]

I think it's silly to pay extra for wear and tear you can do yourself for free, but maybe that's just me.

 

[Hair Trigger]

It's ironic that people will pay top dollar for a "stressed "model Guitar. Whereas guns are the opposite..

Take the Brent Mason telecaster model…
The standard model is about 2500 bucks, but if you want a stressed one which has been worn in to look exactly like Brent's and the wear on his tele… $12k

I wonder what a Martin N-20 with a ragged hole gouged in the top between the bridge and sound hole would sell for? Willie paid today's equivalent of around $6400 for his N-20 ("Trigger") in 1969. I don't figure anyone would want to "stress" their Martin to look like that for any money, but I bet Trigger would bring a pretty penny if it were ever sold. I sometimes wonder why Willie didn't have a pick guard fitted to his guitar.

 

[Mule Packer]

It's not only guitars that people want to look "vintage." It's cowboy hats, too. Some folks will buy a new hat and then pay an extra fifty bucks to have it "reliced." Why don't they just wear it everyday? It doesn't take long for the ol' sweat stains to appear. After a few pack trips, spring roundups, and fall gathers...Voila!! A vintage-looking hat.

 

[Retired W4]

You don't need a smoky bar to stress a guitar, but it helps.

 

[DixieRanger]

Same with holsters. See folks show what they say is EDC firearm & holster. When enlarged, leather holster looks to be brand new. That's OK tho but looks like they just show off new leather. Looks like should show some wear...mine do. Just an observation.

 

[blackdeuce]

Someone scribbled on my 1994 Telecaster.

Original members of Collective Soul.

 

[pasound]

I had an early 80's Ibanez Les Paul solid body copy. All blonde, clear-coated lacquer finish - body and neck grain matched, brass tuners, perfect frets, dual humbuckers in brass cases. A monster built before Ibanez got sued for patent infringement by Gibson. Pawn shop find. A hundred dollars and out the door. It was the only guitar I ever picked up and was able to "chime" the strings on the first try. Absolutely not a scratch. I swore that no one could ever "borrow" it, and I'd shoot the first one who scratched it.
Then my roommate got his Gibson ES-335 hollow body stolen from his car after a gig. It never turned up again. I let him borrow the Ibanez for his next gig, and months later, on his 40th birthday, gave it to him. Ah, memories of the toys we had, and why we coveted them...
The guitar is still around, see it occasionally with another friend's rig, his now. Sadly, the roommate is not around any longer.

 

[Mister Coffee]

I only have one relic'd guitar. It's a Fender Custom Shop 56 Stratocaster. It was a little pricey, but I bought it because it was priced considerably lower than typical for that model.

Everything else that I have is mint with the exception of a couple of older guitars that have a little honest wear.

Care to share a picture of the '56 Strat?

 

[38 Specialist]

I hate distressed guitars. People buy them because it conveys a sense that you've played decades of gigs on it.

In my opinion, you gotta EARN those dings, scratches and flakes. Here's what hundreds of sweaty gigs have done to my Tyler.

 

[Gretschguy1637]

I have two vintage MIJ gretsch 6120s. One is a closed f hole painted holes it's a double cut.. The other one is 6120N with It has the Florentine cut. It was only made for a year. I don't baby them but I don't beat the crap out of them either. There are a couple of little dings on both, but since I put them there, I'm OK with them. Do I have a relic? Well, yes I guess sort of…
I have a heavy relic parts caster ( telecaster body style) the guitar is red white and blue and it sounds real good but dropping thousands of dollars on a les Paul or a fender for that matter it's beyond me I just don't understand it. Especially when you're paying somebody else to beat it up for you.
It's the same thing for my Smith & Wesson revolvers. I'm a big fan of the N frame. It was my first carry gun. I have a couple of model 27s one is super clean 3 1/2 inch not so much. Two model 28s a 6 inch, and the 4 inch my model 27s are a 5 1/2 inch, blue & a 3 1/2 inch blue.

Bottom line each to his/her own.

 

[Wingmaster]

I'm not good at playing but I have an old Strat.

 

[blackdeuce]

Care to share a picture of the '56 Strat?

It took me a minute, but I found it. Lol.