Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

[Xeromus]

Personally, I like to buy guitars used, and I often don't care about the cosmetic condition so long is functionally and structurally in good condition. I even like the dings, scratches, etc. I take care not to damage mine, but it happens through use, I don't abuse them. I feel like it adds character. I guess I'm just curious. Do many people take painstaking care to not put a blemish on your instrument? I guess I wouldn't want to own an instrument I'd be afraid to pick up and play.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

Well, I use mine for work, so they will get worn just from use. The last one I bought was 'tastefully aged' with duller hardware and a worn varnish on there. I take care of my stuff, but I ain't precious about it. Guitars are played and pedals are stomped.

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I'm not afraid to pick up and play them, but I try my best to keep them in mint condition. I want it to look brand new for as long as possible. Wash hands before play. Very careful not to dent or scratch. Wipe down after every single play to eliminate the corrosion over time due to sweat. My 06' Ibanez and my 95' Jackson Kelly both look pretty much brand new out of the box. Nobody would ever guess that my Kelly is 25 years old, I've seen months-old guitars in worse shape.
My '06 Stratocaster looks fairly mint , save for just a couple tiny flaws, but since it was stolen and I didn't get it back until about 10 years later, I think it made out pretty good.

I far prefer this over a relic'd look. I honestly struggle to understand the appeal of relics, and why anyone would purposely do it or buy a fake "road worn" guitar. I used to like them when I was a teenager but it was largely a teenage phase of wanting to be like Yngwie or something; now that I know a bit more about myself, I don't like it. but I do have some relics, my 91' Stratocaster has been beaten to hell , it kind of looks cool but I prefer my minty guitars. If I had owned it from brand new it'd still look brand new.

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[Blille]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

Pristine.

I don’t mind the relic look but I have pretty light touch and stay in the picking area so there’s no way I can relic a guitar on my own from play. I also wear it high in the nerdy way, wear no watch or bracelets, or belt so it’s not going to get anything.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I buy guitars to play. All of mine have signs of use. That said, I do try to keep them in the best condition possible. But I’m not upset by the use signs.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I buy guitars to play. All of mine have signs of use. That said, I do try to keep them in the best condition possible. But I’m not upset by the use signs.

Pretty much this exactly.

There's a dent in the top of my LP from the time I dropped the tailpiece while changing strings, and the top horn on my Explorer is pretty chipped up. My SG and 335 are still pretty clean, but I've only owned them for 7-9 years at this point.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

All of mine have scars and are played in pretty heavily.

If I collected guitars for their value or such, I probably would have some pristine ones.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I care for them like any other tool.

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[Dave Locher]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I care for them like any other tool

This. I prefer to buy used with visible wear so I don't freak out when I dent them, but I clean & maintain them like any tool.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I like wear and tear. Especially looking forward to the PRS’s satin finish wearing and looking worn. I’m not gonna take a belt sander to it or anything, but I definitely prefer the played in look.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

Most alloy based tools are fairly tough. It takes effort to wear them.

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[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

Hate dirty dingy looking guitars. Mine are wiped down everytime I play & I don't sling them about or bang them up either. My guitars from the early 90's are still in great shape and look 'lightly used' even though they're anything but. Natural wear (my ''cosmo" hardware is now mostly silver etc) is fine but there's no way I'm going out of my way to intentionally make my axes look like **** :bigthumb:

 

[Ascension]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

Keep my stuff pretty pristine.Have guitars that have been played out for 20 years plus and still are as clean as most on the rack at a Guitar center. Takes work every time they get played out they get cleaned before they are put up no exceptions ect.
This old 1989 Carvin DC 200 was my main player for many many years and was on the road with me. When I sold it a few years ago was still very clean almost pristine actually. Sold it only because it was solid rock maple weighed right at 10 pounds and as I got older was killing my back to play.

 

[Ewizard]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I don't like abusing the guitars for the sake of becoming relic'd. But like anything that is delicate and is used often, you invariably will end up with scratches and dents. I prefer dents and scratches that occur while playing and while in use as opposed to ones where stupid things like dropping it while moving from point A to B, or while on a stand and the dog knocks it over. I do not care about pick scratches at all, although I am pretty good about not running my pick down the guitar like that. I am not the guy that washes his hands before I play and wiping the guitar down when I am done, but I obviously won't play when my hands are filthy and if the guitar is grungy, I will wipe it down. I can't see the value or point in worrying about being sure a guitar is in pristine condition. Pride in ownership does not mean you keep things looking like it did the day it came off the showroom floor, it means that you love, care and maintain the guitar for a lifetime. An occasional scratch and dent in inevitable, I think it does add character and value to a guitar, I just hope that the majority of those scuffs are caused while entertaining a crowd or at least while in the actual use of making music.

What pisses me off more than anything is the poser guitars that are now popular; the relic'd guitars...... I am sorry, but I can't see why or how anyone pays EXTRA to have a guitar that is brand new, be worn in such a way to look as if it has been played for years. That is poser ****. Go buy a guitar and beat up on it if you want that look, don't pay to have it that way from the factory. I lose a lot of respect for those that buy relic'd guitars, it is like a non-military-civilian wearing military regalia to acquire respect and or admiration...... They may wear those clothes in respect and admiration for those that earned them, but they themselves did not. If you want a relic'd guitar, buy an actual vintage guitar that is worthy of its look and feel. End rant:

There is beauty in age and like a fine wine, it is not made overnight. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say, but no one has looked at a guitar that is an iconoclast and said hell no. That type of look is earned and rewarded by years of hard work and the entertainment of thousands, essentially breaking the status quo.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I take the best care I can, until they get initiated with their first ding. Then let the relicing begin.

 

[B2D]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I don't mind a little wear. The first ding/scratch is always the one that is irritating, after that it doesn't matter.

As for the 'character' aspect, as long as the character says 'I was well-played and well-loved by someone who used this as a tool" that's fine.

I don't like the 'I was dragged behind a truck and abused by a dude that pays $200 for ripped jeans" look. There's a subtle but important difference.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I have all sorts. Some I have bought old (and worn), some I have bought/made new and kept as well as possible......others I have made with the intention of aging them (where I want to create the closest clone of an old instrument I can), and others I have not planned to be aged, but ended up that way due to a few mishaps in the finishing (like falling off the painting hook!!).

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I don't wipe mine down every time I play or wash my hands before playing, but I also have never really dented or scratched a guitar. I just play normally and I'm not clumsy. I don't care if it's pristine but I'm still going to reasonably take care of my stuff.

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[d1dsj]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

I don’t see the appeal of new, pristine looking guitars so I usually get a mace, a few rocks to beat them up a bit and then a tow rope to drag them down the street before I really get started with the Stihl tools out.

Only joking, I like all sorts and oddly there some I don’t mind looking like they’ve been around the block and some I like all minty fresh. I just make sure they are all set up well and wipe the strings down.

 

[GreatOz]

Re: Do you care about keeping your guitar pristine, or do you like the wear and tear?

For me, it depends, but logistically, 99% of the time, wear and tear is inevitable.

I would try to keep a guitar pristine if it was very valuable monetarily or sentimentally and I would hardly ever play it.

This being said, I personally do not have a guitar like that right now as I prefer instruments that are practical. I get a guitar to play, not sit somewhere. Wear and tear is going to happen, so while it would be nice to keep it looking pristine all the time, it's never going to happen, so I might as well embrace the "relic" now.

TL;DR
I would like to keep a guitar pristine, but that's never going to happen for instruments that get played all the time.