Retiring a Guitar

[PoorMan]

Never had to do this before, but I have an old 80s Burny SG that I am going to retire. It's pretty beat up cosmetically (cool looking IMO). It was quite possibly my best sounding guitar, but it needs a fretjob and a new nut--repairs would cost more than the value of the guitar.

The one thing I didn't like about this guitar was the nut width. It's approaching 44mm wide and I have smaller hands so it was always difficult for me to play. That's not something that can be changed (feasibly) which was ultimately the deciding factor to retire.

Anyone been in the same boat? I'm not sure what I should even do with it. Sell it cheap locally?

 

[Demanic]

I've worn out the frets and nut on my Johnson bass and basically retired it. Stainless strings with nickle frets is a short lived combo.

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[Adieu]

Sell it to someone who knows how to refret

Or pick up a squier neck for 25 dollars to practice on, two guitars' worth of fretwire, and welcome to your new Rona hobby.

Could also become a nice paying side job if you learn to do it well

 

[AlexR]

How are you determining the 'value' of the guitar.
Surely if your main points are based on its sound and how much you use it then dollar value is wholly irrelevant.

 

[PoorMan]

How are you determining the 'value' of the guitar.
Surely if your main points are based on its sound and how much you use it then dollar value is wholly irrelevant.

Value being, what I could sell it for if repaired. This guitar sounded so good I considered performing the repairs regardless, but the nut width is a deal killer.

 

[Demanic]

In that case, sell it to some kid that you know who's shown a sustained interest in playing, for a bargain. Let them know what it needs and let them get the work done. Like you would do with a car.

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[superpete]

maybe i'm just a sentimental fool, but if i had a guitar i loved so much i played it to death, i'd never get rid of it. hang it on your wall to honor it!

 

[Chris Pile]

I've never worn out a guitar, but I guess it could happen.

 

[PFDarkside]

My Epiphone was my first decent guitar, I learned how to play, setup and mod guitars on it, played it to death and really liked it. Unfortunately the frets are low and I think the truss Rod was damaged when I put some very heavy strings on it.

I’ll never get rid of it, but it’s effectively retired at this point.

 

[AlexR]

Value being, what I could sell it for if repaired. This guitar sounded so good I considered performing the repairs regardless, but the nut width is a deal killer.

Thats my point. If your option when not using it is retiring it (rather than selling it), then dollars is not what it means to you.

 

[Mincer]

My 1982 Strat has worn frets and needs a refret...with SS frets and a lacquer re-spray. It is retired until I have that done.

 

[alex1fly]

I retired my MIA Strat after playing it pretty much exclusively from 2002-2020. It wasn't worn out, but it was time to hang it up and move on. The frets were toast, and I had them crowned but really didn't jive with the new feel. I'd changed pickups in the thing probably... 15 times over the years? The weight was getting annoying, I was never happy with the sound in a live setting, and I was finding the neck to be uninspiring and cramped. So it was either 1) invest more time and money into it, 2) keep it for a rainy day, or 3) use the inherent value built in to the guitar to fund a new guitar adventure. It was a hard decision that took many months of back-and-forth but I chose #3 and am loving this new world of mahogany and humbuckers. Some folks can collect guitars, but I want to actively use every instrument I own, and while I already miss that Strat, it simply took up too much mental space.

I do have a couple retired project guitars up on the wall though - mostly as a reminder of what not to do to my nicer guitars

 

[Liam1963]

I've "retired" two (2) guitars, but they're still playable. The guitars with a status of "retired" now stay at home, no longer do they venture out to stage and/or studio. One is a Hamer Chapparal Custom that I acquired new in 1987, still plays great, lots of buckle rash and love dings, frets do need some work, but I won't part with it. The other guitar is a 1981 Fender Stratocaster (my first "professional" guitar) that has been heavily modified, again, plays great, but it's a boat anchor, and my aging spine is most happy when I play the Strat sitting down. Both guitars have over 100,000 road miles on them, plus a lifetime of great gig and recording memories...

 

[GuitarStv]

I learned to fret a guitar specifically because the idea of having a guitar in retirement bothered me. Guitars are functional and meant to be played. If they don't get played regularly there's no point keeping them around the house taking up space.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I learned to fret a guitar specifically because the idea of having a guitar in retirement bothered me. Guitars are functional and meant to be played. If they don't get played regularly there's no point keeping them around the house taking up space.

Agreed. I’m not sentimental about instruments, and don’t keep anything that doesn’t get played.

 

[beaubrummels]

I have the neck of my Yamaha SE612 mated to my first Sears strat body, mostly for storage purposes. Neither are playable now. Not worth selling. Part of my childhood. I played them until parts failed and stuff plum wore out.

My Yamaha 12-string acoustic stays in the closet now. Action is high, doesn’t play in tune anymore, needs more work than it’s worth. Put a lot of miles on it.

 

[Bogner]

I wouldn't sell it. I would hang it on my wall as is and be happy about it.

 

[vinta9e]

I gave my first "real" guitar, a 91 Ibanez S540 to a befriended guitar builder I had been supporting for years.

He restored my HM Strat and later on I somehow managed to get a 91 Jackson Stealth for pennies on the dollar. That guitar boasts perhaps the finest woodworking I have ever seen. Karma, is that you?

As a bonus, I am now able to restore such old and tired guitars myself. THAT feeling, when you've breathed new life into an old and tired ax, is precious. That, to me, is value, not the funny paper bills (and the atrocities they stand for).

 

[ErikH]

I have one that is pretty much retired. It doesn't leave the house hardly at all, and mainly because it doesn't really fit with the current project. It's my 1988 Kramer Baretta painted by Dennis Kline with the NYC skyline. My plan is to get a hanger and have it on display in my little corner of the front room that is my office. I might get two hangers and put my Dean ML on the wall. My wife got it for me several years back. I love that guitar but in the same vain as the Kramer, it doesn't fit with the current band.

 

[UnderTheFlame83]

Never worn out a guitar. But I got a 97 strat that the frets are worn some. If any of the guitars I own become unplayable, I will get fixed or fix them myself and keep playing them no matter the cost.