Artificially aged guitars... what do you think?

[flyon90]

Artificially aged guitars seem like a guy cutting himself just so he gets scars that make him look "badass"

[chapperz66]

I really wonder what you have to do to a guitar to get it into such a state as some of the distressed models.  I still have a strat that I bought new in 1976.  I gigged with it a lot in my youth and have played it most days ever since.  It's obviously now quite an old instrument, and sure it has a few dings and scratches, but from a distance it still looks pretty much perfect.

On the subject of signature guitars, I also have one of the early Clapton strats.  I'm not a huge Clapton fan, and to be honest what initially atracted me to it was the fact that it is 7up green - really cool colour.  I wasn't in the market for another guitar but was literally driving past the shop and just happened to spot a green start in the window.  I parked straight away and when I played it in the shop I just had to buy it.  Incredible feel and great tone. I didn't buy it because it was a Clapton signature.  I bought it because it is a great guitar.  Trying to think of an excuse to tell the wife was a bit more of a challenge.......

Paul

[SharksDontSleep]

Aged guitars ... Sorry, I just don't get it.
If you want a guitar that's old & battered ... Then buy one.

Ok I admit, I've only seen the cheaper side of relic guitars, and most of them look pretty fake.

Signature guitars ... That's a grey area for me. If you can't afford the real thing (like an early Clapton or Peter Green) and seeing as there's only one real model of each ... Then I suppose the next best thing is a signature model.

Interesting discussion this one.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Aged guitars only look good on aged musicians.

[64Guitars]

Aged guitars only look good on aged musicians.

That's an interesting point. If a guitarist is playing a vintage 60s replica that's artificially aged, and he's 20 years old, then it's pretty obvious that he hasn't knocked it about for forty-some-odd years, so I think it's a bit pretentious. Whereas, if a 60-year-old guitarist is playing a beat up old guitar that he bought brand new when he was 20, that's something quite different.

Still, I'd prefer that all of my guitars look as good after 40 years as they did when I bought them. It shows that I care about them and look after them. My oldest guitar that I bought new is a 1975 Gibson L-6S Midnight Special and it looks about the same today as it did when I bought it. I'm proud of that. And I think it's worth a lot more today for being in such good condition than it would be if I'd abused it and let it get scratched and dinged.

[chapperz66]

Aged guitars only look good on aged musicians.

One thing's for sure, my guitars all look a lot better than I do! 

Paul

[chapperz66]

Aged guitars only look good on aged musicians.

One thing's for sure, my guitars all look a lot better than I do! 

Paul

Having said that, they are also a lot younger than me so I guess that's fair.  I can't imagine that I'll ever be able to afford a 1959 strat now.  Lake Placid blue, rosewood neck......yearn....


Perhaps I should try to get a job?

[Migs]

My 12 string got a ding in the headstock when I left it in the music room at school in about 1984. I cried. Apart from that there are only scratches on the pic guard which is the only place they should be.

Aren't the roadworn series distressed by computer so they are all identically worn? I look after my guitars so to me it makes as much sense to me as ordering a roadworn Ferrari. 

[chapperz66]

Having derided artificially aged guitars, I have to admit that I did play one of the road worn strats in PMT Northampton a few months ago.  The guy in the shop stuck it in my hands as I wandered around.  It was actually quite a nice guitar, good action, sweet tone, not too heavy, nicely set-up etc.  But I wasn't too keen on the cosmetics and it's unlikely that anybody (other than perhaps the average punter) would confuse it with an original.  It had a certain vibe and obviously appeals to some people - and why not?  Just not me.

Paul 

[IanR]

Aren't the roadworn series distressed by computer so they are all identically worn? I look after my guitars so to me it makes as much sense to me as ordering a roadworn Ferrari. 

Or picking up a road worn passenger to drive around with in the Ferrari.