One of my goals in music is to have a guitar that is worn out. I want the finish rubbed off of the neck, holes where the pick guard should be, refretted a dozen times, divots in the fretboard... All of that.
But, I want to come by it naturally.
I know a few players who have worn their instruments through like this. And it speaks to so many things not only within the culture of music but also to the individual.
A hundred plus years ago when the average family didn't have electronic entertainment in the house they almost always had some sort of musical instrument. For rich folk, that may have been several instruments including a piano. For poorer folks, you know the salt-of-the-earth types, that was more likely a fretted instrument like a guitar or a banjo. If you were a particularly musical bunch, each family member might have their own instrument. Each evening after supper was over, families would gather in a parlor or on a front porch and play music. Neighbors would sometimes join in.
This is the origin of folk, blues, country, and nearly every other vernacular style of music. Barn dances would be played by these same musicians once or twice a month. People participated in their music.
Now, Sears catalogs aside, there wasn't much for gear heads back in those days. Mostly, once you got an instrument you had that instrument for life. If you were particularly good, you might upgrade once or twice, but mostly you would play the same one for the duration. That nightly picking for an hour or more took it's toll and most musicians had instruments that had worn patches all over. These instruments had character. They were authentic.
For me, I have already started to see the signs of wear on some of my instruments and I am delighted by it. Nowadays we seem to look at that as a reason to replace. Ironically, some people take the flip side and pay extra for a brand new guitar that is "weathered" or "road worn".
But again, I'm looking forward to the music that happened to make my guitar wear down. I see the scratches and the dents or chips in the finish and remember when they happened. I see the uneven frets and realize I've played too long low on the neck. I see the buckle rash and think I should lose a few pounds.
All in all, I like the character my instruments are becoming.
