Are there any relic instruments that truly get as beat up as this Custom Shop guitar?

#121
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#122
My 69 Strat is decently worn, for poly. I picked it up as a project in 1993 from a guy who got it from the original owner. After cleaning it up and getting it in order, it was due for a refret as they were worn to the board up to the 15th fret!
The luthier said that this may be it's last refret as the board was pretty thin from what he suspected the previous 2, maybe 3 refrets. This was done in it's first 24 years! I haven't played it nearly as many hours as the original owner and can't say that any of the noticeable wear and tear is mine. I can't imagine how beat this would be if it were a 67/68 when Fender still used nitro on the bodies...
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#123
ajkula66 said:
Would love to hear that one. Seriously.

But back to the topic - kind of - I do expect some level of wear when buying instruments nowadays since most of the stuff that I'm interested in was built prior to 1990, with majority of my "targets" being a good bit older. Having said that, anything that looks really trashed is getting a pass, regardless of what it is and the price point involved. I'm happy to leave Mr. Mayer's Strat and Mr. Watts' Gibsons - as well as their lookalikes - in possession of their current owners to enjoy them...

My $0.02 only...
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As Watt now plays his shiny new signature Reverend bass - it will be interesting to see if he puts his signature player-wear on it as it 'matures'. As an example of how an instrument gets "distressed" - Watt plays very aggressively but also cares about every detail on his bass. When I presented my 'tribute' for him to sign, he pointed out all the things about it that were not exactly like his modified Gibson. I listened and smiled thinking to myself - "it's a cheap Epiphone with the guts removed only meant to be a facsimile in tribute to you" :) A gear geek is a gear geek is a gear geek
 
#124
'78 P-Bass-2.JPG
My '78 P-Bass wasn't exactly abused, but 2 years after I bought it from a friend in 1988, almost all the finish had just... fallen off. By the time it went to a local luthier (Bob Woodward, IIRC) to get refinished, all of the remaining original paint would have fit very comfortably on a business card. And those little patches weren't long for this world, either. The bass had gone everywhere Dave went - in the back of USAF cargo planes; and Dave (and I) went places a lot. 10 years of extreme temperature and pressure changes were more than the nitro finish could stand. One last trip - with me, from the base in England to Las Vegas - was the final straw. I don't mind honest wear on an instrument; most of my basses were bought used, and they all have their share. But this thing was literally naked. Looked like one of those Mole Rats, to tell the truth.. Broke my heart, but, ya gotta do what ya gotta do...:meh:
 
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