I’m not a fan of damaging an instrument so that it looks like either a famous guitar played by a famous person or an instrument that’s played years worth of gigs. But I am a fan of the idea that when you own an instrument, you can do whatever you want with it. So this is just an opinion piece. You can agree or disagree with my points, but at least you will have read them.
Famous Guitar Replica
You can buy replicas of most of the most famous guitars, and in some cases, the replicas were damaged to look as much like the original as possible. I can see where you might want such a guitar to hang on the wall as a display piece. Sort of. Since you want an exact copy of something, that would include the gig damage. When you sit down and play it, if you do, you’ll tell yourself that it feels just like its real counterpart and that you are in some way connected with the artist. I understand the appeal of that. I’m personally more interested in playing my own guitars, owned by me, played by me, and in some cases taken on gigs by me. But I get the “exact copy” thing.
Simulated Usage
The idea of playing a guitar that someone else damaged is, to me, like wearing a uniform or a medal that you didn’t earn. Treating an instrument with respect might be anti rock-n-roll, but it is smart. A mistreated instrument will cost you money when you have to repair it. I’m not talking about little dings – almost all of my guitars have a ding or three, because I play them a lot. I got schooled recently at Guitar Center in Tampa. I was playing a used PRS McCarty, and I said to Al, “Man, look at the dings in this thing. If this were my guitar, I’d have taken a lot better care of it.” And he looked at me and said “Yeah, it’s been out on a lot of gigs.” And I said “Yeah, you have a good point,” and he did. You use something, it ain’t gonna look like a display piece. Well, for most of us.
But to get on stage with a beat up Strat that was pre-beat up? What are people going to think? They’re going to think a lot of things. Some will think “Man, that guy can’t afford a good guitar.” Some will think “That thing must have been played at tons of gigs over the years.” And some will think “I bet that thing had a relic job done to it” and they’ll laugh at you.
However… if it’s tied into your marketing image, then it makes sense. If you’re booking yourself as a scrappy band that plays a billion gigs a year to get out in front of the fans, then your relic guitar is part of the marketing plan. You’re essentially lying to people, implying that you have paid your dues with the guitar when you haven’t, but what’s a marketing plan without at least some lying?
Taste
But there’s a third category – you might like the look of a beat up instrument. It’s what you like. Beauty is in the eye of the guitarist. Maybe you like a shitty looking instrument. Maybe you don’t. Can’t really argue taste.
So it could be one of those three things or a combination. I do think a really good question is “Are you trying to intentionally deceive people?” If you are, that’s not for me to judge. But you should be aware of it. Did you earn that medal?
