17 years of "honest wear"

Hi guys,

This is the 17th year I've owned my Martin 000-18MC. I bought it new (actually watched it come out of the shipping box). I have played it weekly+ throughout it's life. I've had it refretted twice now. Over the past year or more I've started to naturally wear the finish off the back of the neck down to the wood. While it has almost no dings, the finish on the body has slowly sunk into the pores and grain and developed a gorgeous patina. It's the longest I've ever owned a guitar and I am loving watching it age gracefully.

Longtime owners, how about you?

[RalphH]

I think we need pics

[ManyMartinMan]

Amen. I just finished posting about this is a long opening post and this (to me) is the essence of establishing a true bond with an instrument. Congratulations.

Pretty hard to take clear pictures of wear like this but I could try...

[jaymarsch]

Here are my guitars. From left to right:
Wingert 00 built in 2001 and I purchased it used in 2003 so I have had it for over 16 years - second owner was a gigging musician so it has some nice dings and scratches on the cedar top and a little gouge in the binding.
Kramer Prairie Grass - just picked up my custom order this past July so only 6 months old.
Wingert E - custom ordered in summer of 2003 and took delivery in late fall 2004. Just over 15 years old. A couple of dings but in very good shape.
Alvarez Parlor/00 - bought it new in 2015 and it is my main travel and workshop guitar. It has a few nicks and dents.



I keep my guitars cased when they are not being played and I only do a couple of performances and workshops in a year so my guitars stay pretty protected most of the time. Well played but not as much well traveled. I do agree that even with the best care, I like that they acquire the bumps and bruises that show a life well lived!

Best,
Jayne

[hermithollow]

If it was me I would clean the bare wood and rub a little french polish or tru-oil on the back of the neck. I don't mind honest wear, and I'm not saying try to make it look new again, but a little bit of maintenance doesn't hurt either. But it's your guitar so do what suits you.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Pretty hard to take clear pictures of wear like this but I could try...

That's what imagination is for. If you've played a guitar for 17, 18, 20, or more years, you know what it means.

[bufflehead]

Two refrets in 17 years. That's a well-used instrument.

[s2y]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Two refrets in 17 years. That's a well-used instrument.

...or perhaps an excuse to go with stainless steel frets, jeskar, EVO, etc.

Originally Posted by s2y

...or perhaps an excuse to go with stainless steel frets, jeskar, EVO, etc.

I'm a Jescar EVO guy now. 4 of 5 of my guitars have them.

[Silly Moustache]

I have ...had two guitars that I'd owned for 21 years, until about this tme last year when i parted frm a 1998 collings that I've loved for many years, and i now regret letting it go.

However, I do have the locally made 0028 that my wife spent all her savings to have built for me in 1998 for my 50th birthday.
it now has quite a nice 2tan" but the sunshine through the window has also lightened the rosewood sides.

Here it is :

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

when i parted frm a 1998 collings that I've loved for many years, and i now regret letting it go.

Why did you sell it Andy? You must have mentioned the reason at some point but I guess I missed it.

[bufflehead]

At this point I've only got one guitar in the herd that I've been playing that long. It's got a satin-finished sitka top, and it has darkened up appreciably since it was new. There's one little stain on the upper bout where a drop of sweat hit it on a super-hot day when I was playing an outdoor festival. I didn't wipe it up because I was in the middle of a number, and by the time the song was over it had dried. Tried to remove it that evening with tap water and a soft rag, but it decided to stick around.

I'm a strummer, and you can tell where I tend to exceed the boundaries of the pick guard at this point. It's not actually pick scratches, but rather it's because I anchor my right-hand pinkie when strumming, and sometimes things get wild.

People notice that guitar more than the others when I'm jamming, as much for its looks as its sound. I loved it when it was new because the grain is quite narrow, and I love it all the more now because it shows, visually, how much music it's produced.

[alnico5]

I *THINK* my 1996 satin Sitka Taylor 412 has developed a deeper brown color but I can't remember for sure if it was like that 23 years ago. I had it quite a while before I noticed the bear claw.

[Chickee]

[QUOTE=Silly Moustache;6273447]I have ...had two guitars that I'd owned for 21 years, until about this tme last year when i parted frm a 1998 collings that I've loved for many years, and i now regret letting it go.

You have no idea how much I enjoy your posts and videos, Andy!
You are thee Coolest Cat across the pond.
Frankie D.

Sorry I absconded with this thread but I just had to say this now.