Hi everyone! i just wondered... How do you deal with dents and scratches on your expensive guitars? The other day, somebody told me about the "PRS syndrome": when you own such an expensive (not my case, i only have a SE custom) and beautiful guitar, you just simply don´t wanna even touch it. It´s like a guitar just for keep it in home and for playing time to time. Do you guys feel that way? D you have any dents on yours PRS?
Anyway, thank you for welcome me in the forum and for all your kind and useful answers in my first thread.
Rock on!
I don't think that is 'strictly' a PRS thing and I see a LOT of guitars that people would be 'scared' to play in case they damage it - part of the reason 'Relics' are popular. General patina of age, the little dings, dents etc don't seem to make much difference in 'resale' value on guitars over 5yrs old or so - people 'expect' some general wear. A big/deep scratch or chips can lose quite a bit on resale value - especially if 'newer' - but I bet that's the same with most 'expensive' guitars - unless was a relic.
The main problem is more the individual who can't really afford the instrument they have and therefore worried about damaging the instrument and 'losing' more than they could cope with. If you can't afford to replace or 'fix' something, then you do get nervous about damage. Its more about owning 'instruments' within your financial comfort zone - but Core PRS guitars are very 'beautiful' and very 'desirable' so people 'push' beyond their limits to buy, only then to be too worried to play it. That 'beauty' also means that anything detracting from it can be quite a loss on its 'financial' value to someone else - hence resale value drops so the 'owner' loses more.
I bet if they had a Knaggs, a Nik Huber or something similarly priced, not reliced and brand new, they'd be very nervous to hold it in case they scratched it or worse, dropped it. Just like PRS, if you can't afford to 'lose' that money because you overstretched to get it and/or couldn't afford to repair/replace, you are too worried to play.
If the musician doesn't 'care' about resale value, whether that's due to their financial situation or they don't 'expect' to sell, then they are 'free' to play the guitar how they want. If it gets 'dinged', that's just part of the history and likely a 'memory' associated with it. You look at Jimi's guitars, the dings, dents, cigarette burns etc all tell a story of the 'history' of that instrument and the player. Greeny LP, now owned by Kirk, has dings, dents, broken headstock and tells the rich story of that guitar and the Players who played it.
I do look after my guitars, don't play wearing lots of 'metal' (Zips, buckles, buttons etc), don't swing my guitar around on its strap, wipe them down and generally look after my stuff - not for 'resale' value as I couldn't care less how much someone else thinks they are 'worth', they are worth more to me. A 'good' craftsman always looks after his tools as they are essential to their craft and I was always told a Bad craftsman always blames his tools. I look after 'EVERYTHING' I own - not because it may increase its 'resale' value to me (or my kids when they inherit everything) but because then they are always ready to use, always in good, clean condition. I don't care about resale value because I don't intend to sell so if/when things do get the Patina of age, the little dings/dents etc that inevitably happen, it's not 'devastating' and becomes part of my history and story of that guitars life.
If you can't afford to 'drive' a Ferrari, you don't buy one - even if you can just about afford the asking price. You will be too scared to take it out on public roads in case it gets scratched or dinged, don't want to 'push' the car in case you wear the tyres out and can't afford a new set - you won't feel comfortable driving it around - always worrying about what 'could' happen and not just you making a costly mistake, but someone else hitting into you too. You can't 'relax' and drive it like you would your 'Ford' for example.
Its more about people buying beyond what they are 'comfortable' with. If you aren't comfortable playing a $4k guitar in case you lose $750 on it when you do come to sell, then maybe you should find something you are more comfortable playing. If, like me, you buy a guitar expecting to keep it 'forever' as a Core PRS is an 'heirloom' type product, meant to last you a lifetime with regular care/maintenance of course - then its 'resale' value is irrelevant, then you can look at what that 'instrument' is worth to you as a 'tool', as something to bring you 'joy' over many many years. If you play just an hour a day for 10yrs, you have paid about $1 for every hour of joy that' guitar has brought, all the memories too and if it's 'not' worth as much as another's because of scratches, dings etc, to me, my guitar has MORE value because of the 'years' of memories and 'pleasure' its given me. I 'lost' money on 'every' Core PRS guitar I own - not because of their condition as I would describe them as 'excellent-mint' with no major dings/dents etc just some 'patina' of age and use - but because I bought 'new' and now they have 'used' value which is lower than I paid. I don't 'care' about that because I don't 'intend' to sell and bought for 'life' and the 'enjoyment' I have had from playing offsets the 'initial' cost. I also only purchased when I was financially secure enough to let that amount go out of my bank without putting me in 'financial' difficulties - even if I had some emergency (replace my Fridge or pay for some unexpected repairs to something) so I was buying within my 'financial' means, not concerned about resale as I expected to 'buy for life', not for a few months or even a year or two. I still have all my cores and not sold a guitar for over 10yrs now.
Guitars have a LOT more value than buying 'Electronics' like a Gaming PC/Laptop, Large screen 4k HDR TV's etc as in 10yrs, they'll be 'worthless', yet my guitars could be worth 'more' due to inflation and the fact that the 'electronics' are not obsolete like the tech inside Computers, TV's etc so whilst I am not concerned about resale value, just by keeping my guitars looked after but still enjoyed may end up being lucrative over time too - although not something I considered at the time.
Anyway, point is if you can't afford to 'play' the guitar through 'fear' of damage and the repercussions (ie loss of resale value), then maybe you shouldn't be spending so much on your guitar - buy an SE or S2 - that's why these guitars 'exist' - not just to make more affordable versions so 'more' can buy a PRS, but so that 'Musicians' can play without the 'fear/stress' of playing something out of their financial comfort zone. Comfortable to 'play' doesn't just relate to the physical playability, but also the mental comfort, not being 'afraid' to play in case you can't afford to 'repair/replace' if it does get damaged.
