From the Reverb blurb, "It's as new {not being played}"
Seems a shame to buy a guitar and never play it. Guitars are meant to be played, cars are meant to be driven, and faces are meant to be rocked. I guess I am just incapable of understanding the collecting for the sake of collecting. I have a lot of guitars and they don't all get played all the time, but they are all in the rotation of getting played.
I completely disagree!!!!
Some guitars are never bought to be played and for numerous different reasons for that too. There are a LOT of collector guitars who buy them to preserve their history for example. Those that bought Gilmore guitars, Clapton guitars, Hendrix guitars etc are buying them to preserve their history and potentially for nothing more than showing them off in glass cases. Some may also put them in a vault for example as assets and to protect them from theft, UV damage etc. It would be sacrilege to play these guitars, restore or add more wear etc. Some do get played - for example Kirk Hammet plays Peter Green's Les Paul on stage every night but the vast majority of guitars owned by a significant musician are purchased but never played by the new owner or by anyone.
That's no different to some people who bought a classic car and keep the car in a museum or kept in a garage for purely financial reasons - they are an investment knowing that they will only increase in value. They certainly won't drive them as that adds mileage and decreases the value. Some buy cars that cannot be driven, at least not on public roads - collectors of Formula 1 cars or other racing cars that are not road legal. They buy them for museums and as an 'art feature' on a wall in some high-end car dealer - own a Ferrari F1 car and have that on a wall of their Ferrari dealership.
There are people who buy mundane things - like Matchbox cars, Star Wars figures or any number of 'toys' but are never taken out of their packaging because they are 'collectors' and certainly don't 'play' with them as they were made for. I had a friend who bought vinyl records - especially if they were 'special' (like shaped or picture discs for example) and never had a Record player - he collected them and wouldn't play them because that would devalue them.
Regardless of the reason, there is NOTHING wrong with buying cars, guitars or what ever it is you want to spend your money on. Its up to them as to why they purchased something and up to them how they wish to use (or not) those items. If they want to buy a PRS Dragon and lock it away in a vault as an asset, something that will increase in value as an unplayed guitar, in perfect condition, then that is their choice. If they want to hang it on the wall in a glass case with some UV protection so it doesn't fade, that's there choice. If they want to rock it every night on stage, again their choice. Its even their choice if they want to play tennis with it - however much that hurts to see as a guitarist and appreciator of the amazing craftsmanship of the instrument, its still their choice.
The point is that everyone has the right to do what they want with their guitars. Not everyone has the same appreciation of their car as others. They may use their car to get to work every day but some may not care what happens to their vehicle, drive it until it breaks down or rusts out, doesn't care if it gets dings, scratches etc - its just a tool to get from A to B whilst another may be far more conscientious, careful where and how they park, clean the car every weekend, protect the paintwork and repair any dings - and that's a couple of examples of people who use their car everyday which can also be how some guitarists are with their guitar - one who doesn't care about his tool, as long as it works whilst another may look after the tools of their trade, keep it in a case or gig-bag, wipe it down and clean it up after every gig, don't chuck it around on stage etc.
Then you have those that buy a really nice high-end car and only drive it on the weekend and only if the weather is conducive to taking it out. For the rest of the time its kept in a garage with a protective cover over it, on a trickle charge and with things under the tyres to stop any problems whilst its not being used. They already paid to have a protective film over it to stop any scratches, stone chips etc after polishing the body far more than the manufacturer could before putting the protective film over it. Then there is those that buy for keeping in a garage or museum that are never driven - even on the sunny Sundays.
There is an array of Car owners ranging from those that couldn't care less and its just a tool to get from A to B to the conscientious driver who cares for their tool, to the one that only drives if everything is 'right' to take the car out to those that never drive them at all and the same principal applies to people who buy guitars. Not all guitarists buy a guitar as just a tool and couldn't care less about it, just as long as it works to those that use it everyday but does regular cleaning and maintenance, to those that only play their 'special' guitar on special occasions to those that buy to be Art, to be a visitor attraction or locked away as an investment. In each case, its their choice!!!