I consider instruments to be an extention of my personality and a tool I use to ply my craft and express my feelings through.
People sometimes do what a lot of people would consider foolish in pesonalizing their guitars such as adding stickers or accessories. If that's what works in making someone happy with their instrument so be it. After all there would be no signature series guitars if everyone left their guitars stock
I can appreciate the work and craftmanship that goes into making a guitar but I don't consider it sacrilegious to personalize or modify them to suit oneself.
Why has everyone become so obessed about collectability and originality of guitars lately? Purely nostolgic or purley for investment sake?
Back in the day not a thought was ever given to preserving the originality. Matter of fact it was quite the opposite with "what can I do to make this better."
Heck this guy named John Lennon painted a '58 Ric and stripped a '65 Casino!! Did he think he was bigger than Jesus or something? ;-^
As a relative newcomer here and to the world of owning (but not admiring) Rickenbackers, maybe I can distill some of my thoughts on reading this thread.
Firstly, I currently own two Ricks; an all-original 1977 White on White on White 4001 and a hacked up 1985 Red on Black 4003. I've posted photos of these before and the red on black one was the "fireglow" "Rickenbaker" here in San Diego I bought a few weeks ago.
I don't think I'd ever re-fin the '77 even though it's faded nicely into snot-glo, has a few extra holes in it and there are sweat stains on the neck. To me, it shows it has a history of being played and I want to add to that history. And it has a sentimental value to me far above any true "worth" just as it is. That said, I did get it refretted after I bought it because it does need to be playable and the condition of the frets made it nearly impossible to play.
The 4003, though, is a totally different story. It was hacked up probably relatively early in it's life, with the pickups replaced, the pickguard cut in half and various other mods. I bought it strictly as a restore project to give me a daily/nightly player that has no sentimental value to me. I'm putting a toaster in the front and replacing the standard chrome surround with a Pickguardian plastic one. I fully intend to refin this in either a Jet-Glo-like or more likely a blackburst finish.
I have no qualms about this one because I don't sell instruments (at least I haven't had to so far) and because it means "nothing" to me except as a great playing instrument made by my favorite electric guitar company.
I was looking at that horribly refinished 1960 Capri on Ebay and thinking about how nice it would be to get that one and bring it back to life as a fireglo or autumn glo (as Paul suggested). For me, the cost of resurrection is incidental to the satisfaction of bringing back an instrument that was clearly left for dead a long time ago.
So, for me, personally, the refin or not refin question's answer is, "Ehhhh, depends." Brilliant, I know.
I am tracking that '60, too. It is a worthwhile project, and depending on price...
Your points get no argument from me, but I think as the discussion develops on this topic, the ideas which we present on when to restore and when to leave the snot on, will become clearer, especially with regard to Rickenbacker instruments.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
I gotta say that I can relate to and respect everybody's opinion in this matter-"you are right from your side, I am right from mine." I can see all sides of the fence on this matter and can completely understand why somebody would want to refinish, refurbish, restore, recreate, redo, or revive a guitar. My take on it though is similar to Jamie's. I don't really consider an instrument to be an extension of my personality per se, but when I look at the dings and nicks, I (usually) remember fondly how they got there. To me, it's like looking at the big scar on my belly and remembering the night I was dropped on a car door by a drunken friend or looking at the scar on my (increasingly big) forehead and remembering when I was whacked over the head by a lacrosse stick for a dozen stitches. I suppose it'd be a different matter if I was trading and/or moving instruments with regularity but I get attached to them and they bring back a lot of my own personal history for me. Sometimes I look at particular knicks in a ****** off way ("how could I let that happen??!!") but after time has passed, I usually end up chuckling and reminiscing. And that usually, makes me more intimate with the instrument.
