Re: Antiqued/distressed instruments?
Originally Posted by
journeybear
Is it requisite for the owner of such an instrument to present a distressed appearance in toto? That is, would one also have to wear distressed jeans with the proper amount of fading and tearing, as well as a flannel shirt with various worn-through areas, over a T-shirt bearing several tears, holes, and faded areas? Could there be an alternative approach that would involve wearing suitably worn-in overalls? Would a sun-bleached baseball cap be a necessary accessory, or perhaps a rumpled cowboy hat with a proper dappled appearance? Would one's sneakers also have to be splotchy and worn down - or is this where an exemption would be allowed to permit wearing a $1200 pair of Air Jordans? Asking for a friend.
You may soon see my clothes listed at inflated prices in the ads under "Mandolin Accessories." I remember distressing going on in the furniture business when there was a rise in the popularity of antiques in the 70's. First, it was a con. An antique dealer would put a few nail marks and gouges in a relatively new piece, then bury it in earth for a couple of months before selling it as an antique. After that, furniture manufacturers started distressing items without being dishonest about it, and there was not only a market, but a high-priced market, for distressed furniture. In the 70's, there were pre-frayed bellbottoms and in the 80's, pre-ripped jeans. I never saw the point. With my musical tastes -- ragtime, 20's and 30's blues and such, I figure I play distressed music (or perhaps it's just distressing).
Last edited by Ranald; May-11-2021 at 7:28pm.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
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