So it's been a year now since I finished my mandolin. A couple of months ago, I leveled and crowned the frets. Yes they had a surprising amount of wear on them, and in my exuberance, I didn't get around to really polishing the frets to mirror like luster like I should have. Just played it.. I gave it a good look over and was surprised with how many little micro scratches I'd put on it. Nothing major at all and not enough to notice, but it got me wondering how I'd feel about the same general use wear if it had bee a new Ellis or Collings.
I'd be interested in your thoughts as you aged a brand new instrument over a few years or a decade. I see some exceedingly clean used high dollar mandolins and have to wonder just how much they ever got played. I have to laugh at myself when I noticed a nice little gouge in the ridge of the scroll.....until I remember I did it with my fingernail on my final sanding before the finish went on. I decided I'd do more harm trying to sand it out.
I tend to be drawn to instruments that show what's called honest wear. Never went from shiny new to five years with a mandolin.