There are some really excellent observations posted here. I've always viewed guitar owners as either players or collectors. Some are actually both, like Tom. And I heartily agree with ballcorner's observation about those who stick otherwise excellent guitars behind glass. My favorite story is when my band was auditioning guitar players back in the 90s. A guy came over with a vintage D-45 which he was very proud of. Not a mark on it. He told us he kept it in a glass case and rarely took it out. In other words, he was showing off, thinking that would somehow win us over. He played it for a bit and looked up at us, smiling. The guitar sounded absolutely lifeless. I picked up my no-collector value '71 D-28 that I played all the time and did a tune for him. And his jaw dropped. He said, "How come that guitar sounds so much better than mine?" Because it gets PLAYED!
And that brings a different pair of owners - players and polishers. Players don't sweat little dings, flaws or marks. They spend their time playing that guitar and bringing the tone out of it. Polishers want that guitar gleaming and shiny. They spend more time fussing over their guitar than they do playing it. And usually that is because they can't play it to begin with. About all they can do is afford it.
But as for the finish issue, I tend not to be in favor of refins unless there has been really significant damage to it. Finish cracks and crazing don't bother me. I don't like it when a guitar that should look old looks all shiny and unused. The exception would be, of course, a severely abused or damaged instrument. In those cases, there isn't much choice. But in those cases, I view it as a restore.
