Relic’d guitars are nothing new in the world of electric instruments, but they’re relatively unheard of when it comes to acoustics. Pre-War Guitars – the duo of Wes Lambe and Ben Maschal – hopes to change that. The pair of veteran luthiers are creating instruments that tap into the vintage sound and feel of Martins and Gibsons of the 1930s and ‘40s with hide glue, ultra-thin finishes and torrefied top woods. But they’re also adding scratches, dents and play wear to each of their new guitars (they offer a variety of distress levels based on a customer’s preference). On this week’s podcast, you can hear about how this company came together, how they’re constructing these instruments and why sometimes a little wear can result in a better sounding guitar.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Dying Breed Music. Check out their full inventory of vintage acoustic guitars via their Gbase page.