I know what you're talking about. I encounter people who seem to feel that their instrument is a piece of fine woodworking, rather than a device for producing sound. From the way they act, you'd think it was a museum piece by Chippendale or Sheraton.

For example, I have talked to owners of fretted dulcimers who can't play a single song, yet they were aghast at the idea of putting anything (label or sticker) on the neck to help them get started.

The first thing to do is to get away from those people.

The second thing to do is to realize that the guitar is not going to last forever. Whether perfect or imperfect in appearance, it is going to deteriorate. So what if you accidentally speed up the process some?

Finally, why are you a klutz? Are people making you hustle too much? Are you not getting enough sleep? Do you have too many things on your mind at one time? Do you need better vision correction? Ask yourself what's the deal with that.