I had an old (1964) Epiphone Texan for many years. Eventually, I got it refretted, played it back in - and it still sounded dull. In the end, I sold it, because the wood had just died and there was no brightness to it.

I bought a Larrivée OM guitar last year - and the booklet that comes with it states that it should last, with care, 100 years. Guitars - unlike violins, can die, whereas violins will last a very long time and their tonal qualities will often improve.

I bought a violin at Christmas, made in 1925 and rarely played - certainly not for the last 40 years or so. Since I've been playing it every day, the instrument is starting to sing, and I can now hear the vibrations in certain notes going all the way down my arm and down into my socks!