They appeal to people the same way Rat-Rods do. Not everybody wants a shiny new guitar. It fits some people's style great. All personal preference! @Funky, I'm in process of doing audio demos of all the guitars right now.
Cheers,
Curious if any other Luthiers are on here? Would love to see some of what you guys have built.
I've started a company called Burn-Werks Guitars. Where I do extreme distress jobs on guitars, but keep their full play-ability. Feel free to add us on FaceBook if you like :)...