There is definitely some consumerist snobbery at work, I think - a sign of our times. Most of the really good guitarists that I know don't make much of their instruments - they just play them, and most of them are well worn (er, the guitars, I mean... but most of the guitarists I know, too, at this point). Then there's the 'everything old is new again' thing, mainly because guitars have been around long enough for there to be a history, creating nostalgia, rarity, etc. which always excites longing. And all hobbies/pursuits have their element of fetishism about the tools used in the trade. It's like the renaissance of hand-tools for hobbyist woodworkers. Things once relegated to the flea market junk boxes are now treasures to be polished and restored (if not actually used), and if the original can't be found, there is someone making a gorgeous/fancy hand-made version for hundreds or thousands of dollars. As for the fret markers, that may just be preference and custom. I have a Tacoma that I love, but my model was made with no markers at the 3rd and 7th fret, so I eventually added them myself - sacrilege perhaps, to a collector or aficionado of Tacoma's...