One of the girls at work wanted to get her son an electric guitar. She came to me and I steered her to Rondo as she had a $100 budget. I told her I would make it play like a more expensive guitar. She got him a nice triple pickup Tele knockoff. I set the thing up, adjusted the truss rod, intonation and tuned it. The nut was a bit high so I tended to that. She was in the market for a practice amp as well. I had bought a Hughes and Kettner 15 watt amp on clearance to take to Florida with me a couple of years ago. I paid $50 and it origionally sold for $155. Chanel switching, spring reverb, master volume ... really nice and collecting dust in The Man Cave. I told her I only wanted what I paid for it. She also had an old Squire Strat someone had given her. I'm talking origional, made in Japan. It was rusted, had a neck ready to shoot arrows and a broken nut. I cleaned it up, dressed the frets, replaced the nut, adjusted the truss rod (had to take the neck off the body) shimmed the neck, replaced the bridge with one I had laying around (wammy bar and all) put new strings on it and it was playable. Only took money for the strings and nut. She has 2 sons and this was for the younger one. I think I have them both started on the right path.
Anyone with any similar stories to share?
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
nice TR. you know that old Japanese guitar probably has gone up in value. the old ones are popular.
I have had three guitar experiences. the first was on another guitar forum. I gave a young person that had a bad hand me down acoustic a guitar I found at a yard sale. I couldn't believe what i found riding myy bike one afternoon. a yard sale with an old (yellowed) acoustic leaning on a bush. it was a 1965 Epiphone acoustic. an F model. it was in perfect condition and I bought it for only 75 dollars. I brought it to work to use as a work break guitar, but found that the string spacing was a bit too close for my paws.
then I read on an acoustic guitar forum a person complaining about too wide of guitar necks. I contacted this person and long story short I sent the guitar free. there was a great need on the other end.
years later, same forum a young Australian lad was playing a really bad electric. I had replaced my backup guitar with a new Fender tele and didn't need the old LesPaul Special (Epiphone). I got a hold of the parents and we arranged to have the guitar sent over to him. I had wonderful help from other friends from the on line guitar site. in fact, an amplifier was sent over as well. again, a the need was apparent. it felt great to help. the kid was overwhelmed. in short order he had a band, played a small county fair, earned some money and has a nice strat now. he plays well and I hear from him every now and then. he still remains thankfuls those that sent him the gear.
lastly. my old friend, a single mom, finally sends her son off to college next week. I have been around him since he was a little peanut. all through his kid hood he would carry chop sticks around. he banged on everything. he acquired incredible timing and rhythm. in school he joined band and played drums. then the teacher gave him a bass. he gobbled that up and plays great bass. then the teacher made him play marimba. the wooden xylophone thing where you hold two thin mallets in each hand. this kid could play jazz on the marimba. amazing.
as he was growing up I was the default babysitter. he would hear me play guitar often.
a year ago he wanted to learn guitar. I showed him a few things; he looked at the on line lessons; I gave him yet another old electric of mine. he is still working at guitar. doesn't play as good as bass, but improves each week.
for graduation I got him a Godin electric. happy guy.
I really like turning kids on to guitar. wish I had dozens to hand out where the need is strong.
I really like turning kids on to guitar. wish I had dozens to hand out where the need is strong.
lol give ME a guitar :P
Well what I do is more for a personal gain, well was, now its not, whenever I stay at school I have a little group of people I give guitar classes to, like 3 ? they are all girls and they wanted to learn guitar, so I teach them :D, its awesome, I get to learn how to teach, they get to learn, and I can then proceed to talk to their friends ^^. ( the original personal gainwas to form a band, but Ive already got one :) ). Im not humanitarian of the year but its still cool to do something .
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
I remember that story a few years back, dogbite. It's really cool helping others out. TR, kudo for you saving that mom a good deal of green to get them on their way.
I've got two stories. One my my best friends was going through a REALLY tough time, so I "lent" him my Roland Cube 30X. I'll not ask for it back, and he gets the dignity of not having to take a handout. Things are much better with him these days too, but new job and new woman has him out of town way too much. <sniff sniff>
My other story is just a little 10w amp in the closet going to one of my son's friends. He had a short scale wannabe strat that I got playing decently with some setup type things, new strings, new cable, old learning to play guitar book I had gone through and the 10w amp went home with him. I just heard that his father got him a real amp for a birthday or something. That's nice. They were getting divorced and extra money during one of those periods is pretty slim from what I understand.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Great stories, you guys!!
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
I had a similar experience. One of my co-workers (another nurse) Got her son a Squier tele beginners pack. The poor kid couldn't tune it because the set-up was very poor. I got the thing into pretty good condition. All it really needed was the bridge lowered, some more relief on the neck(it was straight as an arrow) and intonation adjusted.It turned out to be a pretty nice guitar for $99 8) His mom sent me a message the next day that the the kid had been playing his guitar for almost 10 hours the day he got it back :D ten years old and working on some Bob Marley tunes :twisted: Mon that's a pretty hip youngster 8)
The kids dad is a paramedic. They have a weekly jam session at the fire house that the kid goes to 8)
A relative of a friend who lives in another city wanted to buy his first electric. He was playing an Spanish guitar for two months or so but he liked hard rock and metal and he wanted to play this kind of stuff. The guy seemed very motivated.
When I got my small tube amp, I didn't play the old solid-state Marshall very frequently. I told to my friend that I'd give the Marshall and so the guy can save some money or even buy a better guitar. We did it.
Second part. Some months later, somebody came to my city and call me. He brought me some book comics on behalf of the guy. He knew I like them because my friend told him. Obviously I did read them and when I see them now I always remember the history.
Hey Nuno ... arent all of the guitars over there "Spanish" guitars? :P :lol:
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
I've been eyeballing this thread, mostly to wait and give as much credit as I can to those who've posted, and say "well done" people! :D
And I'd like to share too, but not all incidences of giving or helping with guitars, just some of the most unusual perhaps.
It all started years ago when a Gospel Singing Girl asked me if I had a black Ovation Adamas in my collection, or if I could buy her one. I bought one for her, but my wife made me return it, same day. I got another new Ovation USA with travel case instead, and offered it to the girl, but with a choice of some of my other acoustics, which I thought were better.
She tried them and chose my first generation Takamine, also by Kaman, a dead ringer copy of a Martin D-18 which brought lawsuits at the time and was discontinued - but this one already existed since about 1970 - 71, and had a pickup in it, with jack, and a harshell case. She's put hundreds of thousands of miles on the guitar, from Texas to Alaska, Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island, and shared it with many people and made 10 CD's.
The most interesting thing, is that when she does concerts, from small to very large, people always, without fail come up to her after, and say "I really love your Martin!" :lol: She lets them play the Takamine and talks to them about her experiences and faith, etc.
This is that guitar right here. It's her only one and looks as if it will last forever, nearly 40 years and still going very strong, like a rock. http://joanie.ca/index.php
Then after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I immediately realized that there would be a need for musical instruments in the aftermath. I set up a search for some of the most needy, or toubled musicians having losses, and sent down a Strat to a guy - don't know what he is doing now, bought a fiddle for another girl who requested, after her home was cut in half by a tree in Mandeville, LA. She has been coming all the way North to our border at the Bayou Boogie in Grande Portage MN., right up to this year, and this weekend to be exact. She didn't show for the first time in 5 years - so maybe she's in College or doing New Orleans' own Music Festival this weekend, Labor Day.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=272787729
And I sent my personal favorite, supposed-to-be-a-keeper 1992 Charvel Acoustic/electric to a muscial blues bro in Lafayette, or Breaux Bridge, after a few more storms in that area. Giving and receiving at the same time, it's when I got my current Garrison acoustic/electric (lovely) from my daughter, which replaced it. 8)
Generally, I've just tried to pay guitarists' rents, mortgages, help them with stuff and feed their kids, since family is always of prime importance to me. It has had dividends and made me some friends, and been great to see their childrens' progress in later years, as grown adults.
So, I send or lend, many stories there too, and the setups and service are always free or reasonable, to cover costs or simply donate the time and parts if necessary, to keep a good thing going. :wink:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Hey Nuno ... arent all of the guitars over there "Spanish" guitars? :P :lol:
LOL! It's good TR! :lol:
