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Mark shared in our WhatsApp group that he found a brand new guitar that was on-purpose smashed and chucked away. Which got us all outraged about the waste and ready to do something about it!

The retailer is not allowed to sell us the guitar without smashing it. So we're going to try and get the guitars after they're beat up and turn them into goods we can sell to fund buying second hand guitars.

The second hand guitars will then be restored and donated to township community centres where under-privileged kids can experience the joy of learning music.

But we don't have to buy the guitars. Some of you might have some lying around that you don't want anymore. Maybe it has a few parts missing or you just don't use it anymore.

So my question to you is:

Do you have any old guitars you'd like to donate to this project?

Just reply here and I'll get in touch with you to organise getting the guitar to someone who can start the refurbishing process.

Also, do you have any spare time or parts to donate to this project?

Ideally we'd be looking to restore acoustic guitars. So if you have experience fixing acoustic guitars or you have some parts for acoustic guitars lying around, please reply.

We're gonna keep it simple first. If we can get one guitar into the hands of one township child or community centre, we'll have started something amazing. From there, who knows how big this could get.

Thank you!

    I would beg the retailer to maybe limit destruction to , well, a few dings, a dent, or such? That example in the pic is salvageable if it was a real guitar. So maybe twist their arm(s) to think about what "destroyed" could imply (wink wink) and get some repairable instruments like that. Hey, they could remove the strings and tuners, knock a small hole in the back, right below the soundhole, and stash it all in the in-store trash can for you to retrieve. ? ? It is for a good cause.

    Me, I try to give away my old strings. One blik kitaar extra is a good thing. Here is a thought - a "Cash Crusaders" drive to "arm the population with music"?

      I'd start by identifying charitable groups destined to receive the instruments. This will help pitch the idea to people - especially retailers. It really does legitimize the undertaking by having a actual, known/reputable and on-going charitable cause identified as the end recipient. While I might sound cynical, this is a question I've seen asked many time to people cold-calling music stores for charitable purposes.

      I'd find one in each region that GT members are keen. At the moment it seems like the western cape and gauteng?

      I've a few bits that can go to a good cause (old straps, capo's, slides, books, soft bags). Can also get pretty cheap new and secondhand parts . And if someone's stuck on a setup/build I'm happy to help out - ala secondline support - I'm not one to drive the re-building process.

      One place we might be able to find a lot of donations is instruments with headstock breaks, bridge issues and/or missing bracing. Unless it's a gibson/martin/taylor, there's not a lot of value in repairing them. But once you have a jig going, the repair (or so I'm told ?) is fairly straightforward. If anyone in Cpt is interested, I reckon can arrange a 'training' session with someone who knows what they are doing (e.g. Not me)

      FInally, I wouldn't limit to only acoustics. There's many a weird and wonderful incomplete projects that someone will want to see be used by someone. Perhaps even do some funky builds like a broomstick bass, cheap n cheerful cajon's, etc... In time, sure we can find someone who can put together cheap n cheerful amps for the electric side of things too. (Headphone amps, or 1W transistor amps into a old car speaker).

        A bit of focus goes a loooong way. One guitar to one child / community centre is the goal. If we can coordinate that then we're onto something sustainable.

        In music-speak: Less notes. Less chords. Less effects.

        Let's get something done.

          I'd like to help fix guitars for a charity project.
          I'm pretty handy, and I see this as a great way to meet other like-minded people, and learn something about repairing / building guitars, while hopefully contributing to a worthwhile project at the same time.

          If someone is convening, keeping a list of names, or organising a get-together, I'd like to be there.

          I live in Claremont, Cape Town.

          Thanks @Bill-Rosenberg! You've replied in the perfect place for me to keep a list of everyone involved.

          Once we have our first "fixer-upper" I'll probably organise a WhatsApp group for "instant" chatting about the project. We can then update here weekly or thereabouts.

            I've already asked on our freecycle group aswell as on my personal fb for any old guitars that needs some tlc. I think a guitar talk logo would look really awesome on the headstock,but we'll need to make a stensil to paint the logo on and maybe a stensil that reads:Sponsored by guitar talk. Not for selling and paint it on so that if someone decides to take our gift and sell it,it won't have value?

            I have one unloved classical. Yamaha CM-40 I think. Will gladly donate it.

            NorioDS Pretoria East. Work in Faerie Glen. I am out of the country from tomorrow. The week after that I'm in CPT for work. So I will only be able to get it from storage after that.

            • V8 likes this.
              a month later

              NorioDS I've retrieved the guitar from storage. We can arrange delivery/collection.

              • V8 likes this.
              • V8 replied to this.

                  Hasie Hasie, you are the man, Beeeg up yourself!

                    14 days later

                    So we got our first guitar donation 2 weeks ago! And it's time (if not overdue) to get this show on the road.

                    I'm going to make a WhatsApp group JUST for coordinating the charity work. (Collecting guitars, building stuff from broken guitars, repairing guitars, delivering fixed/donated guitars to communities, etc.)

                    Who's in?

                    For the time being, it'll be Pretoria / Joburg focused until we get more momentum in other key areas. But anyone can join. Just don't get annoyed at us if it's all just Vaalie-stuff to begin with ?

                    Longer-term, I'll probably splinter off the charity groups so the CT guys can coordinate and so on.

                    WhatsApp me if you can start contributing now and want to join the group: o82 56 77 93o

                    (If you want to contribute once-off (like donating a guitar) but you don't want to join the group, that's fine too. Just tell me or leave the group once you've done your bit. Every bit helps.)

                      10 days later

                      Update on charity project:

                      Wifey is (right now) picking up the almost-new guitar donated by @Hasie! Thank you!

                      Next we're going to see where to donate it. Anyone keen to follow and also help us decide on where to donate... join the dedicated group here.

                      20 days later

                      Not much progress here. Got there guitar. Waiting for someone at Buskaid to reply to my email.

                      Anyone got some office-hours time to call them?

                      Also, huge thanks to @klaasvakie for donating his R100 winnings from the "Save the Forum" competition.

                      Current GuitarTalk Charity Bounty:

                      1. Yamaha Classical guitar in mint condition. Thanks to @Hasie
                      2. R100 donation from @klaasvakie. Hopefully will go towards buying another guitar to donate or towards parts in refurbishing a guitar given for donation.

                      I could do with a bit of help in the admin department of running this. Let me know if you have the time and you're keen. Mostly it would mean phoning people and organising pick-ups and dropoffs.

                      21 days later

                      @klaasvakie won the recent space challenge and once again is donating his winnings here!

                      Thanks @klaasvakie!

                      And in other news... I don't have any help with contacting the charities which makes me feel uncomfortable coz I'm holding onto the donations in the meanwhile. They're gathering dust when they could be getting some use.

                      So if anyone has a few minutes to spare a week to phone a charity (or 2), that would be EPIC! Thanks in advance ?

                      NorioDS So if anyone has a few minutes to spare a week to phone a charity (or 2), that would be EPIC! Thanks in advance ?

                      I can try calling them after 4 in the afternoon. I'm traveling for business again this week, so it may not be possible to do it this week.