Had a friend of mine invite me out to his car to show me a guitar today. It was a really sweet looking partscaster. He flipped it over to reveal my name and a message written in permanent marker so I couldn't refuse the gift. It was very humbling to say the least. I don't do well at receiving gifts...never have. I am so grateful to have people in my life that love me and can see past my faults. God has done a great work in me and continues to change me through relationships with others. This is a big deal because I used to keep most everyone at a distance. Since I've started letting people in things are changing...
He doesn't remember the details of the build (he had someone build the body and assemble everything). He said it had 'high end' pickups and hardware. I played it all night tonight and the neck feels incredible. The bridge pickup sounds like a tele for sure but not quite as bright as my other tele. I don't know if it's the pickup and/or the wood...but I like it.
Please respond below with gifts you may have received in the past and how you felt accepting such a gift.
Also, if you recognize what wood the guitar and neck might be made of please comment as well.
Few more pics
That is a wonderful gift! Your friend's love and appreciation are obvious, I would be honored.
It looks to me like the back is black korina, and the top is bubinga, and the neck is some of the most beautifully figured birdseye maple I've ever seen.
Absolutely stunning, no mere partscaster there!
dave
Really really awesome and full of depth and meaning! Very cool!
What an amazing and meaningful gift. You must be an awesome friend.
My wife bought me a guitar as a wedding present that I still use all the time. It's been almost 19 years now and I think of her every time I pull it from its case. It's a pre-fender Guild JF-30 from the Westerly, Rhode Island factory. Jumbos aren't exactly in style right now but I love this guitar. I need to take some pictures of it and post them some time.
That is a lovely looking guitar. 8)
Awesome!
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Beautiful gift! I can't recognize wood type, but those wood pores are common for tropical trees. That is probably something exotic. North sphere trees have small pores..
EDIT: neck could be eyebird maple/ebony
Beautiful guitar and great story.
Wow! Thanks for sharing!
Josh
I feel like I should clarify here. I didn't do anything in my own power. I was 'in the right place at the right time' in this guys life. It was obviously a God thing. He and I both recognize that. I guess maybe that's why I'm struggling to accept the gift.
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Amazing!
wow, thats a great story!
you've obviously done the guy a huge favor by being yourself at a certain point in time. hes not trying to repay you for what you did at that point, but for your lifetime that put you in his path at the very moment of need. whether it was god or a random string of events it really doesnt matter and is a matter of personal interpretation. i dont think you should belittle the event or the outcome by refusing to accept such a sincere gift. the fact that its a guitar just means that he really put a lot of thought into it and you should acknowledge it for what it is and not for what you think your part in the process was. god and entropy work in mysterious ways so just do your bit and accept the guitar to finish the circle.
my two bits fwiw, anyways...
Thanks Muddyfox. I appreciate your take on it. That has been the bottom line for me in this....it would be selfish for me to decline the gift. It's not about me. It is obviously something this guy felt led to do. Who am I to deny him his obedience because it makes me uncomfortable.
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Enjoy the guitar now and maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to pass it along to someone who really needs it to continue the cycle.
Wow, that's a stunner guitar. I love those tuning keys. :o
I think this has converted me to gold hardware. Such a beautiful guitar!
2 things.
First, the guitar is beautiful. It reminds me very much of a guitar I used to own - an Ibanez Musician MC500. It was nicknamed the 'hippie sandwich' because of the layered wood - walnut/maple/walnut. That is the one guitar I regret selling, so I got a fond memory from looking at the side shot of your new guitar.
Now for the gift. Your philosophy is perfect ("it would be selfish for me to decline the gift"). My best friend Bill is a CPA and a keyboard player - hobbyist, not pro. He has done taxes for me for years - and for my parents, now for my daughter, and he has never accepted a cent. I few years ago I was selling my share of a business to my business partner and the negotiations were not fun. Bill advised me through the whole process which lasted several months. When the deal finally closed, my wife and I knew that Bill would not take any money from us. So we bought him a keyboard - a Hammond SK1 - and of course he couldn't refuse it. I know he has an old Hammond spinet in storage and hasn't played it since the late 70s. In one respect this was a little selfish on our behalf because we got so much joy from this act. By accepting this guitar you gave your friend a gift. I recommend that you make sure he has an opportunity to hear it in action.
Thanks bcalla. That was good to hear. I had another friend suggest that I play this guitar as much as possible. I think I will write/record a tune with it. And I think I will play it as often as I can (where it makes sense:)
Thanks for the support folks.
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Better to give than to receive!
Your friend gets the blessing of giving you something wonderful.
You wouldn't want to deprive him of that.
I have met Phil and can say he is a guide and mentor to more than a few people. His humility is beautiful and honest. The world will be a better place because you have this gift.
The cool thing about a gift freely given is that it doesn't require justification. Some of my favorite gifts in the past have been when the person wasn't expecting anything at all. That makes it more special and surprising.
I would bet that your friend felt really good doing this. Imagine if he had worked really hard to put it together, was excited to give it to you and you had declined. That guitar was built specifically for you and I don't think you should feel any guilt about it. It's cool to just enjoy it and appreciate the generosity of your friend.
Holy smokes man, that's a gorgeous axe.
Quote from: PhiloB on December 15, 2014, 03:53:25 PM
I didn't do anything in my own power. I was 'in the right place at the right time' in this guys life.
That's the God part :D
You were in exactly the right place and the right time, as designed. What a spectacular story and a guitar to match. Life is very humbling sometimes.
I had a similar experience when the worship leader I've been serving with for a good number of years now showed up at my house with a Hamer 25th Anniversary (looks like a semi hollow Les Paul). The guitar is like herding cats but just kills when I just let go and work it.
What a great thing Phil! I hope you use that axe for a lot of great music!
Jacob
It's a lovely guitar. Whatever you did to prompt the gift was clearly important to this guy. Sometime we spend so much time looking inwards and thinking about how we feel that we forget that the things we do and the way we are affects how other people feel. It's no good being in the right place at the right time and doing the wrong thing. You should indeed complete the circle and accept the gift in the spirit that was intended. You may feel uncomfortable but the gift is probably a way for him to repay a debt, or at least to make things more balanced. If fact the giving may feel uncomfortable for him, but not a uncomfortable as the imbalance.
Just play it.
Thanks for all the support. My intention now is to play the guitar and play it a lot:)
I sat down with a good friend last night and talked with him about it. He knows my history. He wasn't surprised that I was struggling with this. It was obvious to him that all this was related to how I grew up - all gifts came with rules and strings attached. It's funny that I'm 41 years old and some of the old lies and garbage from my childhood still taint how I currently see the world around me.
I greatly appreciate everyone's comments and support. This is a great forum. It was out of character for me to share something like this so publicly. I am glad I did.
You guys rock!!
And Charles, I appreciate your encouragement and I'm really glad our paths crossed.
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