Old Dino guitar tech has a big heart!

[Annastefka]

I wanted to share this story because it warmed my heart for Christmas. We have a young friend of the family who is 14....he is very good with the guitar is learning to copy songs and writing his own (his Father is a good musician but he doesn't get much time to be with his Father/because of divorce/separated by many states and a terrible animosity that still lingers between Mother and Father over money (how sad)) I told him about the Fender giveaway and he registered. He then told me has has not been able to play his one and only electric guitar because it has a problem....it goes "in and out" he told me, it could be a problem with the jack or perhaps the pick-up...he's not sure. He made a few calls around town and everyone wants about $75 bucks to look at it. Because his Mom is a single parent..(and doesn't get child support except for every blue moon or so)..she told him he would have to wait a while until they could afford to take it to be repaired and there is no money for a new guitar. Because this guy has grown up without a Daddy around...I realized that he had not even had the thought that he might be able to trouble shoot the problem on his own. I asked my husband if he could help....he doesn't know anything about electric guitars necessarily but he does know about electric things wiring and such. He told me....unscrew the damn thing and take a look at it....the problem will probably be obvious...here is a soldering iron and he put it into my hand. The Dude still has trouble understanding that I don't have the same mind that he does when it comes to repairing things...he says it's because I don't try.
Then he said one of his best J Mascis jokes yet: He said...If damn J Mascis was here, right here in this house and suddenly he broke down...you would be running for the screwdriver, plugging in the soldering iron and going on line to look at tutorials....reading the damn manual or something. You think guys are just born knowing how to fix things?
I explained to him...Juan you had a Dad that you got to see "fix" things when you were young....My Dad never "fixed" anything with us...he had only daughters. This guy doesn't have a Dad in the house and hasn't for years.
He also told me he has no time until after the new year to add anything like guitar repair to his list of things to do. So I got in touch with our Freakscene Sweeney and told him, I'm going to help the kid take the guitar apart, here at my house and if the problem is not apparent could he offer some suggestions to us. He told me...Nah, just bring it to me and I'll look at it and see if we can fix it together. I then called the young guy and told him what Sweeney had told me and he actually got a little lump in his throat from emotion. The economy is sort of down and everyone in town is so busy during the holidays...not one man I know had the time right now to be a Dad for a day for this kid very cool and smart and musically talented kid...except Sweeney....Bless his heart...I'm calling it his "Christmas Heart"

[Jon23]

Awesome...

[Obseqio]

Way to go Sweeney!

Sheesh, I play guitar, but I don't think I could open up a guitar and feel like I could really 'fix' the thing with a soldering kit and I'm pretty mechanical just not so 'electrical.'

[weezerfreak942]

its easier than it sounds.

[tonas]

Sweeneys the man! Thanks for the story Stefka, thats what Christmas is all about.