When Dave had the stroke he lost the use of his right arm and realizing he would never play his guitar again was the most difficult adjustment he went through with his illness. He decided to give his guitars away. He gave his jazz guitar to his younger brother, the $125 Yamaha he bought in Connecticut before we were married so he wouldn't travel back and forth with his better guitar to baby Sam (not yet 3 years old) and his Gibson to his older brother Dennis.
When Dave went into the nursing home and Sam and I moved to the tiny apartment we had near his school, I had no storage space for the guitar, so we stored it at Dave's dad's house. It was lost when the house was robbed.
Dennis died 18 months ago, a few days before Dave's yarzheit. It took me until this past summer to even remember the Gibson, and ask for it.
I always knew we should have that excellent guitar of Dave's for Sam. And even all the time that Sam was explaining to me that he had no interest in it at all, I told him that he needed to claim it and I would hold it until he was ready for it.
Well, when we got to my sister-in-law's, I assured him it was the right guitar. He took it out of the case and we quickly determined that it was out of tune. Since it had not been played for at least 2 years, it would be nigh impossible to tune it at this point, as the strings stretch and can not usually be tightened correctly. Certainly not by a novice.
She had already relaxed her requirement that he must play for her, so he was not worried at his lack of ability. But he held it and tinkled with the strings and put his head against it. I told him his dad used to do that often. Funny how mannerisms can be repeated like that. Or do all guitar players do that?
When we got home he headed out to see friends (teenager normal behavior...I'm home with my parents I must leave). What I had not noticed was that he had taken the guitar with him.
He texted me about an hour later. He had gone over to the friend who taught him a few chords on Thursday and that kid and his dad got it tuned and then played it a bit. The dad was able to find the ID # on it and using that, got on Gibson's website and they determined it was made in 1964 and cost $600. We do not know how Dave acquired it, but my s-i-l said he had it by 1969 when she and Dennis married, because he played at the wedding.
Anyway, the dad declared it the best sounding guitar he had ever played and typically, now that someone other than a parent has assured him of its worth, he is excited to have it and will return there regularly for lessons.
I know the pleasure it gave Dave and also me.....and it sure would be sweet if Sam finds similar joy.
