What is New Joy Guitars?

UPDATE:  October 2024

New Joy Guitars just donated our 11th guitar since 2020!

And, the 11th guitar has been donated to a new recipient:  Cascadia Health Care, Portland, Oregon.

New Joy Guitars is a Giving Project I started December, 2020.  I've enjoyed building and giving these guitars.

Basically:

• If you know someone or some group that would be a grateful recipient of donated instruments, please email me.

• Do you know someone who would really enjoy a new instrument?

• Are you interested in a new instrument?

• Are you interested in purchasing and donating a guitar?

• Do you have an instrument you would like to donate? 

I don't have all this figured out yet, but the simple conclusion is that I am going to build and donate guitars.

Help me figure out where and how to get them to good hands.

LONG VERSION:

NJG really started because of a Ukulele.  Some California friends were talking about their ukes and how much they really enjoyed them.  They shared some pictures and I was actually blown away by the quality of the instruments, cases, and general aesthetics.  I thought, 'Wow, I don't have a ukulele, how much are they?'  

So I went to the Oracle to see what it said, and what first came up was these DIY build a ukulele kits.  Hmmm.  

I continued looking and I really didn't want to spend too much on an instrument I wasn't at all familiar, but  I'm a fan of 'affordable' things.  

A DIY build a ukulele kit found it's way to me and I began working on it.  (details on The Uke page)

I really enjoyed building the uke.  I could've whipped it together in probably an hour, paint it something stupid, and probably end up smashing it.  That didn't happen.  

The goal was to make a decent looking ukulele that played and sounded as good as I could make it without breaking the bank.  I ended up taking my time, watching videos, and researching the instrument.  I applied myself to begin learning more about wood working, wood finishing, and guitar basics.  

The Uke turned out pretty cool.  I really dug working on it and figured I'd check out the oracle and see what else was out there.  I again happened upon DIY guitar builds....

I ordered a DIY Telecaster type guitar build kit and got to work.  I am just in the beginning phases of the build and it is coming along nicely.  

But as I've been working on it, I thought, this is going to be a really nice, cool instrument, but I probably won't play it that often.  I have an arsenal of guitars and I want this guitar to get played, not become a piece of art or trash or both.  So I've decided I am going to give this first guitar away.

This brought me to the fact that I still like building them and what I am going to do with a collection of new guitars if I just keep building them?  

*** Let me stop right here and say, no one has too many guitars.  Of course I know that.  ***

I thought wow, maybe building and giving away these guitars could turn into something else.  What?  I don't even know yet, but a few thoughts I'm kicking around:

• Just giving them away.  

• Building them on commission and all proceeds go to charity of their choice.  

• Donating them to schools, etc. that might need new instruments.

• Auctioning them off and all proceeds to charity.

Then I thought, I can't be the only one who enjoys building these things.  And it looks like there are a number of people building these and selling them finished online.  OK, that's cool and I'm behind that, but what about a non-profit way of getting these instruments to someone who might want or need one without the resources?

So, that's where we are today, December 18, 2020.  

I encourage anyone who wants to participate, has an idea about the concept, or just wants more information to email me directly at newjoyguitars@gmail.com 

New Joy Guitars.  New Joy for a new hobby.  New Joy for a new axe for someone.  New Joy for an opportunity to take this somewhere.

Rock On.  Patrick