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Opinions regarding distributing "donor" basses

#23
buldog5151bass said:
Contact the music teachers at your local schools.
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buldog5151bass said:
Contact the music teachers at your local schools.
Click to expand...
buldog5151bass said:
Contact the music teachers at your local schools.
Click to expand...
This may be the best first option. I could speak with the director of my local community band, who should know the schools' needs. Or even my band colleagues, many of whom are current or former school band directors. This would keep things local, which I prefer to support before outsourcing, and it would certainly make distribution of the swag easier.
 
#24
GretschWretch said:
As I continue with my "great declutter" I am finding more than a few basses -- and a couple of guitars -- that would bring in so little sale value that they aren't even worth the trouble of putting on the market. The reward would be reclaiming the space they are taking. My original plan was to do like other TBers have done and just give a bass to some poor kid they had heard about who really wants a bass but whose parents can't afford one. But in my thinly populated area, a dozen needy kids may be a long time coming. I possibly could drop a fretted and fretless off at the local Boys and Girls club and maybe another pair with the local community concert band. But that's only four basses out of hrair.

But recently I discovered, and only about three miles from my door, a very full service local community benevolence center that will take just about anything except electronics. They have a sales area (that even has 33 1/3 rpm lps) and their own warehouse with volunteers who sort the donations into keep and toss. My instruments would be keepers that could go right into the sales area.

But then they would be for sale, not freebies, so the poor kid's family would have to pay something to get them. But if I wait for word of mouth several of these instruments could become part of my estate, which is about the last thing I want. I want them gone.

So I am asking advice from TBers who have come to this fork in the road themselves on how they would handle the situation. What are the options they followed and the decisions they made?
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Songbirds Foundation, they're up in Chattanooga.

Pre covid, they had a museum and two live music venues with the profits from the music venues supporting the museum and the foundation part that is a 501C. Then covid hit, everything shut down, and it look like the end for them. But they came back and are as strong as ever. Joe Bonamassa is a big supporter of them too.

Here's a photo album here on TB that I made from the museum part the last weekend that they were open back in 2020.

My understanding is that the museum part is more of an interactive thing for students now. And of course the foundation part of it all works to put instruments in kids' hands.

This will probably be the place my gear ends up when I'm no longer able to play.
 
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#26
Clark W said:
Songbirds Foundation, they're up in Chattanooga.

Pre covid, they had a museum and two live music venues with the profits from the music venues supporting the museum and the foundation part that is a 501C. Then covid hit, everything shut down, and it look like the end for them. But they came back and are as strong as ever. Joe Bonamassa is a big supporter of them too.

Here's a photo album here on TB that I made from the museum part the last weekend that they were open back in 2020.

My understanding is that the museum part is more of an interactive thing for students now. And of course the foundation part of it all works to put instruments in kids' hands.

This will probably be the place my gear ends up when I'm no longer able to play.
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Turns out there is a guitars4vets chapter in Birmingham, AL, about 90 miles from me. And Chattanooga is about 90 miles the other way -- both easy drives from home. These probably will be options two and three after my local schools. Thanks folks!
 
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#27
GretschWretch said:
This may be the best first option. I could speak with the director of my local community band, who should know the schools' needs. Or even my band colleagues, many of whom are current or former school band directors. This would keep things local, which I prefer to support before outsourcing, and it would certainly make distribution of the swag easier.
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Even if the school doesn't have a need, they are most likely to know of any individual students.
 
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#28
Matt Liebenau said:
Vets meaning military veterans. Sorry for any confusion.
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there is an amazing old SNL sketch written by Albert Brooks called Black Vet about a veteran who is also a veterinarian.

***

for OP I recall Gryphon Strings was involved where their repair dept would refurb old instruments for this program, maybe worth a look

heroesvoices.org

Heroes' Voices

Touching the lives of veterans with the gift of music.
heroesvoices.org heroesvoices.org
 
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#29
wompwomp said:
there is an amazing old SNL sketch written by Albert Brooks called Black Vet about a veteran who is also a veterinarian.

***

for OP I recall Gryphon Strings was involved where their repair dept would refurb old instruments for this program, maybe worth a look

heroesvoices.org

Heroes' Voices

Touching the lives of veterans with the gift of music.
heroesvoices.org heroesvoices.org
Click to expand...


Vet squared? :smug:
 
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#30
I substitute teach as a retirement project... I've taught music class in our local middle school and the instruments provided are pretty rough, think 25 classical guitars that get used three times a week by different classes (in our school system they are all Yamaha's so at least they are basically bullet proof, but they are used hard). Definitely reach out to your local middle and high school teachers... they can probably give you some guidance and the donation might be tax deductible.

Good luck
 
#31
GretschWretch said:
My original plan was to do like other TBers have done and just give a bass to some poor kid they had heard about who really wants a bass but whose parents can't afford one.
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I have been looking to do the same. There are a few instrument donation places near me for students but they do not take guitars or basses.
I will definitely be looking into the vet site, thank you.

All the best with your purge GW, I have found not only instruments of all kinds seem to find their way to my house but piles of historic collections of all kinds!
 
#32
Wannabass said:
All the best with your purge GW, I have found not only instruments of all kinds seem to find their way to my house but piles of historic collections of all kinds!
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In a recent reshuffle of everything I moved anything that was not a wall-hanger to a new location. I opened all the cases to be sure I had the contents labeled right. Imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered a brand new ABG in a brand new case that I had absolutely no memory of buying.
 
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#33
Don't over-think it. You want to declutter, so donate them to the community benevolence center and the funds raised will go to a good cause, someone that wants the bass will get one at a good price and you'll have less to declutter. In the day of $79 Glarry basses on Amazon, the poor kid that can't afford an instrument is becoming harder to find.

I rehabbed a Koa Peavey Dyna bass. Put really good pickups and preamp in it and donated it to a local church for their youth program. In reality, it's probably sitting in a closet collecting dust or someone took it home and forgot about it. But, I did my part.
 
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#34
GretschWretch said:
Turns out there is a guitars4vets chapter in Birmingham, AL, about 90 miles from me. And Chattanooga is about 90 miles the other way -- both easy drives from home. These probably will be options two and three after my local schools. Thanks folks!
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If... between Songbirds, the guitar4vets, and your local school system you still end up with stuff to get rid of, I have a friend who is a music director in the Montevallo school system about 35 miles south of Birmingham. I can hit him up, he'll know of someone in need. But I think you got it covered pretty good.
 

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