Gifted Guitars

11/09/2026

So ... when I give away Gifted Guitars to young kids who are on the fast/fun part of the learning curve, I always hope that they get to this level of play - and, I'm excited to say, I have a few of "my kids" who really can rip it.

I'll add to this that this kid looks like I did when I was 12 - although I was a bass player back then versus a guitarist (and still didn't play at that level!).

If you have a budding rock star in your family who doesn't have a guitar at home to practice with - well that's why we exist! Visit our "apply for a guitar" page on our website to apply!

https://www.giftedguitars.org/apply-contact

11/07/2026

Hey all, this is Xavier! Xavier is early on his guitar journey but he is a member of his high school’s guitar club and is learning quickly! We hooked him up with this cool kit-built PRS SE type guitar that’s a gorgeous spalted maple top and natural finish. We paired it up with a genuine Marshall amp. Plays like a dream! He was over the moon to get his first axe!

Xavier’s guitar was custom made by a guitar donor! Whether a custom made guitar or a commercially built one, our job is to make kids’ guitar dreams come true, but that doesn’t happen without your support. To donate to Gifted Guitars (we are a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation) just visit our website and hit the Donate Now button. There are forms for both financial and gear donations.

To apply for a Gifted Guitar, use the application form also on the site. A reminder, our target profile is aspirational young musicians ages 8-18 whose family circumstances make affording a guitar outside of the family budget.

Xavier, rock on my friend! We were so happy to provide this opportunity!

And the Gifted Guitar score is now 145 program to date and 55 this year! More to come!

11/03/2026

It was a Triple Play weekend for Gifted Guitars! Ryan (14) and Skyler (12) both got their guitar dreams answered with electrics while Joy celebrated her 11th birthday with a nylon strung classical Acoustic! Ryan is a member of his guitar club at school while Skyler is in guitar class at her school. Joy is just beginning her journey but has already been learning piano so she is very musically inclined. For those keeping score (like us!) that brings the numbers to 144 to date, 54 for the year!

Again a thousand thanks to the donors that made these axes available (and a shout out to Rick Harvey for providing that gorgeous Epiphone Les Paul that Skyler got!), the financial donors that fund the strings, cases, stands, amps and all the bits that make this possible.

If you would like to support Gifted Guitars with gear or financially, click here: https://www.giftedguitars.org/donate-page

To apply for a Gifted Guitar for a child in your life, click here: https://www.giftedguitars.org/apply-contact

Many congrats to these great kids and their wonderful families!

10/24/2026

Hey everyone, meet Kenan, the happy recipient of guitar #142, this sweet sounding Yamaha classical acoustic! It’s also the. 52nd guitar of 2026! Kenan’s mom, Layla, reached out to us after seeing one of our social posts, and the fun part is she was the first recipient to apply using the new application form on our new website, https://GiftedGuitars.org!

As you know we run on your donations, whether guitars or financial contributions - your support is how this happens. And now there’s our new website that is Ecommerce enabled for financial donations, as well as gear donations. Just hit the Donate Now button right on the home page!

Kenan, we know you’re going to do amazing with your own guitar! Congratulations on your very special New Guitar Day!

10/23/2026

Hey all the Gifted Guitars charity fundraising auction, where we are auctioning off this gorgeous custom built art guitar (although she’s a player not just a looker!) is moving! Bid is now at $700! Please note that your purchase of this is tax deductible as we are a 501(c)(3) recognized non-profit! Bid with confidence through our auction platform! Bidding ends on 10/31!

The guitar was handbuilt in the Gifted Guitars workshop, the art is by Buffalo Grove artist Thomas Maloney, and it is protected by a strong, UV resistant automotive urethane clearcoat finish. The guitar comes with a hard shell case too!

Bid now!

This fundraiser helps Gifted Guitars give the gift of music to kids in the form of free guitars.

10/20/2026

Very pleased to introduce everyone to the new website for Gifted Guitars! While we will continue to conduct our marketing via Facebook as it has served us well, we have been advised that as we are seeking grants and other funding that it would be beneficial to our cause to have an official website. Well ... here it is! It's a little rudimentary in terms of design, but it has an ecommerce donation page (just in case your wallet is within reach ...), has a guitar application page and a guitar donation form as well!

More fun to come!

Gifted Guitars provides free guitars and essential guitar gear to children ages 8–18 whose families find the cost of an instrument beyond their budget.

10/11/2026

Every guitar gifting is special, but there are some that are extra special. Meet Emma and her Dad, Mitch. Mitch reached out to me to request a guitar for 14 year old Emma. Emma has been taking guitar lessons for a year and a half and was in need of a better suited guitar for what she was learning. When they arrived for the gifting today, I immediately noticed that Mitch was wearing an Iraq Combat Veteran hat. We have a special place in our hearts for vets. It was a surprise for Emma that she was getting a guitar today, so when I told her what was happening, her face lit up with a million watt smile! We were excited to give her this beautiful Ibanez acoustic-electric which was donated by Tim Gackle. In conversation with Mitch, I learned he was injured in action in Iraq. So not only were we able to give Emma a gorgeous guitar but we were able to honor a Purple Heart Veteran. Like I said, special!

Tim, thanks for the donation that made this possible!

If you or anyone you know has an unused guitar of any kind, amp, etc. please let them know about Gifted Guitars! And please if you’d like to support us financially, just hit this link! https://gofund.me/117c5e2fd

To apply for a Gifted Guitar, please check out our sticky post and follow the instructions there. Our mission is to help kids ages 8-18 whose families can’t fit a guitar into the budget, achieve their musical dreams by giving them a beautiful refurbished used guitar!

An additional bonus to this story, is that Emma’s older sister also plays and has been teaching herself. We hooked her up with some guitar music books donated by Gail Wright.

Mitch, a million thanks for your service and sacrifice for our country. Thank you for sharing your daughters with us. We were honored to provide a guitar for you!

10/08/2026

Announcing the Gifted Guitars charity "art guitar" auction! We are holding this fundraiser to provide operating capital for Gifted Guitars Foundation NFP. As a 501(c)(3) recognized charity, your support is tax deductible.

The guitar offered for auction is a custom-built guitar from Gifted Guitars owner Stew Campbell's custom guitar shop. It features a mahogany body, great for tone and sustain, and a hard rock maple neck which offers fast play and tuning stability. The remainder of the guitar hardware and electronics are all custom selected from upgrade parts providers. This guitar is a player along with being a looker!

The "comic book" style artwork on this guitar was created by Buffalo Grove-based artist Thomas Maloney - he offered his commission as pro-bono to help Gifted Guitars. The artwork was done in acrylic art markers, then sealed with an acrylic sealer. Over that, we applied more than 6 coats of automotive clearcoat to ensure the artwork will never peel and is well protected.

This guitar will be a great addition to any music or art appreciation fan looking for something truly unique for your collection.

Bidding starts at $500 and is done at this link:

This fundraiser helps Gifted Guitars give the gift of music to kids in the form of free guitars.

10/06/2026

Awww some love from Round Lake HS for the event yesterday! So happy we can help these kids with their musical dreams!

10/06/2026

Had the wonderful pleasure yesterday afternoon of joining the Round Lake High School Guitar Club for a fun musical session and some Guitar Gifting! I was invited to join the “teacher band” called the “Off The Clock” band as a guest guitarist. Then we took a few minutes for Q&A about Gifted Guitars, and that led into giving some great kids their own guitars!

The picture tells the story! From left are Jared, Josslyn, George, Mateo and Melany! There was one more who wasn’t able to be there. For those keeping score, that takes us to 49 guitars so far in 2026, and 139 program to date! Crazy!

We were recently asked what we thought the value of what we have given away is. Using a round figure of $200 per kid receiving a guitar, we have given away nearly $28,000 of values now!

Many thanks to Mr. Catalan and Round Lake High School for the opportunity to help these kids out!