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Saddest thing I've heard this week.

Do order a new neck. Salvage this; its yours.

That the relationship with your previous friend cannot be salvaged...well, been there. There's only so much you can do if they push away every attempt at help and hope.

Skiprr wrote:Saddest thing I've heard this week.

Do order a new neck. Salvage this; its yours.

That the relationship with your previous friend cannot be salvaged...well, been there. There's only so much you can do if they push away every attempt at help and hope.

I don't think I could have said it any better.

AndyC wrote: As for him, he's being shipped to a homeless shelter on Wed. Another friend said of him "It's like the old tale of 'You can lead a horse to water but cannot make him drink', but worse - he's a stubborn mule who, once he's dragged to the water, pees in it."

The devil can take him for all I care; I'm done.

Finish the build and play the frustrations out on it. Unfortunately substance abuse and behavioral disorders have affected many of us. Satan may very well have him for now. Don't blame God for free will. When you finish the guitar and run into him down the road, thank him for his guidance in selecting parts. Just guessing you would not have a custom built instrument without trying to help someone in need.
Peace.

AndyC wrote:Well, the guitar is ruined.

Sunday morning he tried to assault the guy who put a roof over his head and ended up with a broken finger. Sometime after that he decided to drill out the holes in the headstock to fit the tuning pegs (we suspect while drunk on smuggled vodka) with an electric drill and botched it totally:



I'm going to salvage all the parts I can from the guitar and I've ordered a new neck/body - hugely frustrating because the original neck was perfect. As for him, he's being shipped to a homeless shelter on Wed. Another friend said of him "It's like the old tale of 'You can lead a horse to water but cannot make him drink', but worse - he's a stubborn mule who, once he's dragged to the water, pees in it."

The devil can take him for all I care; I'm done.

Don't blame yourself, there are just some people who you are not able to help.
As a LEO, I tried helping several people including a 15 year old girl who had been pimped out by everyone including her parents to aquire drugs.
I worked to get her into rehab, checked her progress regularly, did my best to keep her off the streets, but she couldn't trust anyone enough to know when they had her best interest at heart.
Drugs and prostitution was all she knew, and she eventually OD.

There were only 4 people at her funeral, and with me in uniform, there was a lot of hostility towards me, no matter how much I had been instrumental in trying to turn her life around.
Good luck with your guitar, don't let it remind you of a failure, rather let it represent, your willingness to help.
JMHO

AndyC wrote:Onward and upward - new guitar will be enroute soon.

I look forward to seeing some pics when it's complete!

Just goes to show you how honest you are. You could've told us you got it going and tore the darn thing up, shredded it. Played it so hard it fell apart. Had to unplug because turning it up to 13 was just too much!

I agree, good on you for trying and ya never know, he might straighten his life out down the road and try to make things right but in the meantime, onward through the fog.

Andy,

Just remember that what we [think we] see as "rock bottom" may actually only be halfway down someone else's free fall. The fact that you saw in him enough to invest the time and effort to help, suggests that he may well be worth holding out hope for. If it's over then it's over but I hope you are at least open to his eventual return and apology... because he may turn that corner. (I've pee'd in the water and lived to regret it.)

I'll be praying for you both. Good friends are hard to come by. And if they find their way, worth forgiving.

Best to you both, brother.

AndyC wrote:As for him, he's being shipped to a homeless shelter on Wed. Another friend said of him "It's like the old tale of 'You can lead a horse to water but cannot make him drink', but worse - he's a stubborn mule who, once he's dragged to the water, pees in it."

The devil can take him for all I care; I'm done.

Andy,
From my own experience I know how much this hurts you, all you want for your friend is the best and all he wants is self destruction.
I had to turn my son out onto the streets because he refused to give up drugs, alcohol and the friends who were also bent on destroying their lives.
My brother was in his 50's before he made the decision to turn his life around and live without alcohol and drugs.
In both cases everyone involved did all they could do to help- but the person must be ready to change. Sadly, some never do.
Be strong brother, you have gone above and beyond. Now your friend must walk the path he has chosen alone. Regardless of how it turns out you have done the right things.
As far as the guitar, I don't know that I would be able to finish and then use it. Likely I would complete the project, put it in a case in the back of the closet and hope that one day your friend is restored and able to accept your gift of love.