One By One Guitars
One By One Guitars
-Paying It Forward-
November 2014 through December 2025:
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$70,000 raised
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50 instruments donated
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18 different charities and nonprofits supported
Building guitars is my passion, not my business. Beyond the personal satisfaction I get from designing and building guitars, I also try to "pay it forward."
Starting in 2014, most of the instruments that I build have been donated to charity fundraising events that support education, the arts and the general well-being of children and families in the St Louis region.
Instruments donated to charities are “no strings attached” donations (zero cost, 100% of the proceeds to the charity), and include a case or gig bag, information on the care and maintenance of the instrument for the new owner, and auction information for the charity.
Information on the organizations to which I have donated instruments, including upcoming auctions and the guitars donated, is listed below.
“Your beautiful guitars have been a highlight of our auctions…”
--L.D.
“…many people commented on your craftsmanship and how beautiful it was. More people stopped to see the guitar than any other auction item…” --D.G.
2026 Auction Events
2026-091 TY255 5/16/26 auction
2023-068 PJ340 bass 5/1/26 auction
2023-066 SC245 5/1/26 auction
2021-054 "The Mule" 4/11/26 auction
2024-072 TS255 4/11/26 auction
2025-084 SC245 3/7/26 auction
2025
2024-080 SC245
2024-076 SC245
2024-077 TY255
2024-074 LV56
2024-078 TS255
2024-073 TS255
2025-086 TS255
2025-087 TS255
2025-083 RS255
2024
2023-071 TY255
2023-069 TS255
2022-064 RG255
2023-070 SC245
2022-065 LV56
2024-075 JM255
2023
2018-035 SC245
2022-063 TS255
2021-056 LV56
2022-059 SC245
2020-046 LV56
2022-062 LV30
2018-033 SC245
2022
2020-044 LV56
2020-047 LV56
2020-041 LV56
2020-043 TJ255
2021-053 LV56
2021-051 LV56
2021
2021-055 SC245
2021-052 LV56
2020-049 TM255
2020-040 LV56
2020-048 LV56
2019-2020
2019-038 SC245
2017-028 ZF250
2019-039 TY255
2018-034 SC245
2018-036 TM255
2017-2018
2016-025 TY255
2017-032 SC245
2017-030 SC245
2017-031 TM255
2016-019 SC245
2017-027 JM255
2015-2016
2015-017 SC245
2015-013 SC245jr
2016-020 SC245
2016-022 TY255
2014-011 SC245
2014-009 SC245
Charity Partners
https://www.apdaparkinson.org/community/st-louis/
The American Parkinson Disease Association’s mission is that every day, we provide the support, education, and research that will help everyone impacted by Parkinson’s disease live life to the fullest. The Greater St. Louis Chapter is one of the largest among the American Parkinson Disease Association chapters in the United States.
The primary function of the APDA- Greater St. Louis Chapter is to serve as a central location where people with PD, care partners, medical professionals, students and other interested individuals can call or write to receive the latest information, including FREE printed material, medical and support system referrals, quarterly newsletters, exercise classes, support groups, educational programs and much more. The Chapter also informs individuals about current studies and research projects related to Parkinson disease in which they might wish to participate. The APDA- Greater St. Louis Chapter funds the APDA Center for Advanced Parkinson Disease Research at Washington University School of Medicine.
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AJP seeks justice for the innocent and the wrongfully imprisoned – the marginalized and forgotten in Arizona’s Criminal Justice System. To prevent denial of access to justice, members from the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice founded the Arizona Justice Project in 1998. Its mission is to represent indigent Arizona inmates whose claims of innocence or manifest injustice have gone unheeded. Every time an accused goes to prison without having received a fair trial, we are one step closer to the loss of our own freedoms.
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
The mission of Casa de Salud is to facilitate and deliver high quality clinical and mental health services for uninsured and underinsured patients, focusing on new immigrants and refugees who encounter barriers to accessing other sources of care. Casa de Salud opened in January of 2010 with intention of filling a significant void in accessing care for the immigrant community of the St. Louis region, where it now serves as many as 500 patients per month, seven days per week. Casa’s main services are primary care for illness and injury, mental health counseling, case management, care coordination, and home health visits.
http://www.circleofconcern.org/
Circle Of Concern serves west St. Louis County, a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. We are, first and foremost, a food pantry. We serve approximately 2,000 individuals monthly and more than 1,200 households annually.
At Circle, feeding families is just the beginning, though. We also offer financial support, scholarships, job mentoring, children’s programs and holiday events. All of these efforts work together to take a little off our clients’ financial plates, allowing them to use their limited resources to regain their financial footing.
https://www.evertrueliving.org/
EverTrue Living is a faith-centered, nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering older adults to live life to the fullest, wherever they call home. Formerly known as Lutheran Senior Services, the mission continues to build on a legacy of 165 years of service and innovation. For more than 165 years, EverTrue is dedicated to our mission of Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest, with a variety of programs that address cognitive, physical and social wellness as well as aging in place, hospice and end of life care and support for caregivers.
https://www.forsythschool.org/
Forsyth School provides an unforgettable experience for children age 2 through Grade 6. The Forsyth School community:
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creates an environment that encourages children to develop the confidence, courage, and resilience to persevere and embrace challenges in a continually evolving world.
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celebrates each individual’s unique identity and ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community to which all belong.
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practices kindness and compassion in our interactions with each other, our community, and the natural world.
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We believe curiosity is the foundation for inquiry, innovation, and creativity. We encourage questioning in our search for knowledge, understanding, and excellence.
GiGi's Playhouse is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) Down syndrome organization solely funded by donations. Their purpose is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all. This commitment to changing lives and providing hope is manifested through the consistent delivery of FREE educational, therapeutic, and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community, using a replicable playhouse model. With over 61+ brick-and-mortar Down Syndrome Achievement Centers locations across the United States and Mexico, they provide FREE, life-changing therapeutic, educational, and career training programs for 30,000+ individuals of all ages.
https://www.kidsrockcancer.org/
Maryville University brings the joy and healing power of music to kids at St. Louis pediatric treatment centers.
Kids Rock Cancer is an innovative program that helps children successfully cope with the unique emotional challenges that accompany a cancer or blood disorder diagnosis. Through the proven healing power of music therapy, Kids Rock Cancer helps children combat feelings of anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and helplessness.
https://www.nursesfornewborns.org/
Nurses for Newborns was founded over 20 years ago by a nurse who was frequently called to the emergency room to re-admit babies who had completely preventable illness, many times near death. By providing registered nurses and using our proven program model of home visiting, we are literally saving babies’ lives and giving them a chance to grow. We provide services to babies who are born with medical problems, born to teen moms or to mothers with disabilities/mental health concerns, or who are born into families who do not have money for even basic necessities.
Families may receive services for up to 2 years and are not charged. In addition to medical care, we assist families whenever possible with donated materials needed for safe care, such as diapers, formula, baby food, clothing, bedding, and Pack ‘n Plays.
https://www.thesongsociety.org/
The Song Society is a St. Louis-based, non-profit 501(c)3 organization that provides music therapy, unique therapeutic songwriting experiences, led by board-certified music therapists, to support and empower the voices of children (5+), teens and families affected by life-altering medical conditions, cancer and late-effects, and chronic illness.
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STAGES St. Louis is the region’s foremost not-for-profit company committed to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education. STAGES Academy programs cultivate the next generation of theatre patrons by introducing students of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and economic levels to the performing arts through hands-on experiences. STAGES educates thousands of students each year at its Performing Arts Academy, the region’s only year-round arts school with a comprehensive curriculum run by a professional theatre company.
The Library Foundation supports the library’s efforts to encourage reading and engage readers. All its activities and programs are designed to emphasize the value of reading and learning throughout life. Author visits bring compelling writers to St. Louis, introducing them to our diverse community of independent thinkers. The Foundation hosts an average of 80 author visits each year, bringing anywhere from 75-1,000 people to each program.
Additionally, the Library Foundation
* funds the Born to Read Program, a partnership with seven area hospitals that encourages 13,000 families to read to their newborns each year
* promotes literacy through the Gift of Reading Program
* supports the Summer Free Lunch Program at Library branches
* provides free new books to economically disadvantaged children at Give Kids A Smile Clinics
* funds the telescope lending program at the Library
https://www.crisisnurserykids.org/
Since 1986, the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery has been committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides emergency intervention, respite care and support to families in crisis through:
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Short-term care for young children in a safe and nurturing environment
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Proactively helping families resolve crisis
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Empowering families by providing valuable resources, ongoing support and in-depth parent education
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Grassroots community outreach and public awareness of child abuse and neglect prevention
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Advocacy for the overall welfare of children and families
https://news.stlpublicradio.org
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St. Louis Public Radio is a news organization and NPR member station providing audiences across the St. Louis Metropolitan region, in Quincy, Illinois, and in Rolla and Lebanon, Missouri with news and programs that are significant to their communities and their world with reporting that is credible, trustworthy and free from any external commercial, political, or financial forces.
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As community members in the listening areas we serve, the staff of St. Louis Public Radio wants our journalism, programs, events, board, and outreach to give rise to thoughtful and informed actions and solutions to issues that affect us. We hope our work expands, enriches, and enhances our collective understanding and connection to each other, to our communities, and to our world.
Founded in 1998 by Randy Grim, Stray Rescue, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been saving the underdog for over twenty years. Today, Stray Rescue of St. Louis has grown to be the home of over 60 committed and loving staff members, over 1,000 volunteers who generously donate their time, and more than 600 foster families serving the City of St. Louis and surrounding metro areas. The mission of Stray Rescue is to seek out and take in the animals who no other organization will help or would simply euthanize because they are too expensive to heal. We rescue the abandoned, beaten, bred, fought, injured, terrified, defeated and betrayed. The minute they enter our doors, we look in their eyes and promise them ALL the second chance they deserve for health, home, commitment and love, no matter the time or cost.
https://www.whitfieldschool.org/
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Whitfield School in St Louis offers a foundational, liberal arts curriculum that marries college preparatory
courses with an emphasis on citizenship, critical thinking, and leadership. A small school community committed to kindness and trust, Whitfield inspires a diverse student body to lead lives of curiosity, integrity, and purpose; while preparing students for success in college and in life, empowering them to discover who they are, what they care about, and how they want to make a difference in the world.
https://www.warnertheatre.org/
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Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace, the Warner Theatre was described then as “Connecticut’s Most Beautiful Theatre.”
With the theatre slated for demolition in 1982, a concerned group of citizens formed the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts, Inc. (NWCAA) to save the theatre. This group led a dramatic grass-roots campaign successfully raising the money necessary to purchase the Warner Theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, but restoration was not completed until November 23, 2002.
The Mission of the Warner Theatre is to enrich, entertain and educate our communities through high quality performing arts and arts educational opportunities, preserve the theatre as a historic landmark, and contribute, in partnership with others, to the betterment of our region’s way of life and economic vitality.
Wings of Hope is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization that has been helping the world’s most vulnerable communities since 1962. As our name suggests, we use our wings to connect people to the resources they need to meet their development goals.
We work on a global scale to help vulnerable communities access the basic resources essential for human dignity.