November 09, 2026 I Philanthropy
Guitars for Vets, Sweetwater Donate Instruments to Veterans
A guitar in someone’s closet could help a veteran learn to play. That’s the idea behind a partnership between Guitars for Vets (G4V), the national nonprofit that teaches guitar to veterans living with PTSD and other service-related trauma, and Gear Exchange, Sweetwater’s marketplace for used gear.
G4V sells donated instruments through its own Sweeteater Gear Exchange storefront, and each sale helps buy new guitars for veterans who complete its free 10-week program. Gear Exchange is Sweetwater’s online marketplace where musicians buy and sell used gear.
People across the country give Guitars for Vets guitars, basses and other gear. The storefront puts that gear in front of Sweetwater’s customers, and what it earns goes back into the program. Since the online store opened in late 2025, Guitars for Vets has sold nearly 150 instruments through the Gear Exchange partnership. The funds raised have resulted in hundreds of guitars being gifted to veterans in the program.
Sweetwater is also recognizing the volunteer instructors behind those graduates. G4V instructors receive Sweetwater gift cards based on how many veterans they guide through the program.
“Sweetwater isn’t just in the music business, they’re in the people business. Their generosity means so much more than putting an instrument in someone’s hands,” said Nathan LeCompte, interim executive director for Guitars 4 Vets. “From the Gear Exchange to supporting our volunteer instructors, they help us bring music and connection to more veterans every day. We’re deeply grateful to have a partner who cares not just about the music, but about the people behind it.”
Guitars 4 Vets began in 2007, when guitar teacher Patrick Nettesheim started giving lessons to Dan VanBuskirk, a Vietnam-era Marine. The two brought the lessons to the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, and the program grew from there. Veterans who finish the 10-week course take home a new guitar and an accessory kit.
“We’re proud to partner with Guitars for Vets because their mission speaks to something we believe deeply at Sweetwater,” said Chrissy Pearl, director of integrated marketing with Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange. “Music has a way of reaching people when little else can. Our Veterans have given so much to this country and helping them pick up a guitar and learn to play feels like a small way for us and our customers to give something back.”
