Start passing them along (or selling them), while you're still around and kicking. I'm just 64 and I'm already doing this. I took a physical and metaphysical inventory last year and came to the conclusion that I could divest myself of most of my instruments (and other stuff too) and still be playing happily for the next 20 years, God willing. I thought it would be more difficult than it actually has been, thus far. It's also very rewarding to gift a decent instrument to someone who is deserving and would otherwise never be able to afford it.

More importantly, it's my headache (and my pleasure), to pare down my quiver. My wife is 14 years younger than me and will likely outlive me. I don't want that hassle on her when my time comes.

One idea is to move them on to youth who want to play but don't have the money. A good way to do this is through local schools which can always use instruments for kids that can't afford instruments for orchestra or guitar classes etc. The schools in my area always grateful for decent donated instruments.

Except for my great grandfathers fiddle, which I definitely want to keep in the family. I will be using my instruments to help my grandkids with any hobby they seriously follow. So,If one becomes a really serious guitar player , I will gladly trade in my Gibson RB-800 for them to buy a professional level guitar. Or, if one becomes a serious woodworker, I will also trade an instrument to help them buy or professional equipment.
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JOKE reply:
I am going to have my self Stuffed in the position of my profile picture. And have my installed it our bedroom! 

I gave about 5 or 6 violins and a few mandolins to Mountain View Music Store, for use in the "Music Roots Program" this past year. A very special program in Stone County Arkansas that is open to school kids in the community that want to learn to play traditional folk music on an instrument - free of charge.  Worthy of support.

Scot and Shea will take the donated instruments, clean them up, repair them if needed, and set them up for students in the program. They aren't the best, but they are playable. I bought a number of them from a friend at an estate sale. Their father passed away.  They didn't get sold during the that weekend of the sale, So they gave me a good price.(4 for 200) ,,,and I passed it along. Win, win.

Not really sure yet - just what to do with the ones that will be with me 'til the end. Good question. I've tried to inspire and motivate, but no one else in the family plays an instrument or shows an interest. Oh well. They do hgave other interests. I understand.  

Much the same as Scott, we don't have direct heirs. If I want to frustrate myself for a few minutes, I think about this. But I also realize when I'm dead it doesn't matter.

I've been burdened by my ancestors stuff, now it's my turn. 

We've looked into this sort of thing too here lately... we've always been pretty poor, but we have a little more now than ever before...little crappy house, car...a few humble possessions but not much more. Seems what happens is whatever you were able to muster up for yourself during your life, it will all get possessed so they can get you down to the poverty level again so they can put you onto medicaid, then set you up in some care facility paid for by medicaid where you will be fed by underpaid, poorly trained and probably disgruntled people...lol...so if you wish to pass anything you've worked hard for in your life onto people you love and care about...better do it while you're healthy enough to plan such things, but when you can envision your demise. From what I've heard, even a will or trust won't change what will happen if you need to go into some type facility. Unless you're filthy rich and get an irrevocable trust, but then you give up access to anything you put into that trust. Seems you can't win in this world or on your way to the next one.  Even if your spouse needs care in a facility of some type...they take everything to get you down poor enough so that medicaid will kick in, which includes taking your house.  I've seen these sorts of scenarios go on and one parent left having to move in with kids, who aren't prepared for that, etc.  I mean...it's kind of discouraging to think it's a losing battle trying to make anything of yourself in this world, and even worse to think you can't pass along what you could accomplish to those you love.

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Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

We've looked into this sort of thing too here lately... we've always been pretty poor, but we have a little more now than ever before...little crappy house, car...a few humble possessions but not much more. Seems what happens is whatever you were able to muster up for yourself during your life, it will all get possessed so they can get you down to the poverty level again so they can put you onto medicaid, then set you up in some care facility paid for by medicaid where you will be fed by underpaid, poorly trained and probably disgruntled people...lol...so if you wish to pass anything you've worked hard for in your life onto people you love and care about...better do it while you're healthy enough to plan such things, but when you can envision your demise. From what I've heard, even a will or trust won't change what will happen if you need to go into some type facility. Unless you're filthy rich and get an irrevocable trust, but then you give up access to anything you put into that trust. Seems you can't win in this world or on your way to the next one.

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Well, don't give up, Peggy--if you put your wishes in writing as in a trust, it stands up to what you want and stays out of probate court.  At least in your state, I don't know about property in other states, it depends on the law.  Just have to spend some money to get it documented proper.  Same as always.

True, but you won't make it to the point of probate if you need elder care before that time...they take it all to pay the bills until they get you back at the medicaid level, at which point the government pays the bills to take care of you. I can look around and see this all over the place. Whatever you've worked for won't be there by the time you die, unless you just die unexpectedly and in your boots.

I think Peggy is referring to what can happen as you live beyond what the number crunchers hope for, when Medicare gets tired of you. If one thinks it is coming down to the nursing home (for example) and getting your possessions taken, be sure to find a way to give your instruments away before that actually happens. My wife's grandpa gave us a riding lawn mower and the other siblings got many of his things in order to avoid having things taken. I think my niece got his Cadillac 

If you're concerned, do it now to avoid the inevitable. (And just to Peggy, I'd think you would be giving your instruments to your daughter and the wee lad).

There are a number of ways to deal with passing instruments on.

The most obvious is to pass them to family members who will understand and appreciate their significance and hopefully keep them in good shape and eventually pass them along. Unfortunately, this just isn’t an option for a lot of players.

You can donate to a local school to use in their music program. This method has its drawbacks, though. If you donate to a school, there is no guarantee that anything you donate will be cared for, and if it gets damaged there’s a good chance that it will either be repaired horribly by a music store that has a school repair contract with the district or it will just be discarded if it looks old or gets damaged. School instruments have tough lives, and school children take much worse care of their instruments these days than they did in the past. It’s not hard to find a Juzek that was in a public school 50 years ago that’s in good shape now, but it’s getting harder to find new school instruments that survive their fist year of use. Add to that the fact that the schools often don’t treat instruments well (e.g. storing them outside cases, piling them up in storage closets where they get damaged, leaving them in a school building that’s not heated or air-conditioned during breaks. If you donate to a school, just realize that there’s no guarantee of it being a lasting bequest.

You can donate to a music school program for students with financial challenges. This can be a great option, as there is more understanding and consideration for maintenance, and the players are expected to care for the instruments. I’ve sent a lot of instruments to the Heifetz Institute and have been very impressed with their program. When a customer asks about donation, I’ll recommend them and assist in setting up the donation. That way, the program receives an instrument in good playing shape. There are other programs around, and with a little research, you may find something in your area.

You can visit a shop and see what kind of value your instruments have. If they’re decent, the shop may be willing to consign or purchase them. Shops have a lot of access to players and can often find a good home for your instruments. If you’re setting up a trust, you can ask that a shop handle the sale of your estate’s instruments and bows. At the shop where I last worked, an old friend of the owner came in a couple years before he died to have his instruments appraised again and asked if the shop would be willing to handle the sale of his instruments for his estate. After he died his caretaker brought everything in and they were made available. He had bought very good instruments and bows, so it was worth it to him to see that they were handled by someone he trusted completely.

You can see if an auction house is interested in your instruments. Places like Tarisio are always looking for instruments that might interest their buyers. Since the buyer remains anonymous, you won’t necessarily know what happened to your instruments, but you’ll at least know that someone wanted them if they sell, and there’s a good chance they’ll be put to use.

Depending on the quality of the instruments or bows, you might be able to donate to an orchestra. On some occasions, certain instruments are kept by orchestras and loaned to players. This helps players who are very talented but can’t afford the instruments they need for their jobs.

If you have no family members who play but have close friends who play, you might bequeath instruments to your friends. When my grandfather’s violin teacher died, he gave his violins and bows to my family because he knew they’d be loved and played and he had no family members who played.

There are many options. If you’re working with your lawyer on estate planning, it’s good to have something put in place so you can feel reassured that you know what will happen to everything. You can always alter the terms later if you want.

Family members can feel overwhelmed if they end up having to deal with instruments and don’t know anything about them. If you don’t have family that plays, I’d at least recommend giving them a name of a shop to take things into. Get insurance appraisals of everything you have and certificates if they are good enough to warrant them. The more documentation you have, the easier it will be for everyone. Instruments may not have a numerical value to you, but they do have a value in the market, and you need to have that information to deal with them well. If you decide to donate, make sure everything is playable—donations that aren’t playable tend to sit unused, as the organizations don’t always have much money to spend on repairs or luthiers who can do the work without being paid.

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Originally posted by ChickenMan

I think Peggy is referring to what can happen as you live beyond what the number crunchers hope for, when Medicare gets tired of you. If one thinks it is coming down to the nursing home (for example) and getting your possessions taken, be sure to find a way to give your instruments away before that actually happens. My wife's grandpa gave us a riding lawn mower and the other siblings got many of his things in order to avoid having things taken. I think my niece got his Cadillac 

If you're concerned, do it now to avoid the inevitable. (And just to Peggy, I'd think you would be giving your instruments to your daughter and the wee lad).

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We set up "The Elder Family Trust" for poppa. He gave all of his possessions to the Trust, but he was made the Administrator - so he still had full control of all the possessions belonging to the Trust. Under these circumstances, he could legally declare himself to be without any possessions or wealth beyond his monthly SS payments, if he needed to go to a home, They wouldn't have access to anything except his SS benefits. 

Getting it setup did cost a little bit of money, but I think it was worth every penny. It included his will.  I became the Administrator of the Trust at his passing, and the Executor of his will. Everything had already been taken care of. None of his estate went through the courts. Nothing was contested.  

2 things to keep in mind: 

1) In the state of Tennessee, the Trust has to have been setup 5 years ahead of any need to be placed in a home. Otherwise, the court will declare it to be an purposeful act to avoid the expenses. But the law does allow for an estate to be setup that way - for that purpose - as long as it is in force for a minimum of 5 years. That may be different for your state. 

2) Make sure that things like this - as well as Power of Attorney - are taken care of while your love one can still be legally declared to be competent to make these kinds of decisions. DON"T put that off. 

BTW - I was with Poppa when he passed away at his home. He didn't have to go into a care facility. PTL

I think it's 5 years just about everywhere...also...if you don't have much, the cost of the trust doesn't justify the gamble you are expected to take as to whether you will need care in a facility or not. It's really unfair. You work and struggle your whole life...and if you ever accumulate a little bit that gets you above poverty level...they will slap you right back down again. I think it's just a really unfair thing that you cannot pass things down to family without gambling this way. Seems to me those who were born poor will most likely stay poor, no matter how hard they work, save, struggle...it amounts to dying poor and leaving nothing to your loved ones.

But anyway...ChickenMan is right...we've got daughter and the "wee lad" to think about...except...what ChickenMan probably isn't realizing is that wee lad is now taller than his dad...lol...I have to look up to talk to him now...lol. So we might need another name besides wee lad at this point. You know how fast they grow up, ChickenMan...lol...remember when he was 2 years old and reading off the fiddle tunes we randomly chose from the Duck from the collection at OTJ site for our Virtual Fiddle Festival??? That's how you're remembering him, probably...lol.  

But anyway...I hope I have something to leave behind and I hope I don't end up homeless and begging someone to take me in.  Hoping the same for hubby too.  

In addition to all of the good advice posted above, I think it would be cool if you typed up the story of your fiddle to put in the case. Tell about how you got it, what you know about its origin, where all you took it if you traveled with it, what your favorite songs or tunes to play on it, what it means to you.

50/50 chance that the next owner will toss your lovingly written document in the trash. But on the other hand there’s just as good of a chance that the recipient will greatly appreciate the effort. And almost 100 percent chance that you will appreciate the exercise.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever picked up an instrument and wondered what stories it could tell about its past lives? This is a chance to actually do it.

I'm such a sentimental, nostalgic old sop. The stories would be pages. Maybe I should just leave a thumbdrive of The Red Voilin in each case.

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Originally posted by farmerjones

I'm such a sentimental, nostalgic old sop. The stories would be pages. Maybe I should just leave a thumbdrive of The Red Voilin in each case.

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Excellent movie!, though there's some nekkid parts.  One can judge for their self whether that's good or bad.  Just have to consider the kiddo's upon viewing.

I actually have a red violin that looks just like the one in the movie, and my luthier identifies it with the film.

I gave each of my kids nice guitars I hadn't played anymore. Very easily could have sold them. They are 18..20...22 and they can all strum around a little bit on them. I hope one day they pass them down to their kids. Good topic and great responses!

Sell em or give em away to deserving folk before you go....You'll know when. i was left mine by my next door neighbor in her will, bless her. She (my fiddle) will always be "Anne" to me.

Instruments ... what to do with them...

In our will and estate planning, the instruments that were my Dad's (1942 Martin 00-18 sunburst,1927 B&D Silver Belle Tenor banjo and two German trade fiddles) will remain in the family. I am planning to donate the remaining instruments to the Roots Program in Mtn View, AR (as Tony mentioned in a previous post), if they are still in operation. If not, there are other similar programs out there.

I like what Scott and Shea and others in MtnView are doing to encourage kids to play music and retain the music traditions of the Ozarks. I have several friends who are teaching in that program. For me, I have been greatly influenced by the music of that region and I want to support its preservation. The fiddle that was a recent gift from a friend will go to some deserving person under the stipulation that the original owner can never be revealed and that it can never be sold.

So, it is never too early to do estate planning!! Yes, it may cost a little money, but it sure does prevent lots of headaches later!! We review all of our estate documents annually with our lawyer. This ensures that our wishes are carried out as intended and do not become problematic for the Executor.

FWIW: I see lots of ads for do-it-yourself wills. Use these at your own peril! Estate laws vary from state to state and they change or get reinterpreted without notice. So what you thought were legal estate documents may be mostly useless when you need them. (My lawyer friends have told me several recent horror stories about these!!)

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Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

 

But anyway...ChickenMan is right...we've got daughter and the "wee lad" to think about...except...what ChickenMan probably isn't realizing is that wee lad is now taller than his dad...lol...I have to look up to talk to him now...lol. So we might need another name besides wee lad at this point. You know how fast they grow up, ChickenMan...lol...remember when he was 2 years old and reading off the fiddle tunes we randomly chose from the Duck from the collection at OTJ site for our Virtual Fiddle Festival??? That's how you're remembering him, probably...lol.   

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They're all growing up but will always be wee lads and lasses to me, even some of my picking buddies  and I do remember the duck and many other videos with him in them.  Don't go getting me nostalgic for the good old days here on the FHO

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Originally posted by ChickenMan

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Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

 

But anyway...ChickenMan is right...we've got daughter and the "wee lad" to think about...except...what ChickenMan probably isn't realizing is that wee lad is now taller than his dad...lol...I have to look up to talk to him now...lol. So we might need another name besides wee lad at this point. You know how fast they grow up, ChickenMan...lol...remember when he was 2 years old and reading off the fiddle tunes we randomly chose from the Duck from the collection at OTJ site for our Virtual Fiddle Festival??? That's how you're remembering him, probably...lol.   

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They're all growing up but will always be wee lads and lasses to me, even some of my picking buddies  and I do remember the duck and many other videos with him in them.  Don't go getting me nostalgic for the good old days here on the FHO

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:Yeap. Some of us have been Hangin' out here for while now.   

Good place to hangout - good folks, good memories!

The good ol' days of yore...when the wee lads were 2 ft tall...lol. Well I'm pretty sure dying poor with no medical care is our future...whoever goes first, the one left will likely be homeless...it just bothers me how hard we worked to get ourselves out of poverty, but I'm pretty sure it's in our future, unless somehow the country would make some changes to help old folks out...probably not gonna happen. I don't think there's anything we can do about it. Our turn of events snuck up on us.

I have some hope the violin my mother bought me will eventually end up in the hands of my sister's youngest, a now 12 year old girl. She is already into strings, she is learning how to play the acoustic guitar and she sounds really good. She always wants to play me a song when I am over there, she loves to show auntie Anja her progress.
I always tell her that she sounds amazing, then my sister will reply it was a pretty expensive beginner's instrument because her husband picked it for his girl hehe. But auntie Anja is the one whispering to her: it is not just the sound of your guitar, it is YOU making this sound on it ;-)

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Originally posted by Quincy

I have some hope the violin my mother bought me will eventually end up in the hands of my sister's youngest, a now 12 year old girl. She is already into strings, she is learning how to play the acoustic guitar and she sounds really good. She always wants to play me a song when I am over there, she loves to show auntie Anja her progress.
I always tell her that she sounds amazing, then my sister will reply it was a pretty expensive beginner's instrument because her husband picked it for his girl hehe. But auntie Anja is the one whispering to her: it is not just the sound of your guitar, it is YOU making this sound on it ;-)

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