PSA - Jason Kostal is OK

[Michael Watts]

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

I hope Michael Watts doesn't mind me pasting his Facebook photo here. Jason seems to be on the mend, and in good spirits.

Not in the least!

Aside from it being the least flattering pic of either Jason or myself in existence it is a document of a wonderful Skype session last week! Jason is in excellent spirits and it was a massive relief to talk with him.

[jaymarsch]

It is good to see Jason smiling and on the mend! Thanks for posting! Jason, I wish you a continued successful recovery.

Best,
Jayne

[theEdwinson]

Originally Posted by Michael Watts

Not in the least!

Aside from it being the least flattering pic of either Jason or myself in existence it is a document of a wonderful Skype session last week! Jason is in excellent spirits and it was a massive relief to talk with him.

Thanks for the update, Michael. We all know how much courage and strength of character Jason has- but it sure is reassuring to hear that he is in good spirits and doing well. That's three quarters of the battle right there- keeping a good attitude. Jason is an extraordinary guy. I expect he will recover fully, beyond what any reasonable doctor would ever expect.

[jkostal]

Hello everyone,

I thought it was time to get back on here and let everyone know that I am still alive and healing properly. It has been a little over a month since my accident, and while I am going a bit stir crazy, things are going well and my body is healing as it should be. I still have quite a bit of time left as my arm and leg fully recover, but the good news is that everyone that I have spoken with has told me that I should make a full recovery with my arm/ hand, and a pretty close to full recovery with my leg. My spirits are good, most of which is due to the men and women of this community and many of the great luthiers that we all enjoy on here.

I know that I mentioned it in my last post, but I do feel like I need to mention it again. I spend my days reading threads on here, and while I don't participate often, I have learned a lot from all of you...builders, collectors, aficianados, and everyone else. Reading through the posts reminds me that we all have our own set of ideas, beliefs, etc, and we don't always agree on everything. When it comes down to it though, and someone like myself gets into a bind, the community reaches out in an incredible way to take care of each other. I served in the military for most of my adult life, and while not everyone would agree with that life choice, I will say that the one thing I valued most about it was the camaraderie and sense of "brotherhood" that I experienced during that time. I would have never though that I would get that same feeling through the Acoustic Guitar Forum, and for that, I was wrong.

Within a day of my accident, my hospital room started filling up with flowers, cards, and emails full of well wishes. Not from family or close friends outside of the luthier community, but from people here within the AGF. I was completely taken aback, and even now, the thought of it gives me pause as I think about how much it meant to me in that difficult time.

Many of the luthiers out there, myself included, struggle to plan for retirement, the future etc. I know that I never intended to have to deal with being "disabled" and unable to work for a period of time. As a self-employed luthier, reliant upon my own abilities to create guitars and ship them out, this definitely created some issues. In the first days following my accident, I worried about cash flow, I worried about my clients who had already waited years in some cases to receive a guitar, and I worried about my own future and whether or not my body would ever return to where it once was and allow me to follow my heart and continue to build guitars for years to come. All of these concerns, while very real at the time, turned out to be unfounded.

Many of my amazing clients sent me letters and emails telling me to take the time needed to get healthy again, and that the guitars could wait. Many different luthiers reached out to me and offered to help if I needed it, offering to give up their own time and work load to help me out. I have to say a special thank you to Mario Beauregard in this regard. At the time of my accident, I had 3 guitars that were a mere day or two away from being shipped off for finish work. Recognizing that I would be unable to complete these guitars for some time, Mario offered to fly from Montreal to Phoenix to help complete them while I was in the hospital. He came out here, and he and I were able to talk and come up with a game plan, and in 5 days he completed the three guitars that were on my bench and off they went to be lacquered.



While Mario is the one that ultimately came and helped me, I received similar offers from Mike Baranik, Michi Matsuda, and Ervin Somogyi. While these are some of my closest friends within the luthier community, I cannot tell you the overwhelming feeling of love and respect this created for me in having these men offer to stop what they were doing to make sure that I was alright. Ray Kraut, Kathy Wingert, Howard Klepper, Simon Fay, Lewis Santer, Tim McKnight and many others reached out as well to see how I was doing and offer any assistance needed.

I guess the reason that I am telling you all of this is to remind everyone on here about the quality of the people that we interact with on here every day. The luthiers represented on this forum are incredible people in so many ways, and they care deeply, not only about the craft that we work in, but the people that make it what it is. I tell my clients with absolute sincerity that, to me, it is not about the guitar, but rather about the relationships that I build along the way, and so many luthiers and AGF members proved this to be true these last few weeks. A huge thank you to AGF members BillyBoy, BellaD4, Fountainhead, FSGeek, EricSong, Larry Pattis, Ron Potkul, Michael Watts, SteveH, TheAcousticMusicCo, JustonWo and so many others that reached out on a regular basis to make sure I was doing ok.

I was released from the hospital last week after almost a month in rehab, and I am now back at home, racing around my house in a wheelchair with only one good arm, which means I spend a lot of time going in circles, but I am getting the hang of it. Tomorrow I go meet with my surgeon again and we will hopefully have some more information as to recovery plan/ times, etc. For now, I am enjoying my self-imposed vacation and taking the time to think through new ideas and future projects so that it is not all in vain. I hope to have the cast off soon so that I can get back into the shop to start working again, and I hope to be up and walking again soon. Until that time, my heart is filled with unending gratitude for all of you, and your kind words, thoughts, prayers and everything else that has kept me going. A very sincere thank you to each of you, and I feel honored to be a part of this community in some small way, and I look forward to talking with many of you, and seeing some of you at the Woodstock Show in October.

Respectfully,

Jason Kostal

[Tom West]

Jason:
Just heard about this today and wish you all the best in your recovery. Must say I admire your super spirit and attitude. Think this goes a long way in helping one get back on their feet. All the best for the future and get back to the bench and creating.
Tom

[steveh]

Good to hear from you My Man! Wise, thoughtful, and heartfelt words that I know we all appreciate. Thanks.

That pic looks like it could well be in a hospital room - there's a paper towel dispenser on the wall and soap dispenser adjacent, with what looks coffee etc on an over bed trolley.

If Mario really was bringing guitars into the hospital, you really are going over and beyond the call of duty and dedication to your craft!

cheers,
Steve

[steveh]

BTW - Is that a Kostal Jumbo?

That's a rare beast...

Cheers,
Steve

[Larry Pattis]

Excellent, excellent, excellent...

[jkostal]

Originally Posted by steveh

Good to hear from you My Man! Wise, thoughtful, and heartfelt words that I know we all appreciate. Thanks.

That pic looks like it could well be in a hospital room - there's a paper towel dispenser on the wall and soap dispenser adjacent, with what looks coffee etc on an over bed trolley.

If Mario really was bringing guitars into the hospital, you really are going over and beyond the call of duty and dedication to your craft!

cheers,
Steve

Steve,

That is actually a picture from my hospital room, and yes, Mario was bringing the guitars to me there. I don't know about going above and beyond, but at the time, it was the only option as there was no way they were allowing me out of my room much less out of the hospital. Mario would work on the guitars back at my shop, and then drive them to the hospital for me to look at and make any necessary adjustments, etc. It was tedious to say the least, but we got it done. And to answer your other question, that is indeed a Kostal Jumbo! That is my first one available for sale, and was commissioned by an AGF'er that I am sure will provide everyone with it's due critique when the time comes.

Jason

[steveh]

Originally Posted by jkostal

Steve,

That is actually a picture from my hospital room, and yes, Mario was bringing the guitars to me there. I don't know about going above and beyond, but at the time, it was the only option as there was no way they were allowing me out of my room much less out of the hospital. Mario would work on the guitars back at my shop, and then drive them to the hospital for me to look at and make any necessary adjustments, etc. It was tedious to say the least, but we got it done. And to answer your other question, that is indeed a Kostal Jumbo! That is my first one available for sale, and was commissioned by an AGF'er that I am sure will provide everyone with it's due critique when the time comes.

Jason

Unbelievable; Man, you stand by your product!

Respect.

Cheers,
Steve