Fort Wayne, IN (November 10, 2026)—As Veterans Day approaches, Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange is celebrating the first anniversary of its partnership with Guitars for Vets (G4V).
G4V, the national nonprofit that teaches guitar to veterans living with PTSD and other service-related trauma, sells donated instruments through its own 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.
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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. 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,” commented interim executive director for Guitars 4 Vets Nathan LeCompte. “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.”
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“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 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.”
