08/20/2026
"Earlier this year, I went on the Mega Mule Bus Tour, which was an 18-day, 3,500-mile road trip, spreading resonator guitar fever across the land. A week later, I flew to Scotland to drive around the most beautiful place on the entire planet with a couple friends of mine.
And apparently, I flew home with blood clots in both my lungs—a double pulmonary embolism, something that my doctor called a 'house stealer’: he said if the doctor doesn't catch it, they’ll send you home, you d*e, and your family sues them for everything and takes their house.
Everything's cool now. But after a short time in the hospital and some time for reflection, I kept thinking about this kid from California named Austin.
I met Austin when he was probably 12 years old at the NAMM Show in California, and he was already a very impressive young man. After he left the booth, I talked to his mom, who was with him, and asked her if we could build him a resonator guitar for free as a way to encourage him on his path. We built him a guitar, he and I became friends, and it's been awesome to watch Austin grow into the even more impressive young man that he is. He's been to the shop here in Michigan, and he comes by the NAMM booth every year with his mom.
But here’s where this story takes a twist I could never have seen coming.
A couple years ago at the NAMM show, his mom and my dad were talking at our booth. She mentioned that her parents had lived in Michigan.
My dad asked her what city, and she said Alma—the city that I grew up in.
Then he asked her what her grandfather's name was, and she said John Sobel.
John Sobel was my next-door neighbor. He literally lived on the other side of the chain link fence. John played violin in the community orchestra, and one day John reached over that chain link fence and he handed me my first musical instrument: a violin. That violin started me on a path towards music, a path that led me to create Mule Resophonic Guitars and then, unknowingly, giving a guitar to the great-grandson of the man who gave a violin to me.
I kept thinking about that story. Music has an incredible way of showing us we are more similar than we're different. And where would I be had I not been given that instrument?
In honor of this story, we want to give some instruments to kids here in Saginaw. To do that, we are raffling this resonator guitar, and proceeds are going to benefit Major Chords For Minors, which gives free music equipment and lessons to Saginaw kids.
And to make it even bigger, we're partnering with American Musical Supply to get that gear. Buy as many tickets as you want — the more the merrier. This is about getting music gear to kids. So tell your friends, thanks so much, and see you on the road."
—Matt Eich, Mule Resophonic Guitars
Raffle link 👇👇👇
