Here is a letter that John posted on the UMGF as well as on the AGF back on July 8, 2008;
"Hi to all;
I wanted to let everyone who has a guitar or Tortis materials on order and those who simply know me that a most unexpected event may slow things down a bit for a month or two. On Sunday morning while having a lovely breakfast with family and friends I had a stroke. Don't panic (that's my job!), fortunately it was a "small" one. I spent all day in the hospital riding all the great rides (CAT scan was fun, MRI was acoustically challenging...they need a better band playing on that CD, the percussion section was great but melody bad news).
Bottom line is I am as healthy as they come, except for that one little area of the upper left lobe of my brain that decided to go away, and I should mend completely with time and rest. Fortunately the impairments are limited to some speech issues and a very small impact on my right arm/hand control. Not to worry, I have excellent hand motor control and can do all of the work necessary for guitar making just fine (although touch typing is really hard). It is more a matter of an odd sense of vagueness as to the grosser spatial location of my arm/hand at any given time rather than the finesse stuff.
I can't tell you how strange it feels for the first time in my life to not be operating at at least 100%. I am not enjoying this at all and it can go away any time, thank you. But I and the doctors are fully confident that I should make a full and rapid recovery in short order. I figure if I keep working the effected parts mercilously, the brain will be forced to quickly rewire to make up the difference.
So, please, no new orders for at least the next month to six weeks, as they say with the airline schedule in bad weather, "expect delays" for the short term. My energy level is very low right now, so I may not be able to respond as quickly as in the past. This too shall pass...
Thanks to all of my friends, I really appreciate your presence and support.
John "
I spoke to John this morning and he was stringing up the first (1937) D-18 style guitar he's made! I kept trying to get off the phone so he could rest but he felt like talking, he was telling me about the 33' 14 fret 000-18 he had in the shop. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, he sounded just like John Greven, and that sounded damn fine to me!!
RJ
