Curious-- curled fingers means no slide or dobro? Adapt the slide to be attached to hand? The right hand can pick, or not?

A sweet little starter might be a Gourdalin-- strung and tuned like mandolin, but single courses, light action, sweet tone. Body is a gourd, somewhat like a bowl-back mandolin, much lighter weight. As I recall, about $125. Perhaps a pickup to add weight to the tone and grab the nuances the player can hear but that don't travel well to the ear of the hearer. Maybe go to mandolin when he has the strength, stretch, and dexterity recovered as much as possible?

What does he like to listen to, and would thus be motivated to emulate despite the challenges? What music will push him or pull him through the effort? And what instrument will let him go in that direction?

The rest of this may not apply in this case, but maybe can help with another's problem later on-- I have a variety of physical problems. And I know I get a lot more expression out of my autoharp now that it has the pickup. It has made me a more senstive player as I get a better sense of what is being heard-- adjusting the touch accordingly. I practice with the amp as loud as I can, it's like biofeedback, and then the technique and touch are recorded in my mind to play it that carefully when the volume goes back down after practice, or even sans amp. Next to add pickup is a small plucked psaltery, BTW, restrung with nice wound strings for a lower, bell-like tone, lovely. Two octaves, plays Carolan tunes fine, diatonic. $50 for the psaltery, plus $$ for strings and a padded gun case for toting it around.

Bless you, Don. It could be any of us.

~Susan