This thing arrived in the mail today and I am absolutely thrilled with it. I've been lusting after either a deluxe or a custom for a while and pulled the trigger on this Fender Japan limited run "honeybee" custom after shipping out a couple of guitars that weren't getting a lot of love.
It's got an absolutely lovely satin chunky neck, really nice rosewood board, and the wide range humbucker in the neck really sings. I've always loved Japanese fenders but have often just assumed I'd have to replace the electronics and pickups. Doesn't feel like the case here, really pleased with how it sounds out of the box.
I think the idea of sending them a "get well soon" card for Stevie with some cash tucked in is a perfectly reasonable and subtle enough idea. Asking somebody to work for you to earn cash for their kids birthday because of unexpected expenses seems a bit on the nose to me but I'm not really familiar with the relationship I suppose.