Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

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United States
Waterbury, VT
Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

Vintage and modern guitar repair and restoration specialist
Master craftsman & luthier Tommy Graves

Full guitar customization and repair shop specializing in vintage guitar restoration. Please feel free to message me here on Facebook or email me at [email protected] to setup a time to review your guitar customization or repair needs :)

06/02/2026

Shop Closing / Retirement Announcement

After many years at the bench, with wood shavings at my feet and stories in every grain line, the time has come for me to set the tools down.

Vermont Guitarworks Hospital has never just been a shop—it’s been a place of second chances. For instruments worn thin by time, by music, by life… and for the hands that brought them here. Every crack repaired, every brace re-voiced, every finish brought back to life carried a piece of someone’s story. I’ve been honored to be trusted with that.

This work has demanded patience, precision, and heart—and it has given back more than I could ever measure. The guitars taught me as much as I taught myself. And the people behind them… even more.

To everyone who walked through the door over the years, sent a message, or simply believed in the craft—thank you. You made this more than a career. You made it a life. And I am grateful for you all.

Though I may be stepping away from the bench and closing the shop, the love for the work, the music, and the history of these instruments doesn’t retire. It just changes shape. Here’s to all the friendships, guitar repairs and great memories that filled these years—and to new beginnings!

With deep gratitude,
Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

05/25/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

Today was a big milestone on this fire-damaged Gibson Les Paul restoration — the first full string up today after many years since a house fire nearly destroyed this beloved great first Les Paul for its owner.

This stage is all about taking the time to make absolutely sure that everything feels and looks right before the final teardown and refinishing begins. Now is also a great time to get a new Gibson nut installed and dial in all the string slots. Having the finish work around the nut will be a nice “Gibson original factory like” touch. I have to say, hearing her ring out today after so many years of being a pile of charred wood was a pretty incredible moment ❤️😊 -Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

05/20/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

Getting into some sanding stages then it’s grain filler time for the mahogany only to be followed by yet even more sanding. These are truly the most critical steps in the finishing process. Got the mount holes drilled out for the bridge and tail piece. Switch mount internal taper dialed in for a nice top alignment fit. She’ll be getting a nitrocellulose Wine Red finish in honor of her original factory finish color 😊.

05/08/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

There’s something deeply human about hand scraping a carved maple top into shape. No shortcuts. No CNC dust. Just steel, wood, light, and instinct.

This Gibson Les Paul came into my shop carrying the scars of a house fire from many years ago. The original maple top was reduced to ash long before it ever reached my bench. What remained was smoke, damage, heartbreak… and somehow, still, a soul worth saving.

Every pass of the scraper today feels less like woodworking and more like resurrection. Tiny curls of maple falling to the floor as the new carved top slowly reveals itself beneath the blade. The arch of a Les Paul isn’t just shape and symmetry, it’s emotion carved into wood. Strength and elegance living together in the same curve.

I’m spending the day listening more than working. Feeling every contour through my fingertips, chasing the way the light rolls across the maple until it finally begins to breathe again.

Restoration at this level becomes something personal. You’re not just rebuilding an instrument. You’re honoring its history… the music it once made, the fire it survived, and the possibility that it still has songs left inside it.

Some guitars deserve a second life. This one has fought hard for it. ❤️🙏😊 -Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

05/05/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

Historical moment in the shop today with the Gibson fire victim rebuilt neck finally being united with its body pocket after decades of separation since the fire. It was an emotional moment I promise. Photo of her when she first came into the hospital for context. The maple top is of course a replacement with a bit more carving to go and the mahogany body pocket being 100% original, albeit “roasted” 🔥. Or as Gibson would put it, “vintage torrefied” except with oxygen 😉. The owner wanted as much of the original body salvaged as possible for this restoration and you all know how much I enjoy a challenge. I can’t even begin to tell you how much math and planning was used to make this all come together. This will all make sense when you see the body rehab photos. I’ll have all the deets to share when she’s all rock ready. I literally could write a whole book on this one 😂❤️🔥-Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

04/28/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

Setting new binding on a Gibson Les Paul Standard = patience test. I’ve done countless binding jobs on restorations over the years and this part always humbles me. .090” thick binding around that LP horn and cutaway is no joke. An extreme balance of heat and pressure ensuring there’s no distortion takes practice. I’ll be letting her sit under clamps overnight and then it’s glue up time tomorrow ❤️😊 Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

04/23/2026

FIRE VICTIM GIBSON LES PAUL UPDATE:

There are some guitars that come across the bench… and then there are the ones that carry a story you can still feel in the wood.

This early 80’s Gibson Les Paul came to me years after a house fire took almost everything. When it reached my shop, the top, a once beautiful 3 piece maple, was gone. Most of it reduced to ash. What remained of the body, was quiet… but not completely gone.

I sat with it for a long time before making the first cut. You don’t just replace something like that. You listen. You try to understand what it once was… and what it still wants to be. She’ll once again have a gorgeous 3 piece maple top and live again.

Carving a new maple top from a raw maple slab isn’t just work, it’s a conversation. Every pass of the plane, every curl of maple falling to the floor, feels like pulling something back from the past. Not recreating what was lost, but honoring it. Respecting the fire, the years, the hands that once played it.

There’s something humbling about giving a guitar a second life when it’s already been through so much. You realize pretty quickly that you’re not just restoring an instrument. You’re restoring a piece of someone’s history… their sound… their memories. Still a fair amount of carving, shaping, fitting, drilling, sanding, and yes listening to go, and I’m honored to do it. Stayed tuned for more on this one my beloved friends ❤️😊 -Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

04/20/2026

There was a time when a guitar like this felt completely out of reach. Early ’80s Gibson Explorer on the bench this week. Sharp lines, unapologetic attitude, the kind of guitar that didn’t just sit in a room… it owned it 😊. Back in high school, this was the shape I’d stare at in magazines and MTV, the one that made you feel like if you just held it, something in your life might shift. Loud, fast, fearless. I didn’t have one then. Didn’t even come close. But I had the dream of it and that counted for something. Fast forward decades later and here it is in my hands. Not on a stage, not under lights, but on my bench to breathe some new life into this rock machine. Worn frets telling stories of songs I’ll never hear, miles I didn’t travel, hands that came before mine. My job now isn’t to chase the dream, it’s to honor the life this instrument has already lived and make sure it keeps going.

A full refret is intimate work. You don’t rush it. Every fret pulled is a small piece of history lifted out. Every slot cleaned, every wire seated, it’s a quiet conversation between what was and what’s next. There’s something grounding about it. No noise, no crowd… just intention. She also got a new custom bone nut and some truss rod/nut repair work while here. Her tired old pearloid fretboard markers had shrunk a fair amount over the years and needed replacement and the owner opted for a nice mother of pearl upgrade. Everything dialed right in.

And somewhere in the middle of it, I caught myself thinking about that kid again, the one who just wanted a guitar like this. He wouldn’t believe where we ended up. Not owning it. Not needing to. Just being trusted to care for it.

Funny how the dream doesn’t disappear, it just changes shape.

These days, it’s less about being the one on stage… and more about making sure the instrument is ready for whoever steps into that light next. Forever grateful for all of you out there that’s entrusted me with your beloved guitars over the years 😊🙏❤️ Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

04/13/2026

There’s something humbling about bringing a guitar back to life, especially one like this 1982 Guild D-35 recently just released back into her owner’s loving arms. It’s worn in all the right places. Every mark, every crack, every tired brace tells a story of songs played, years passed, and hands that once held it close. My job isn’t to erase that history, it’s to honor it, to listen carefully, and to give it the strength to sing again. Restoration like this takes patience. It’s quiet work. Late nights, steady hands, and a deep respect for what came before me. You don’t rush a guitar like this, you earn its trust, piece by piece. The owner of this beautiful burst knew it had great bones, but also knew she needed work to get her singing again. After previously restoring a Martin for him some time ago, he came back in to also have this beloved Guild brought back to life and I was happy to do so. I mean, how could I not on this classic great ol Guild that he affectionately named “Guilda”. Please don’t mind the random plethora of photos dumped here of her rehabilitation. I try and do my best to photograph each step of the process as best I can and have some fun along the way. I’ve been doing this for so long now, I find that sometimes most of my pics are overly redundant from one restoration to another to me and maybe considered “over sharing” by some (yes, I’ve heard that before from others 😞). But alas, I keep on doing it. I just feel that these photos are such a huge part of its life’s journey ….right?

She got all of the classic restoration items such as a full refret, neck reset, bridge reset, dialed in slotted bridge with a fresh set of Waverly Iveroid non-slotted custom fitted pins, a new replacement truss cover (custom made as these Guild covers can be super hard to find with correct mount spacing), custom bone nut, custom bone saddle with optimized intonation compensation. Loose brace repair. She did also have to have a number of cracks repaired on her backside and top. I opted to use full length cleating on the backside cracks and required relocating the label to accommodate. She had a top crack that extended right through the sound hole that I repaired via a custom spruce cleat. Everything glued up with hot hide glue.

Love how she all came together. Tone. Playability. All the things. There’s a moment, when the strings go back on, when the first chord rings out again, and suddenly it’s not just wood and wire. It’s alive. Like it never forgot what it was meant to do. Happy Monday my beloved guitar restoration lovers ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏 -Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

04/06/2026

Martin restoration deep dive time for this gorgeous ‘71 Martin D-35 12 string in all of its sloped shoulder slotted peg head awesomeness. Recently released and back in its owners loving arms and I couldn’t be happier with how everything came out. She came in with some serious playability issues resulting from a poor neck angle and a slew of loose and badly worn out frets, etc. She also had a lifting bridge that was in desperate need of a reset along with a full refret. She still had her original ivory nut and saddle and fortunately I was able to incorporate them back into this great guitar. The geometries all beautifully came together to make this happen with just a little adjustment and reshaping.

Surgeries performed: Neck reset. Full compression refret with fretboard leveling. Bridge reset. Original ivory nut and saddle reshaping. Custom fitted Waverley Iveroid bridge pins.

I absolutely loved bringing this one back to life and it’s big unveiling with the owner was nothing short of incredible hearing her sing again and all of the stories regarding this great guitar ❤️❤️❤️ -Tommy Graves, Vermont Guitarworks Hospital

Address

9 Stowe St
Waterbury, VT
05676

Website

http://www.vermontguitarworks.com/

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