About Scott MacDonald

Building and repairing guitars is my way of paying it forward.

I’ve been earning a living at building, repairing and restoring guitars, basses, ukuleles, banjos and fretted instruments for over 25 years. I feel blessed to be able to earn a living doing what I love. My instruments have been featured in newspapers, magazines, books, network and cable news shows, and even a short film made by TIME for Lincoln Motors, where I was showcased in a series featuring innovative designers. My shop has been a factory-authorized service/warranty center for Martin, Taylor, and Gibson guitars for over 25 years. Of course, I work on instruments made by all manufacturers. I repair everything from modern instruments to vintage and historic instruments.

I enjoy taking on projects that others see as hopeless, and love saving the life of these instruments for my customers. I also have written feature columns in several guitar magazines, but decided to stop writing columns a few years ago because I realized I’d already talked enough for a lifetime, and just wanted to work.

Scott featured in a series of short films about designers, by Lincoln Motors

Customers send me work from around the world, and a fair amount of my business comes from people who are happy to ship to me, because they want me to do the work. This means a great deal to me and I am thankful to be able to help in this way. My customers range from famous recording artists with rare and valuable instruments, to beginners with inexpensive guitars. Everybody’s instrument is equally important when on my workbench. Everybody matters.

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From 1991 until Spring of 2017 my shop was located on Long Island, New York. It’s not a place where I ever felt particularly at home, and life there simply got too noisy and crowded. I’ve returned to my New England roots, purchasing a property in Chester, Vermont. The lifestyle I want is here, where I can breathe clean air, give my family a better quality of life, grow food, and help people out in a quiet way. My new 875-square-foot guitar making and repair studio is perched in the middle of a forest, and is the workshop of my dreams. It’s a modern post and beam building with flawless climate-control and a diverse range of interesting tools and fixtures. I’ve worked hard to make it among the best-equipped independent guitar building and repair shops in the world.

I know that your instruments are an important part of your life, and that matters to me. I treat every guitar repair and restoration project as if the instrument were my own. Many customers send me instruments that have been passed down from family members; these have so much sentimental value, and are precious to you for obvious reasons. This is not lost on me, and I consider it an honor to be part of such an important process for people.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. -Scott

To read more about my journey to Vermont, please read this blog post.