Guitar Repair & Setup — Lake Placid, NY

Looking for a luthier near Lake Placid? I'm Dan at Lakeside Guitar in Colchester, Vermont — about an hour away via Route 9N and the Charlotte–Essex ferry.

Lake Placid draws serious musicians alongside the Olympic legacy and ski culture — people who've moved here for the quality of life and brought good instruments with them. It's a drive, but Colchester makes a reasonable day trip: ferry in the morning, guitar work while you grab lunch in Burlington, ferry back in the afternoon.

Planning Your Visit

Coming from New York? The Charlotte–Essex ferry puts you in Vermont in about 20 minutes — and I'm less than 15 minutes from the Vermont side. Call ahead and I'll schedule enough bench time to turn your job around the same day, so you're not making a second crossing. Jobs requiring glue, clamps, or multi-day dry time get dropped and picked up on a later run. A little planning goes a long way. Call or text 802-249-4983 before you book.

Services

Setups · Fret Work · Electronics · Repairs · Restoration — and everything in between. Whether it's a quick Restring+ ($50, while you wait), a full Signature Setup ($100–150), electronics work ($150–300), fret leveling ($150–200), or a full refret ($400–600), I quote honestly and track my time so you see exactly where your money went.

I'm a certified warranty technician for Martin and Taylor — which means I can handle warranty claims, order OEM parts, and access factory support directly. If you bought your guitar new and something's wrong, bring it to me before you ship it anywhere.

I work on acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars — and also mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, and most fretted stringed instruments. Brands include Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Fender, PRS, Gretsch, Ibanez, Epiphone, Yamaha, Takamine, and many more, including rare and vintage makes most shops have never seen.

Why Lakeside Guitar

Precision. Guitar repair isn't art — it's math, physics, and materials science. Action is a measurement. Relief is geometry. I use both sides of my brain to find the sweet spot in every instrument.

Passion. I've been playing for over 35 years. I love guitars — all of them, regardless of brand or condition. When you bring me your instrument, I treat it like it matters. Because to you, it does.

Integrity. I'm a straight shooter. If I make a mistake, I'll tell you. If your job is going to run over estimate by more than 15%, I'll call before I proceed. No surprises.

Turnaround:

• While you wait — quick jobs up to ~30 minutes (Restring+, output jack, minor adjustments)
• 2–3 weeks — single-visit jobs on the fast track
• 30–60 days — multi-step projects, handled in order of arrival

What Customers Are Saying

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Can't recommend Dan / Lakeside Guitar enough! I've seen Dan for both a lesson and a repair — communicative, fast, and the result was exactly what I needed."

— Lee Peters — Plattsburgh, NY

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Excellent work. Dan kept me in the loop the entire repair."

— Doug Franz — Plattsburgh, NY

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I took my PRS Custom 24 to Dan to be brought back to life and he delivered. My PRS is now an absolute joy to play."

— Will Downey

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Dan did great work on three of my instruments, including a trickier job on a resonator."

— Neal Hepworth

50+ five-star reviews on Google →

Book or Get an Estimate

Ready to get your guitar playing its best? Schedule online or call/text 802-249-4983. Estimates are always free — I just need to see the instrument in person.

Location: Colchester, Vermont (Malletts Bay) · ~60 minutes via Route 9N and ferry · By appointment only

Also serving: Plattsburgh NY · Peru NY · Burlington VT · Shelburne VT