Steve Peterson Brings New Life to a “Veteran” Guitar

Heroes’ Voices has a cooperative and successful relationship with Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Gryphon Strings and their customers donate guitars to Heroes’ Voices, and Heroes’ Voices provides guitar lessons and free guitars to veterans. This cooperative program is called “Guitar Corps.”

Steve rebuilds guitar for veterans.
Steve, Rick, and the rebuilt guitar.

Gryphon Strings sells high quality guitars, but they also repair guitars. One of the luthiers working at Gryphon is young man named Steve Peterson. Steve was inspired by the Heroes’ Voices “Guitar Corps” program and decided to embark on a special project.

He took a used, very moderately priced guitar, and did a complete rebuild and restoration of the instrument, all on his own time. Steve invested close to $2,000 worth of man hours and materials to restore a guitar that was only worth a few hundred dollars new. Steve transformed this old, inexpensive guitar into a beautiful new instrument with a clear rich sound that rivals many new top end guitars.

Steve explained the inspiration for the project. A few years ago Steve had several Marine Corps veterans as roommates. These Marine veterans were struggling to get work and fine their place the community. They felt as if they had devoted themselves to a vital cause, but in the end had been discarded.

Steve saw his guitar restoration project as a symbolic way of honoring those Marines. He brought this nearly discarded instrument a new life, and he vowed to get it into the hands of a deserving veteran who can make music with it for years to come.

Heroes’ Voices is honored to be a part of Steve’s vision, and to see it through.