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Jeff Suthers Guitar Repair, located in Broomfield, CO, is a valuable partner in supporting our mission. Coordinating with Gillian at LoCo Guitar Works, Jeff and Gillian ensure that all donated guitars and basses are repaired and restored, ready for students’ hands.
To spotlight the incredible work that makes our mission possible, we’re excited to feature our repair and drop-off partners. Bringing Music to Life is grateful to partner with Jeff in supporting music education in Colorado.
How long have you been involved with Bringing Music to Life, and what is your role in the instrument donation/repair process? Please introduce yourself to our community!
I’ve been surrounded by music my entire life, and I've been playing, writing, and recording for over 35 years. My love of tinkering with guitars led me to apprentice with a couple of local luthiers, and in 2001 I began doing repairs professionally. I started my journey with BMTL in 2022 while working for a local guitar shop. After the shop sold last year, I took on the program with Gillian's support at LoCo Guitar Works. We are proud to continue our partnership with BMTL, and the program has continued to grow and flourish, with over 100 instruments supplied for the 2026 school year and dozens more refurbished for resale.
As a business that is rooted in the Colorado music education community, why is Bringing Music to Life needed?
It’s crucial to keep music education programs available to anyone who has the desire to learn to play. With a decline in financial support for the arts, BMTL is a great example of what can be accomplished by raising awareness and bringing a community together to provide students with what they need to follow their passion. There are so many abandoned instruments in the world waiting to be played! Often, older guitars can sound better or more unique than new, mass-produced versions. Sometimes all it takes is the right guitar to inspire you. Also, refurbishing existing instruments reduces waste and consumption of materials that are becoming less sustainable every day.
What is the most interesting instrument and/or story you've come across through BMTL?
We’ve had some interesting instruments come across our repair desk, including a 1975 Mossman Tennessee Flat Top, a 1968 Gibson J-45, a 1950s Vicente Sanchis classical guitar, a 1961 Gibson LG0, and a 2009 Fender '52 Tele Reissue. This past year’s donations included a 1971 Fender Mustang, a 1970s Fender Musicmaster Bass, and a 1960s Epiphone Melody Maker. Although many of these unique or vintage instruments may not be suitable for a beginning player, they are a huge help to the program in bringing in additional funding for labor costs, parts, cases, strings, or fulfilling other instrument requests that weren’t covered by the donations. Sometimes a unique donation finds the perfect home, like the Bajo Quinto we received this year, which needed some TLC but ended up playing beautifully and went to Frederick High School.
Have you ever come across one of the instruments you've repaired "in the wild?"
I haven't come across any of our repaired instruments out in the wild yet, but I hope they are getting played and folks are enjoying their musical journey!
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