Instrument Repair
Bristol, VA
After working on the road as a sound engineer for the bluegrass fiddler Michael Cleveland, KT Vandyke found himself back in Southwest Virginia, doing instrument repair and setup at Front Row Music in Abingdon. There he met master luthier Walter “Skip” Herman of the nearby Frog Level Guitar Shop. Herman had learned the luthier trade from “Uncle” Dave Sturgill in Piney Creek, North Carolina, and decided to pursue repair full-time once he saw the reliable demand for, and importance of the work. As Herman explains, “You can make the very best instrument in the world and if there is no one out there to repair it, it’s like having a Ferrari where there’s no mechanic in the world who can fix it.”
Herman and Vandyke became friends and soon Vandyke was working in Herman’s backyard workshop learning the ropes. In 2021–22, the two received support through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Because of Herman’s generosity and dedication towards ensuring his skills continue, Vandyke has launched his own full-time instrument repair career, and has recently built and moved into his own shop in Bristol, VA under the Frog Level Guitar Shop name. Herman sold the business to him just prior to the COVID pandemic, empowering Vandyke to continue his legacy of excellent repair.
Born and raised in the black diamond valleys of Buchanan County, Vandyke is also a talented singer-songwriter. He has opened for numerous acts throughout the years such as Jason Isbell, Pokey LaFarge, Blackberry Smoke, and many more. He is also releasing a new EP of original music this coming January. The collection will feature five original tracks produced by Grammy-winning cellist and producer Dave Eggar, and was recorded in Bristol, VA.
KT received a Tradition Bearers Fellowship from the Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team, supported by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions initiative. KT will be in the Appalachian Traditions tent in the Virginia Folklife Area on Saturday, October 14 and Sunday, October 15, and will be performing in the “New Sounds of Bristol” set with his wife Toni Doman on Sunday, October 15 at 12 p.m
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