Gruhn GuitarsSave Shop

Since 1963, George Gruhn has distinguished himself as the one to see in Music City - or anywhere for that matter - if you're in the market for a vintage stringed instrument . . . He categorizes his interest in guitars - like that of his staff and most of his clientele - as beyond obsession. 'Those with a serious interest have an addiction, and we've got the goods,' Gruhn says of his customers, who include the heavyweights of popular music - Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney, just to name a handful. - Bone Magazine

Gruhn moved to Nashville in 1969 after getting his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and doing graduate work at Duke University and the University of Tennessee. In 1970, he established Gruhn Guitars, which is one of the largest dealers of vintage and used instruments in the world. The "guitar guru" has been a featured columnist for Vintage Guitar, Guitar Player, Pickin', Frets, and Bluegrass Unlimited. He is the former vice president of research and development for Guild Guitars and designed several models for Tacoma guitars.





On January 2, 1970, Gruhn Guitars Inc. started life at 111 4th Ave N with an inventory of twenty-two instruments. Our first building has since been demolished and was located in what is now the Ryman Alley. It measured 20 x 60 feet and our office equipment consisted of a telephone and an old-style mechanical adding machine. What I knew about running a business at that time could have fit in a thimble with room to spare. Though what we consider to be vintage instruments now were nowhere near as old then, we were very aware these were classic-era pieces far superior to the new ones of the 1970s.

After spending over 15 years in our second location at 410 Broadway, Gruhn Guitars moved three doors down and became a familiar landmark from 1993-2013 in our four-story location at 400 Broadway. The parking lot behind that shop ran right up to the property line where we started out in 1970. While Gruhn Guitars grew tremendously over the years, the store never physically moved more than 100 feet until June 2013 when we relocated to our current home at 2120 8th Ave S. Our new location is a larger building which we customized to suit our needs. This space allows us to display our full inventory of 1,100+ guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, and amplifiers and provides a far better setting for visitors and a more pleasant and effective work environment.

While we have come a long way since 1970, the basic foundation of our business principles remains unchanged. Knowledge, integrity, and service are remarkably low-tech. While we now update our website frequently and provide color photos of every item in our inventory, the ability to properly identify, describe, and appraise these instruments does not come out of a computer. Although we have power equipment in our repair shop, the vast bulk of the work is done by hand using techniques familiar to craftsmen a century ago. Now in our 56th year, George Gruhn, Eric Newell and the rest of the staff of Gruhn Guitars continue to gain knowledge and experience with each passing day and look forward to serving you for many years in the future.

Sincerely,
George Gruhn, Eric Newell and the entire staff of Gruhn Guitars

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