Gibson, the iconic, American instrument brand presents the Gibson Garage, the ultimate guitar experience. Come to the Gibson Garage to explore Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Mesa Boogie and KRK, try your favorite electric and acoustic guitars, and shop for your favorite guitar, accessories, and surprises.
The historic 8,000 square foot shop will officially open to the public on Wednesday, June 9 at the historic Cummins Station located on 209 10th Avenue South, Nashville, TN in the heart of downtown Nashville. Whether you are a seasoned professional musician, a casual guitar player, a beginner, or simply a music fan, the Gibson Garage is a must-see destination in Nashville.
For 127 years, Gibson has shaped sound across generations and genres and has emerged as the most relevant, played, and loved guitar brand around the world. Step inside the new Gibson Garage to explore and shop the collections, experience exclusive, live music performances, catch a taping of the award-winning Gibson TV series, and explore generations of music history including the stories behind the music with captivating, interactive installations and programming.
"The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar experience where our past, present and future comes to life for fans and artists right here in Music City," says James "JC" Curleigh, CEO of Gibson Brands. "This is also our opportunity to contribute to the amazing music and guitar culture that we've been a part of for over a century. We can't wait to share the Gibson Garage with our fans and future fans." "The Gibson Garage is the epitome of when the legendary creativity of the original brand perfectly coincides with the vision of the future of the modern electric and acoustic guitar," adds Joe Bonamassa. "Congratulations on a job well done."
"You can't have a guitar town like Nashville without Gibson representing, and they do it with the Garage in an incredibly thoughtful way," says singer-songwriter-musician Maggie Rose. "The space is great for performances and jamming with other Nashville artists or artists passing through town, but the storefront also draws in music lovers from all over the world who come to see the space that delivers the history and a plethora of guitars."
"The Gibson Garage is a magical place and elicits the same feeling a deep Disney fan feels walking into Disneyland for the first time," says singer-songwriter-producer, Celisse. "To see all those guitars on the belt and you can reach out and play any guitar of your choosing, it is truly unlike anything I have ever experienced. The Gibson Garage is amazing."
The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar and music experience, including its state-of-the-art stage for live and virtual livestreaming concert performances. The Gibson Garage combines a modern guitar environment with interactive brand storytelling, a Custom Shop to build your own guitar, historical and celebrity memorabilia displays, a Repair and Restoration Center, and a public retail shopping experience across Gibson, Gibson Acoustic, Gibson Custom Shop, Epiphone, Kramer, MESA/Boogie, and KRK. At the Gibson Garage, fans can try all our guitars across brands and collections as well as take a piece of history home with one-of-a-kind, in-store offers on limited-edition guitars, instruments, gear, accessories, and exclusive Gibson apparel.
Fans across the globe that are unable to visit Nashville can experience the Gibson Garage global grand opening--on Wednesday, June 9--via the global virtual concert "Gibson Live: A Celebration of Artists to Benefit Gibson Gives" airing worldwide at 6:30p CT/7:30 ET via Gibson TV: Here. The concert features performances from Warren Haynes, Margo Price, Kip Moore, James Bay, Sergio Vallin of Maná, Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of Halestorm, Marcus King, Orianthi, Samantha Fish, Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden, Tak Matsumoto, Celisse, Emily Wolfe, Jared James Nichols with Joe Bonamassa, and more. "Gibson Live …," will benefit Gibson Gives--the 501c3 charitable arm of Gibson--which supports musicians worldwide and is committed to making the world a better place by creating and supporting other non-profit organizations in their efforts to advance musicians, as well as youth-focused education and wellness initiatives. 100% of the "Gibson Live…," donations will go to two powerful organizations making positive changes: MusiCares--a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community--and Save the Music--helping kids, schools, and communities discover their full potential through the power of making music.
For the latest news and updates on the Gibson Garage opening, be sure to follow @officialgibsongarage on Instagram or visit the official website at https://www.gibson.com/garage.
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Name: Edward Sarkis Balian
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo
The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.
Okay, I plead guilty to having owned over 150 electric guitars in the past 60 years. So, for kicks, with my experience by way of Fender, Gibson, Ricky, Gretsch, PRS, Guild, Teisco, and others, I decided to attempt to make my own axes from scratch. I found that this endeavor was synergistic—much like envisioning, composing, performing, and recording a song. With my long-time San Diego techie, Val Fabela, doing the assembly, I started carefully designing, engineering, and procuring all of the components.
Our winning guitar builder, Edward Sarkis Balian.
The Vincent van Gogh Stratocaster, aka “Vinnie,” was the initial project. Starting with a Canadian alder body, an artist in Italy (who wishes to remain anonymous) applied the Starry Night painting to the front, sides, and back. The heavily flamed, roasted maple neck has the typical 21 frets with a 25.5" scale, and sports yellow pearl-dot inlays. After careful consideration of my playing styles, I went with a configuration using Fender ’57/’62 Stratocaster pickups. I used an upgraded, noiseless, 5-position Switchcraft assembly for the switching circuit. Fender locking tuners, a custom-fitted bone nut, and a Kluson K2PTG 2-point whammy system and brass bridge complete the low-action setup. Overall gold hardware completes the look. Vinnie’s fighting weight is 7.1 pounds.
This is what stars look like from further in space, at least as far as this special build is concerned.
I was so happy with this Strat that I decided it needed a brother, so I started on a Tele. Logically, I named the Tele “Theo,” after Vincent van Gogh’s younger brother. Again, with a Starry Night body painted by the same artist, I coupled a Canadian alder body with a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Stratocaster neck. (Hey, if it was good enough for Jimi to experiment with a Strat neck on a Tele body, why not try it?) And, as expected, my techie Val did a brilliantjob of joining the neck to the body.
The Van Gogh Tele, aka “Theo,” built to similar specs as the Strat and also featuring a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Strat neck.
For pickups, I went with Fender’s vintage-correct ’64 Tele set. As for a harness, the super-quality Hoagland Custom 4-position switching is unique, in that it gives a 15 percent boost and a very killer tone in position 4! Fender locking tuners, a custom-cut bone nut, and a Gotoh GTC201 brass bridge completes its setup. Gold hardware complements the overall look. Strangely enough (or perhaps hereditary?), the Tele matches his Strat brother’s weight exactly, at 7.1 pounds.
It's not in a museum, the the Theo guitar is certainly a work of art.
But how do they sound? Magnificent!Throw in my trusty Keeley compressor, Fulltone OCD, and Fender or Mesa/Boogie tube amps, and the van Gogh boys both easily equal or surpass my White Penguin, White Falcon, PRS Custom 22, Lucille 345 stereo, 335, SG TV, Les Paul Standard, Esquire, or Joan Jett.
I’m hoping the real van Gogh brothers would have been proud of these two magical, musical namesakes.
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
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