Chattanooga, Tennessee’s newest attraction opens March 10 with the debut of the Songbirds Guitar Museum, with a collection of 1,700 “significant” guitars from the early 20th century to the 1970s.
Its 7500-square-foot space will display about 500 guitars at a time in rotating exhibits, grouped by themes such as manufacturer, era, music genres and more. Also included are some mandolins and banjos, as well as memorabilia. Its 1,700 instruments make it one of the largest collections in the world.
The museum is focused on the guitars themselves, their craftsmanship and significance, rather than on the personalities who may have played them, but it has named a ‘name’ as its ambassador: Vince Gill, Grammy-winning country musician, and himself a serious collector of stringed instruments.
The collection is valued at more than $200 million (amazing!) and includes over 300 custom-color one-of-a-kind Gibsons and Fenders.
