The Musicians Hall of Fame is a premiere Nashville attraction and the one and only museum in the world that honors the talented musicians who played on the greatest recordings of all time. The music exhibitions offer guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see instruments, studio booths, and more used by some of your favorite artists. From classic country to rock’n’roll, you can find it all at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum.
Key Guitars on Display: Glen Campbell’s 1965 Mosrite Double-Neck 6-String/12-String Electric | Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 Fender Stratocaster | B.B. King’s Epiphone Lucille | Tom Petty’s Gibson SG Junior Electric Guitar | James Burton's 1968 Pink Paisley Fender Telecaster | James Jamerson’s 1961 Fender Precision Bass | Duane Eddy’s Original Guild DE 500
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets the evolving history and traditions of country music. Exhibits like Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present tell the story of country music from its pre-commercial roots in the nineteenth century through its vibrant life today. This exciting, multi-layered experience includes guitars, artifacts, photographs, original recordings, archival videos, newly produced films, touchscreen interactive media, and beautifully rendered text panels. The exhibition immerses the visitor in the history, sights, and sounds of country music, its many stories, and the lives and voices of its creators.
Key Guitars on Display: Maybelle Carter’s 1928 Gibson L-5 Guitar | Hank Williams’ Martin D-28 | Lester Flatt’s Martin D-28 | Merle Travis’ Bigsby custom-made solid-body electric guitar
The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar and music experience, including its state-of-the-art stage for live and virtual live-streaming 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. At the Gibson Garage, fans can try 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.
Key Guitars on Display: Late-1800 Orville Gibson Original Instruments | Celebrity Owned Guitars | Guitars featured in Hollywood’s biggest releases like “Elvis” and “A Star is Born”
Christie and Walter Carter founded Carter Vintage Guitars in November 2012 with the vision of providing a comfortable place for fine fretted instruments and the people who appreciate them. Located in The Gulch neighborhood, you won’t be able to miss the ultimate photo op in front of the vintage guitar mural that can be found on the side of the building.
The Gallery of Iconic Guitars (GIG) at Belmont is Music City’s premier venue designed to celebrate some of the rarest and most iconic guitars and stringed instruments ever known. The GIG features an intimate experience for visitors to view these prized instruments up-close, along with historically and technically in-depth information on each.
Key Guitars on Display: Fender Broadcaster, 1950 | Gibson Les Paul Standard, 1960 | Gibson F-5 Mandolin, Lloyd Loar, 1923
Founded in 1970 by George Gruhn, an expert on vintage American guitars and related instruments, Gruhn Guitars is a musical instrument store in Nashville. The store became known as a mecca for professional musicians and well-heeled collectors of vintage musical instruments, including such notable artists as Duane Allman, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant, Sturgill Simpson, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, and Rick Nielsen. Now, visitors can explore the full inventory of 1,100+ guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, and amplifiers at Gruhn Guitars.
Bruce Forman and Pat Bergeson will take The Jazz Cave at the Nashville Jazz Workshop stage on Friday, February 2, and Saturday, February 3, 2024, to honor American music icons Chet Atkins and Barney Kessel. This year, Atkins and Kessell would be 100 and 101, respectively, which spurred featured artists to develop a show to celebrate the impact of the two artists. Forman and Bergeson are both acclaimed musicians who will be playing on guitars originally owned by Chet Atkins and Barney Kessel. Performing on these historic guitars provides an opportunity to celebrate the history and cultural impact of these legendary artists, as well as guitar making in Nashville.
The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is the only museum of its kind dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of Black music in America. The museum’s expertly curated collections share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present. The Museum preserves and celebrates more than 50 music genres and styles that were created, influenced, and/or inspired by African Americans, including spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip hop. The six distinct galleries feature guitars, artifacts, objects, memorabilia, clothing, and state-of-the-art technology designed to share a different narrative and a unique perspective on African American music and history.