A Visit To Gruhn Guitars
I visited Gruhn Guitars, a downtown Nashville staple that was established in 1970 to photograph owner, George Gruhn. He allowed me to look through the store and shoot whatever I wanted while I was there. I was overwhelmed by how many instruments he had in his inventory including many rare and very expensive musical items. I wanted to showcase the part of George many people might not be aware of with his business and his personal life.
George has 25 employees, these include his sales staff and his instrument repair specialist. As George gave me a tour of the upstairs in this historical downtown Nashville location, he shared with me that music was always a love but he actually went to college to be a Zoologist. His undergraduate studies were in animal behavior at the University of Chicago. He graduated from Duke with a degree in Zoology and did further studies in animal behavior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
I quickly realized George’s love of animals as he took me through different rooms on different floors some with multiple aquariums showcasing fifteen different snakes. He also introduced me to his African grey parrot named Boid who resides in his upstairs office. He shared with me that at home he has two African serval cats, three Felis chaus cats, and one plain ole house cat. I
When I questioned how George ended up in the guitar industry he said it started as a hobby that over time turned into a lucrative business.
I started my morning wanting to shoot from a journalistic perspective offering the viewer a vision of George, and what happens behind the scenes. I also wanted to showcase some of my favorite instruments from his collection. Focusing on the private upstairs areas of the building I spent my time in different rooms above the showroom.
These are a few images from my brief visit.
(above) Fiddle peghead….
(above) Scott Kinsey repairing a 1930’s Martin acoustic.
(above) George Gruhn playing a 1970’s Martin OM-45 guitar.
(above) Greg Voros repairing a L-5 CES Gibson
(above) George with his parrot “Boid” who he has had since 1993 when she was 12 weeks old.
(above) Epiphone 1930 banjo…a very rare item.
(above) George with his bull snake, one of fifteen snakes that are kept safely in aquariums in his office.
I am an admirer of beautiful guitars and other instruments although I am not much of a musician. My love of music has given me a great appreciation for the specialists who have the ability to repair rare vintage high-end instruments. George is well known for his repair, restoration, and rare vintage instrument collections not only in Nashville but around the country.
I had a wonderful visit with George and his staff. Oddly I can see a correlation of Zoology with George’s love of instruments. Like Zoology, his guitar business also requires research with tracking, history, and other very specific research details of each item at his store.
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