← The Safari

Guitar shops worth the trip in Tennessee

30 shops across 6 areas.

The scene runs through Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, and more. Every entry is researched and dated; open a metro and the marks flag the shops I've visited in person or bought from.

• Nashville

  18 shops

  Three of the country's most significant vintage dealers sit within a few blocks of each other on 8th Avenue South. You could ruin your savings before lunch.

• Knoxville

  4 shops

  The Knoxville stops so far are two Kingston Pike shops, plus a boutique guitar and effects shop up in Powell and a Martin room on the Sevierville parkway.

• Memphis

  3 shops

  The Memphis stops so far are a high-end Midtown room on Poplar Avenue, a Bartlett independent and a call-ahead Cordova boutique out east.

• Chattanooga

  2 shops

  The Chattanooga stops so far are a musician-owned Ringgold Road shop in business since 1996 and a small, Gibson-heavy room near the airport.

• Tri-Cities

  2 shops

  The Tri-Cities stops so far are a Kingsport PRS dealer on Broad Street and a Bristol lap-steel maker.

• Cleveland

  1 shop

  Cleveland's stop is a family-run acoustic and bluegrass shop downtown, about 30 miles up I-75 from Chattanooga.