“The question was, ‘Where would you go to get the ultimate Gibson experience?’ The answer was it didn’t exist – we had to create it”: We went behind the scenes at Gibson Garage London to find out why it’s unlike any other guitar store
The Gibson Garage London – the guitar giant’s first flagship store outside of its Nashville base – opened its doors today and our UK team was on hand for a guided tour of the city’s new guitar mecca, courtesy of Gibson’s Director of Brand Experience, Mark Agnesi.
“I want people to feel like they've walked into Gibson,” says Agnesi. “That they're in Nashville, they walked in and they're seeing not just the guitars, but the history – everything that we're doing right now in one place.”
Head through the double doors of the Gibson Garage London and you’re greeted by a fleet of Gibson guitars – peppered with limited-edition finishes and specs, whirring either side of your head on conveyor belts.
Prototype models – used by stars in development of their signatures – sit in display cases either side of a leather Union Jack sofa, and everywhere you look there’s something guitar-y to catch the eye.
“This was never on my bingo card for life – that I was going to be an interior designer!” jokes Agnesi. “But it really has become one of my favorite parts of my job.”
You can tell. The space feels fun and classy at the same time. From the Custom Shop Made 2 Measure counter (where you can check out some of the firm’s most exclusive builds – and even spec your own), to the Kramer Arcade in the basement, it’s intended to take you on a journey through the Gibson stable.
We’re not here to do Gibson’s marketing for them, but we must admit… it really is unlike any other guitar store we’ve visited.
“That's why the Garage exists,” says Agnesi. “That was the whole question that was posed to me is, ‘Where would you go to get the ultimate Gibson experience?’ To be able to see and play and feel and touch everything that the brand is doing. The answer was it didn't exist – we had to create it.
“So like I said before, when people walk in here, they are walking into Gibson. I want them to feel like they're at the factory, and the guitars are coming out of finishing –and now they're flying around. The Flying Vs are literally flying!”
Agnesi says London’s cultural heritage and legacy within guitar culture, specifically, played a big part in the firm’s decision to open its first store there. The location seems like a savvy call, both on a local and national level.
The city remains Europe’s primary transport hub and, zooming in on the map, the store is located just one block from the city’s Oxford St and Regent St intersection – its major retail hub.
As such, it appears poised to become an easy stop on the tourist trail for any guitar fan visiting the area – and, we suspect, an excuse for a weekend break in London for any that are not.
Agnesi notes that the square footage is a little bit lower than its Nashville counterpart – unsurprising, given London’s Manhattan-like real estate market – but there are still about 300 guitars on display in the space, compared to the 400 or so back in Nashville.
The first Garage has become a cultural part of Nashville. And I'm really hoping that that happens here, too
“Everything Gibson is here on the main floor,” says Agnesi. “And as you go downstairs, Epiphone and Kramer, and the stage and all of the other things that Nashville has are all about. So I think for the amount of space we had, we maximize every inch of it. Or I'm sorry, every centimeter of it… being local here!”
Despite its obvious appeal as a stop on the guitarist tourist trail, Agnesi is keen that the store plays a living, breathing part in the local music scene, too – hosting shows, photography and events for London musicians.
“It's become a fixture in Nashville, a meeting point, where everyone comes to hang out and watch bands and talk about guitars, and it's become a cultural part of Nashville. And I'm really hoping that that happens here, too,” says Agnesi.
“And if it happens here, too, then it's like, ‘Man, we can create this in a lot of different places.’ Do I want to bring it to other cities? Absolutely. They'll tell me where, I'll go start designing it…”
We’re told we’ll be the first to know if and when that happens, but in the meantime, as Agnesi alludes, London feels very much like the test case for Gibson – a chance to see if the formula works away from its Nashville base. Judging by the things we saw and did on our visit, we’d say the chances of it working out are pretty good.
So here are six things you can do at Gibson Garage London that you can’t do at any other guitar store on Earth (apart from Gibson Garage Nashville, of course). Starting with…
1. Get your own custom truss rod cover – while you wait
Gibson Garage London has an onsite CNC machine and can create and inscribe a custom truss rod cover design for you on the spot – finishing it off with white wax in the same way the factory does.
It only costs ￡30 [approx. $39] and, hell, pair it with a set of new pickups and you’ve got yourself a personal signature model… It’s also a nice way to pick up something unique on a visit to the Garage, without having to go all-in on a Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab.
2. Gawp at the guitar conveyor belts
The store houses a sizable lineup of 300 guitars drawn from across Gibson’s inventory, and a significant chunk of them can be seen gliding overhead – hung by their headstock – on two conveyor belts, located either side of the entrance.
It houses a wide variety of models – from Korina Flying Vs to the new slimline Modern Les Paul Lite – and is dotted with custom colors and one-off modded builds. In our visit, we spotted a Les Paul Special in a stunning orange sparkle burst and some killer pastels among the line-up.
It’s a pretty mesmerizing experience. We spent two hours in the Garage and we’d estimate about 104% of that time was spent just watching the carousel. We will also now refuse to look at any guitar lineup that is not presented to us on a conveyor belt.
3. Spec your own custom Les Paul – and choose the top wood
As with the Nashville HQ, the London Garage has a dedicated Made 2 Measure counter, where you can pick and spec your own Gibson build. You can, quite literally, handpick the piece of maple that will top your LP, select the hardware, the finish and the aging level and feel your way around a range of necks – which, incidentally, is a neat way to quickly discern the difference between ’58, ‘59 and ‘60 profiles. Meanwhile, the array of available options and models is only likely to grow from this point on.
If you’re dead-set on such a splurge, we’re told they will accommodate walk-ins where possible, but it’s best to drop them a line via the Garage site if you want to reserve a slot for the full VIP experience. The current turnaround time is expected to be about six months from spec to PLEK.
4. Hold the $20,000 Custom Shop Greeny
We’ve not done the math, but we’re pretty sure no new guitar has generated more press than the cascading launch of Gibson’s 1959 Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul line, from the $50k Collector’s Edition to the $1,499 Epiphone.
There has been a lot hype around the numbers, and with one of the Custom Shop Murphy Lab models on hand, it was interesting to feel what it’s like to hold $20,000-worth of new guitar in your hands.
Surprisingly smooth, is the answer – much fuss is obviously made about its unusual pickup configuration, but the neck was worn to a buttery finish.
The Murphy Lab finishing is, as ever, super-impressive, complete with authentic crack in the headstock – though perhaps not entirely up-to-date now, given Hammett’s tear-inducing prang last year…
Elsewhere on our luxury bucket list, we also ticked off trying the worryingly-vibey 1933 Murphy Lab L-00 ($5,499) – that V-profile neck is intimidating at first, but a lot of fun and it feels insanely light and resonant.
Tom Murphy insists the lacquer they use for the models has opened up new tonal properties when it comes to the acoustics – and we do think there’s something in that.
5. Get your hands on unique merch
If you’re after Gibson swag, well, this is your mecca. Alongside racks of Gibson Garage London merch, there’s all sorts of stuff we’ve rarely/never seen in the UK before – including the J-200 Odessa jacket, all manner of leather goods, a vast array of clothing and, our personal favorite, the matching guitar strap and dog collar sets.
Some of this is available online and had passed us by previously, but much of it is exclusive to the space. Either way, we suspect it’s going to, er, streamline the gift-shopping experience for the families of local guitarists.
6. Play Pac-Man in the Kramer arcade
Your final stop on the journey through the store, once you’ve transgressed the stairs (complete with a showcase of London music photography) and passed through the performance space-cum-Epiphone showroom in the basement, is the Kramer arcade.
Stepping through the doors (hung with Kramer necks as handles) is to walk back in time to an era of neon hope and shred dreams. Agnesi says the corner room is his favorite space of them all, noting “there are no rules” when it comes to Kramer.
There’s a working vintage Ms. Pac-Man machine in the corner, it’s all black-lit with glowing neon cassette tapes adorning the walls and that carpet will make any child of the ’80s feel right at home. It’s like a time capsule version Toy Story’s Pizza Planet, but packed with speedy Kramer guitars…
“Kramer here in London is based off of the bowling alley arcade that I had my ninth birthday party in,” explains Agnesi. “Although I think it turned out better than I remember that arcade, you know? I just want it to be fun. The carpet’s not sticky... yet! This is just the preview. That level of authenticity will come with time!”
For more information on the store, head to Gibson Garage London.
