Bristol, Tennessee - Grand Guitar

The Guitar-shaped store used to be amazing, according to my road-trip buddy/fiance. While growing up in SW Virginia, they would often go to this place to check out instruments and other music paraphernalia. Now the store looks pretty sad, though - its strings are broken and hanging down to the ground and some of its windows are broken. Still, makes for a very cool place to strike your best air guitar pose. [Laura, 12/06/2009]

The guitar building is still there. But, it looks like it has been closed for a long, long time. No museum, no radio station. [anonymous, 05/04/2009]

The Grand Guitar building in Bristol reopened a few weeks ago after being vacant for years. It is billed as Joe Morrell Grand Guitar, the world's only guitar-shaped music museum. We stopped by to get a picture and realized it was open. Downstairs houses guitars and music for sale and a setup of the control room of WOPI radio. Upstairs houses the museum with a fascinating collection of instuments and other music memorabilia. [Kenny, 08/13/2004]

I drove past the Grand Guitar 2 weeks ago. It's been closed for about 2 years now. The building and such is beginning to fall in. The most common question at the visitor's building across the highway: What was that building? [Anita Smallin, 03/08/2003]

I know you already have the Grand Guitar listed at your site, but here's a recent photo. [Roger Donahue, 01/20/2001]

[RA: In 1983, owner Joe Morrell built this three story, 70 foot long Martin guitar. The Grand Guitar Museum within exhibits rare instruments shaped like a shovel, elephant, pig, and one made out of an armadillo. The Guitar faces I-81, directly across from TN Welcome Center.]