In celebration of the unveiling of the newly revamped 30,000-square-foot flagship Hollywood store located on historic Sunset Boulevard, Guitar Center hosted a full week of events beginning October 29. The week included workshops, clinics and live performances and culminated on Saturday, November 3, with a Mural Commemoration Ceremony, RockWalk inductions and a secret block-party style performance with two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist Anderson Paak.
The remodeled store features a tremendous assortment of musical instruments, a 15-foot-long interactive 182-pedal display, a 24-foot-wide snare drum wall, interactive brand displays from top manufacturers such as Fender and Gibson, and the retailer’s largest standalone vintage guitar room with exclusive and rare vintage instruments. Music memorabilia is also showcased throughout the store, including Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” Fender Stratocaster and other gear from such influential artists as BB King, Slash, Johnny Cash, Eddie Van Halen and St. Vincent. Throughout the week, Guitar Center worked with key vendors such as Fender, Roland, Native Instruments, Zildjian, Elektron, Chapman Guitars, Jammcard and Ibanez to create one-of-a-kind experiences for store visitors.
The celebratory week of events had something for everyone including:
- A daily track breakdown by Christian James Hand, a British musician, music producer, radio personality and voice-over artist;
- A focus on electronic music presented by Elektron;
- A guitar clinic with Rob Chapman, founder of Chapman Guitars;
- Hip-hop/DJ events featuring Babu & Mr. Choc from the Beat Junkies;
- DJ Ease, producers Battlecat and J ROCC (presented by Roland);
- All things drumming with a panel discussion and live performances hosted by Jammcard, the Zildjian Experience with master cymbal maker Paul Francis and live performance by YouTube sensations Luke Holland and Jason Richardson;
- An afternoon with the Fender Custom Shop Road Show followed by an up-close-and-personal guitar clinic/performance by female guitar hero Nita Strauss.
The weeklong celebration culminated on Saturday, November 3, and included closing down Sunset Boulevard to host an array of events. The day began with a Mural Commemoration Ceremony. Designed by renowned street artists Amanda Lynn, Scott Marsh and Patrick Griffith, Guitar Center’s new mural prominently features Jimi Hendrix, and was unveiled by Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu with an official city proclamation honoring the mural, music makers and dreamers in a way that is uniquely true to Los Angeles.
Following the mural presentation, Guitar Center honored its newest RockWalk inductees. Hosted by global radio personality Zane Lowe with a special appearance by Angela Bassett, the ceremony presented Guitar Center’s esteemed RockWalk Inductions to GRAMMY-nominated singer, drummer, and percussionist Sheila E. and DW Founders Don Lombardi and John Good.
The finale included a surprise block-party style performance in front of the Hollywood store, headlined by two-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist Anderson .Paak with an opening EDM set by Fool’s Gold record label owner A-Trak.
“Guitar Center’s $5 million-dollar investment into our newly revitalized Hollywood flagship location transforms it into one of the largest musical instrument stores in the world, full of the greatest selection of music instruments, accessories, music memorabilia, state-of-the-art lessons facilities and more,” said Ron Japinga, Chief Executive Officer, Guitar Center. “Exemplifying our deep commitment and investment in the music industry, we are thrilled to unveil our reimagined flagship location to the public. The redesigned Hollywood store represents a renewal of our legacy, which lies at the heart of L.A.’s music scene and celebrates the rebirth of an icon – the greatest music store on earth.”
At a time when many retailers across the U.S. are reimagining the brick and mortar space, Guitar Center is growing its retail footprint and accelerating experiential retail for musicians. Its 290 current stores will be joined by up to eight new locations planned for 2019, including a new Guitar Center presence in Hawaii and Alaska.
