City Beat: Songbirds guitar museum nearing March 10 opening [video]

David Davidson, left, COO and Curator of Songbirds, and Johnny Smith, President of Songbirds Timeless Guitars, stand in front of the new sign before erecting on the historic Chattanooga Choo-Choo building in downtown Chattanooga on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016.
David Davidson, left, COO and Curator of Songbirds, and Johnny Smith, President of Songbirds Timeless Guitars, stand in front of the new sign before erecting on the historic Chattanooga Choo-Choo building in downtown Chattanooga on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016.

About 18 months ago, David Davidson, Johnny E. Smith and Monica Kinsey gathered in an office on Market Street to tell me about a guitar museum they were planning to open at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. It took a few minutes for the real magnitude and scope of the thing to sink in, but once it did, I was pretty convinced it was going to be a huge deal for the Southside and the city as a whole.

photo Barry Courter

Last Friday I was able to see it in real life, and even though workers were only putting a few dozen of the nearly 2,000 instruments on display for a photo-op, it was obvious that I might have underestimated just how cool this thing is going to be.

For months, Smith and Davidson have been telling people that Songbirds Guitar Museum would feature the largest and rarest collection of guitars in the world. Smith has said that for the most part, "people either didn't believe me or didn't understand what I was really talking about."

Most folks seem to think the museum will be packed with guitars once played by famous people. While some might have, that is not the point. Most are in the collection because they are a one-of-a-kind piece, a prototype, part of a series or representative of a certain era.

While guitars get most of the focus, it is actually a collection of all manner of fretless instruments.

One collection we saw on Friday features guitars that helped create the surf music sound championed by guys like Dick Dale. Another case featured vintage banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. Another explains how the Fender Broadcasters, Telecasters and Stratocasters got their names. Think TV and moon launches.

The displays will rotate with about 500 pieces on display at one time. All of the instruments are tuned and played regularly.

Last Friday, we did a Facebook Live tour of the space with Davidson as our guide. He has been responsible for amassing the collection over the last two decades through his business, We Buy Guitars.

The museum is set to open March 10 and is already garnering attention from national media outlets and some famous guitar lovers. USA Today sent a reporter this past weekend, for example.

Songbirds also was included on thrillist.com's Top 15 list of things to look forward to in 2017 around the country.

As you can imagine, museum officials are protective of the celebrity types, but it doesn't take much imagination to believe that anyone who has ever plucked a string would want to visit.

It's going to be a big deal.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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