Guest Author - Beth Green

It’s been called the World’s Largest Guitar, but it’s actually a building shaped like a guitar, and it’s located in Bristol, Tennessee, off of Interstate 81 at exit 74A, right across the highway from the Tennessee Visitor’s Center.

Built in 1983, Joe Morrell’s Grand Guitar is the world’s only guitar-shaped music museum and gift shop. The guitar is 70 feet long and three stories high. The museum houses rare and unusual instruments, from primitive American to exotic instruments.

It’s fitting that this unique museum is located in Bristol, Tennessee, long known as the birthplace of country music. Joe Morrell himself, a long-time resident of Bristol, loved country music and all that it stands for. He was a musician in several country music bands, and was a performer on Bristol’s WCYB radio “Farm & Fun Time” show in the 1950’s.

Morrell founded Morrell Music Stores in 1960, and also started Joe Morrell Music Distributing Company, supplying musical instruments and other products to retailers throughout the United States. Both businesses thrive today.

In 1989, Morrell bought WOPI-AM and moved the studios into the Grand Guitar building. Some programming for WOPI is still broadcast out of the Grand Guitar. Morrell passed away in 2006.

The Grand Guitar was closed and the building abandoned for several years in the early 2000’s, but it is once again open to the public. The gift shop and WOPI studio is on the first floor. The collection of rare and unusual instruments and other music memorabilia is housed in the museum on the upper floors.

The Grand Guitar is open daily from 11:00am-5:00pm. Admission to the museum is free, but donations for upkeep are accepted.