Behind every great local music scene is a great local guitar shop. Or in the case of Nashville, 467 local guitar shops, according to a quick search I did on Google Maps. Few of these guitar shops, though, have as much personality as Fanny’s House of Music.
Showing up regularly in year-end “Best of Nashville” polls, Fanny’s House of Music has something for very nearly everyone, even non-musicians. Nashville’s golden girl, Taylor Swift, raves about the “sweet ladies who work there and awesome vintage clothes.” That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, feel free to bring in your non-musically-inclined significant other while you browse their selection of instruments- there is an incredible selection of vintage clothing for sale as well.
Pamela Cole and Leigh Maples run Fanny’s and not only are they great musicians themselves (Maples teaches guitar lessons at Fanny’s), they are also super nice people. If there’s any fun or weird-looking guitar on the wall that you want to try – for instance, a crescent moon-shaped electric guitar that is completely see-through – all you have to do is ask and you can give it a shot.
The best thing about shopping at Fanny's? It’s like shopping at a thrift store with only great finds. They get some awesome and weird vintage instruments all the time (Banjolin from the 50s, anyone?). See a cute dress from the 80’s (Holy shoulder pads, Batman!) or a rare old Harmony acoustic guitar? Better grab it quick, because these things don’t stick around too long at Fanny’s.
Whether you’re a musician or not, a visit to Fanny’s offers numerous possibilities. Stop by on the first Sunday of every month at 5 p.m. for their “Four Chord Fiesta” jam sessions, where any song is fair game as long as it’s got four chords or fewer. Or ask Pamela and Leigh about where that big old Gibson hollowbody came from, or how they think it would sound through this weird little Silvertone amp.
Fanny’s is located at 1101 Holly Street in East Nashville, right next to the I Dream Of Weenie van.
Some helpful info from Pamela:
Fanny's mission is to be a music store comfortable for all ages, levels, and genders.
The Ukulele Society meets on the third Monday of every month at 6 p.m.
They host a free family friendly drum circle the first Saturday of every month at 10:30 a.m.
They have private lessons for almost all instruments.
They host Nashville Rock Block. www.nashvillerockblock.org