Celebrating 20 years of guitarguitar: Behind the employee-owned gear retailer that’s revolutionizing the music industry

Guitarguitar.

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of guitarguitar – one of the UK’s most cherished gear retailers, which recently announced a radical shakeup to its ownership structure.

Since it was first launched as a passion project in 2004 by Kip McBay and Graham Bell in Scotland, guitarguitar has grown to become the UK’s largest guitar retailer, expanding its team to include 160 expert employees and boasting six brick-and-mortar stores across the country.

Last year, guitarguitar took the step to transition into an Employee Ownership Trust, making it the UK’s first employee-owned company to adopt this model. 

Under this structure, every member of the team has an equal say in the company's future, and as such each employee is further dedicated to providing an exceptional experience to curious consumers, who may be in the market for a new guitar, amp, effects pedal, some accessories, or any other piece of guitar gear they could possible need.

“Becoming an employee-owned company was a natural next step for us," notes co-founder McBay. "Our employees have always been the heart and soul of this business, and this new structure ensures that they have an even greater stake in guitarguitar's continued success.”

Indeed, the store has come a long way since it first opened, and now the retailer will be celebrating its 20th birthday in style with a dedicated “Ibanez Month”.

For the month of August this year, guitarguitar has announced a packed schedule of artist interviews, special deals and pop-up events, putting a spotlight on a brand that is just as forward-thinking as themselves.

(Image credit: guitarguitar)

Highlights from the crammed itinerary include Alternative Acoustic clinics – where expert players will be on hand to showcase Ibanez’s latest acoustics and helping customers find the perfect model for them – and a celebration of “the great modern electric guitar”, the Ibanez RG.

Head over to guitarguitar to read the full blog of the history of the iconic Ibanez RG, and take a look around the wider site to find all the latest deals they have on offer and keep up to date with Ibanez Month.