chasing vintage guitars inc.

What chasing vintage guitars inc. does

Atlanta Vintage Guitars (AVG) is a privately held, brick-and-mortar vintage guitar retailer founded in the late 1980s/early 1990s by Frank Moates and incorporated in 1998. The store operates from a single location at 3778 Canton Road Suite 400, Marietta, Georgia, and is currently owned by Greg Henderson, who acquired the business from Moates' estate on June 28, 2011. AVG sells new and vintage guitars, basses, amplifiers, pedals, and accessories both in-store and via a Shopify-powered e-commerce site (110 products listed across categories including 41 electric guitars, 13 acoustics, 5 basses, 17 pedals, and 26 accessories), with parallel distribution through the Reverb marketplace.

The company's revenue model is multi-stream: (1) retail hardware sales (new and vintage instruments from Fender, Gibson, Martin, Guild, Rickenbacker, and distributed brands Danelectro, Kepma, and Peavey), (2) professional services including guitar and amp repair, setups, and appraisals, (3) trade-ins and consignment transactions, and (4) embedded financing through an Affirm partnership introduced in 2025. Pricing is unit-based and ranges from $22.50 for branded merchandise to $22,500 for high-end vintage pieces.

The business differentiates on heritage and curation: the store's provenance includes documented sales to Billy Gibbons (early 1950s blackguard Esquire), Jimmy Page and Devin Townsend visits, and the Joe Perry Les Paul that passed through to Slash. In 2025, AVG launched the inaugural Atlanta Vintage Guitar Show (nearly 70 dealers, 1,200 guests) and a merchandise line, and operates proprietary services including the Guitar Registry matchmaking service and a planned relaunch of the Guitars for Hearts charity program. The brand is promoted through YouTube content collaborations (Guitar Lovers TV pilot, Rhett Shull, Music is Win), TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, with Vintage Guitar magazine advertising as a historical channel.

Name

chasing vintage guitars inc.

Legal name

Atlanta Vintage Guitars

Website

https://atlantavintageguitars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atlanta Vintage Guitars is a privately held Marietta, Georgia retailer of new and vintage guitars, gear, and accessories, offering repair, appraisal, trade-in, and consignment services to individual musicians and collectors via a physical store, Shopify storefront, and Reverb marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vintage and Used Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALAEAA

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Music Instruments & Sheet Music Retail

SECONDARYCRALAEAH

Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Music Instruments & Sheet Music Retail

SECONDARYCRALAEAF

Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Music Instruments & Sheet Music Retail

SECONDARYCRALAEAC

Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Music Instruments & Sheet Music Retail

Keywords

• Vintage guitar retail
• Musical instrument sales
• Guitar repair services
• Instrument appraisals
• Used gear marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail guitar and gear sales: Physical and online retail sales of new and vintage guitars, amplifiers, pedals, and accessories. Carries brands including Fender, Gibson, Martin, Guild, Rickenbacker, Danelectro, Kepma, and Peavey.
2. Repair and setup services: Professional guitar and amp repair services, setups, and appraisals offered to customers.
3. Trade-ins and consignments: Accepts trade-ins and consignment items from customers looking to sell their instruments.
4. Financing services: Partnership with Affirm to offer financing options to customers, similar to Reverb's financing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Atlanta Vintage Guitars (AVG) is a brick-and-mortar and online retailer of new and vintage electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, accessories, ukuleles, audio mixers, and branded merchandise from brands including Fender, Gibson, Martin, Guild, Rickenbacker, Danelectro, Kepma, and Peavey. The company also provides professional guitar and amplifier repair and setup services, instrument appraisals, trade-ins, and consignment sales, supported by in-house expertise and The Guitar Registry matching service. Distribution combines a Marietta, GA storefront with a Shopify e-commerce site and a Reverb marketplace seller presence.

Product overview

Atlanta Vintage Guitars (AVG) operates as a brick-and-mortar vintage guitar retail store with an integrated e-commerce platform. The company offers a diverse portfolio of musical instruments and gear including acoustic guitars (13 products), electric guitars (41 products), bass guitars (5 products), guitar amplifiers (3 products), guitar pedals (17 products from brands like Catalinbread and Biner), guitar accessories (26 products), ukuleles (5 products), and audio mixers (4 products). The store also carries merchandise including AVG T-Shirts and branded hats. Beyond retail, AVG provides services including professional guitar appraisals, repair and setups, trade-ins, and consignments. The company has developed unique services like The Guitar Registry and hosts the annual Atlanta Vintage Guitar Show. AVG is a trusted seller on Reverb and operates from a physical location in Marietta, Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 70 dealers from across the US and 1200 guests attended the first Atlanta Vintage Guitar Show in 2025

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AffirmminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025AVG partnered with Affirm to offer financing options to customers, matching the same financing options available through Reverb marketplace. This allows customers to pay for purchases in installments.
• ReverbcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAVG is a trusted and high-rated seller on Reverb marketplace, shipping guitars to buyers across the country. Reverb is a major platform for buying and selling new and vintage musical instruments.
• DanelectrominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAVG is a distributor for Danelectro guitars alongside Kepma and Peavey.
• KepmaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAVG is a distributor for Kepma guitars alongside Danelectro and Peavey.
• PeaveyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAVG is a distributor for Peavey guitars alongside Danelectro and Kepma.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norman's Rare Guitar Tykes: Long-established vintage and rare guitar retailer based in Tarzana, California, serving collectors and professional musicians with curated high-end instruments and consignment — directly comparable to AVG's vintage curation model and celebrity clientele.
• Wildwood Guitars: Colorado-based retailer specializing in new, vintage, and boutique electric guitars and amps with a strong content-driven online presence — comparable product mix, target buyer, and DTC/component digital strategy as AVG.
• Chicago Music Exchange: Specialty retailer of new, vintage, and used guitars and gear with a strong content/youtube presence and a high-rated Reverb storefront — directly comparable to AVG on curation, used-and-vintage mix, and digital marketing.
• Truetone Music: Santa Monica guitar shop with new, vintage, and used gear plus repair services and a robust Reverb storefront — directly comparable services-plus-retail model and premium vintage focus.
• Carter Vintage Guitars: Nashville-based vintage and used guitar boutique with deep artist/collector relationships and consignment focus, selling through a Reverb storefront and physical showroom — analogous curation and customer base to AVG.
• Rudy's Music Shop: New York City vintage and rare guitar retailer serving rock-legend clientele (e.g., Jimmy Page), with curated high-end instruments and consignment — directly comparable to AVG's heritage business and collector focus.
• Elderly Instruments: Long-standing Lansing, Michigan-based retailer of new and used acoustic and electric instruments with repair and consignment services — comparable breadth of MI retail, services, and reputation among discerning players.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetwater Sound: Large online musical instrument and pro audio retailer with strong customer service, in-house financing, and broad new-instrument inventory — competes with AVG on new gear and accessories even though it is less focused on vintage.
• Reverb: Largest online marketplace dedicated to new, used, and vintage musical instruments and gear. Both a channel partner and a broad incumbent competitor to AVG for high-value vintage buyers nationwide.
• Guitar Center: Largest US multi-store musical instrument retailer carrying new and used gear across all price points. A broad incumbent that competes with AVG across both walk-in and online buyers at every tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AtlantaVintageGtrs
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtlantaVintageGuitars
• Instagraminstagram.com/atlantavintageguitars
• TikToktiktok.com/@atlanta.vintage.guitars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atlanta-vintage-guitars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about chasing vintage guitars inc.