Eddie's Guitars
Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique guitar retailer founded in 1971 in Maplewood, Missouri, specializing in premium electric and acoustic guitars, basses, amps, and effects from 40+ premium and boutique brands, serving serious musicians and collectors worldwide via appointment-only showroom and e-commerce.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersMaplewood, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Eddie's Guitars does
Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique guitar retailer founded in 1971 by Ed Putney in Historic Maplewood, Missouri, and operated since 2000 with his son Nathan Putney. The business specializes in high-end electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories, curating inventory from over 40 premium and boutique manufacturers including Gibson, Fender, Martin, PRS, Collings, Suhr, Taylor, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, and Fodera. Pricing on individual guitars ranges from approximately $1,799 to over $13,999, with the electric category alone holding 964 listed products, supplemented by acoustic, bass, amp, effects, used, and consignment inventory.
The commercial model is a hybrid appointment-only physical showroom and BigCommerce-powered e-commerce site that ships globally, supported by dedicated phone and email customer-service lines. The company differentiates via curated boutique-only assortment, personalized expert-led demos, the All Access Pass membership program, and the Eddie's Exclusive Guitars sub-brand offering one-of-a-kind instruments built to hand-selected specifications. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying infrastructure is standard retail e-commerce, with content marketing driven primarily through a YouTube channel (21K subscribers, 878 videos, 7.4M views), Instagram, Facebook, and email.
Revenue mechanics rest on one-time hardware sales at premium ASPs, a consignment transaction-fee stream for sellers, and the recurring-engagement All Access Pass membership. Customers are individual serious musicians and collectors rather than enterprise accounts, and there is no disclosed headcount, revenue, or external investment, leaving the company as a privately-held single-location retailer with global reach but limited data transparency.
Eddie's Guitars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Eddie's Guitars
- Legal name
- Eddie's Guitars
- Website
- https://eddiesguitars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique guitar retailer founded in 1971 in Maplewood, Missouri, specializing in premium electric and acoustic guitars, basses, amps, and effects from 40+ premium and boutique brands, serving serious musicians and collectors worldwide via appointment-only showroom and e-commerce.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Eddie's Guitars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Boutique Guitar Retail
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH), Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent) (CRALAEAC)
Keywords
Where Eddie's Guitars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Maplewood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Eddie's Guitars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Guitar and Instrument Sales: Retail sales of high-end electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, and effects pedals. Products range from $1,799 to $13,999+ for individual instruments. Also stocks used and consignment instruments.
- Consignments: Accepts consignments from customers looking to sell their instruments through the store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual guitar sales |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Eddie's Guitars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique retailer that sells premium new and used electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories from legacy brands and boutique luthiers. The business operates an appointment-only showroom in Maplewood, Missouri, and a worldwide e-commerce site with expert-guided private demos, consignment services, and an All Access Pass membership program.
Product overview
Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique guitar retail business (since 1971) specializing in high-end guitars, basses, amplifiers, and effects pedals. Their product portfolio consists of Electric Guitars (featuring Suhr, Gibson, Fender, Collings, PRS, Tom Anderson, Mayones, Strandberg, and boutique brands), Acoustic Guitars (including Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Goodall, Froggy Bottom, and luthier-built instruments), Bass Guitars (Fodera, Warwick, Fender), Amplifiers (Mesa/Boogie, Fender, Carr, PRS), Effects Pedals (Strymon, Meris, Neural DSP), Accessories, and Used/Sale items. They operate by appointment-only and ship globally, positioning as an authorized dealer for premier guitar brands rather than a technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Electric Guitars Premium electric guitars from legacy brands and boutique builders including Suhr, Gibson, Fender, Collings, PRS, Tom Anderson, Mayones, and Strandberg. Features solid body, semi-hollow body, and hollow body designs with various pickup configurations.
- Acoustic Guitars Curated selection of acoustic guitars from Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Goodall, Froggy Bottom, Martin, Taylor, Collings, and independent luthiers. Includes acoustic-electric, boutique builds, Brazilian rosewood, luthier-built, mandolins, and 12-string categories.
- Bass Guitars Bass guitars from premium brands including Fodera, Warwick, Fender, Ernie Ball Music Man, Rickenbacker, and Ibanez, with 4-string, 5-string, acoustic bass, and fretless configurations.
- Amplifiers Guitar and bass amplifiers including combo amps, amplifier heads, and cabinets from Mesa/Boogie, Fender, Carr, PRS, and Suhr.
- Effects Pedals Guitar effect pedals including overdrive, distortion, delay, reverb, chorus, fuzz, and compression from Jackson Audio, Maestro, Strymon, Meris, Neural DSP, and Spaceman.
- Accessories Guitar accessories including apparel, capos, cases, humidifiers, pickups, straps, and strings.
- Used Instruments Pre-owned acoustic, electric, and bass guitars that have been inspected and verified for quality.
- Eddie's Exclusive Guitars One-of-a-kind guitars with hand-selected specifications built exclusively for Eddie's Guitars, including exclusive electric guitars and basses.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving musicians worldwide with global shipping
Companies that use Eddie's Guitars
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Eddie's Guitars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Eddie's Guitars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- GibsoncoreAuthorized dealer for Gibson Guitars including Gibson Custom Shop and Murphy Lab Les Pauls.
- FendercoreAuthorized dealer for Fender Guitars including Fender Custom Shop and Masterbuilt instruments.
- Martin & Co.coreAuthorized dealer for Martin Guitars including limited edition and Dreadnought models.
- PRS (Paul Reed Smith)coreTop 3 Private Stock Dealer. Authorized dealer for PRS Guitars including Private Stock and limited editions.
- Collings GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer for Collings Guitars including electric and acoustic models, Waterloo by Collings.
- Suhr GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer with Eddie's Guitars exclusive custom builds.
- Tom Anderson GuitarworkscoreAuthorized dealer for Tom Anderson guitars.
- Taylor GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer for Taylor Guitars including custom builds.
- Bourgeois GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer for Bourgeois acoustic guitars including exclusive builds.
- Ryan GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer for Kevin Ryan Guitars including Ergonomic Suite models.
- Santa Cruz GuitarscoreAuthorized dealer for Santa Cruz Guitars including limited editions.
- Fodera BassescoreAuthorized dealer for Fodera bass guitars.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Eddie's Guitars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Reverb: Online marketplace for musical instruments (new, used, vintage) operated by Etsy. Directly competes with Eddie's used/consignment flow and secondary for vintage/boutique buyers, with global reach. Distinct platform-based model versus Eddie's curated retail.
Direct peers
- Chicago Music Exchange: Family-owned boutique guitar retailer in Chicago. Directly comparable to Eddie's — similar high-end / vintage / boutique inventory, appointment-friendly model, active content marketing (YouTube demos), and global shipping. Closest peer in terms of curation philosophy and customer base.
- Carter Vintage Guitars: Nashville-based boutique guitar shop specializing in vintage, rare, and high-end new instruments. Direct peer in appointment model, price tier ($2K-$15K+), and collector-focused inventory, with strong content-marketing presence.
- Elderly Instruments: Long-established (1972) Lansing, MI guitar and fretted instrument retailer with deep catalog across acoustic, electric, and boutique brands. Comparable multi-decade independent retailer with similar global customer base and broad brand authorization.
- Rudy's Music Shop: NYC-based high-end boutique guitar retailer famous for selling premium and rare instruments to collectors and professionals. Closely comparable to Eddie's in customer segment (serious players, collectors) and product positioning (boutique and vintage premium).
- Norman's Rare Guitars: High-end vintage and boutique guitar dealer in Tarzana, CA. Direct peer: focuses on premium and rare instruments for collectors and serious players, with an appointment-only showroom and global buyer base. Same buyer persona and price tier as Eddie's.
Broad incumbents
- Sweetwater: Largest online retailer of musical instruments in the US. Overlaps with Eddie's in selling guitars/amps/effects, but operates at vastly greater scale across all categories and price tiers. Represents the dominant competitive threat in instrument retail.
- Guitar Center: National big-box musical instrument retailer with broad guitar, amp, and effects inventory. Differs from Eddie's by serving all price tiers and customer segments rather than specializing in high-end boutique, but directly competes for some premium buyers.
- Sam Ash Music Stores: Multi-location US musical instrument retailer with guitar, amp, and accessories assortment. Overlaps with Eddie's in product categories but at a mainstream price tier; serves similar customers at the entry level rather than the collector segment.
Others
- Bourgeois Guitars / Martin / Taylor Guitars (manufacturer-dealers): Major premium acoustic and electric guitar manufacturers whose authorized dealer network includes Eddie's. Relevant as upstream partners/competitors because they operate their own DTC sales that partially overlap with dealer sales for premium models.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Eddie's Guitars social profiles
Digital presenceEddie's Guitars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Eddie's Guitars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Eddie's Guitars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Eddie's Guitars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Eddie's Guitars
What does Eddie's Guitars do?
Eddie's Guitars is a family-owned boutique retailer that sells premium new and used electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories from legacy brands and boutique luthiers. The business operates an appointment-only showroom in Maplewood, Missouri, and a worldwide e-commerce site with expert-guided private demos, consignment services, and an All Access Pass membership program.
Is Eddie's Guitars a public or private company?
Eddie's Guitars is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Eddie's Guitars founded?
Eddie's Guitars was founded in 1971. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Eddie's Guitars based?
Eddie's Guitars is headquartered in Maplewood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Eddie's Guitars make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Guitar and Instrument Sales are the primary driver. The others are consignments.
Who are Eddie's Guitars's main competitors?
Reverb is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Chicago Music Exchange, Carter Vintage Guitars, Elderly Instruments, Rudy's Music Shop and Norman's Rare Guitars. Broad incumbents are Sweetwater, Guitar Center and Sam Ash Music Stores. Bourgeois Guitars / Martin / Taylor Guitars (manufacturer-dealers) is listed as an others.
Does Eddie's Guitars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Eddie's Guitars.
What industry is Eddie's Guitars in?
Eddie's Guitars's product category is Boutique Guitar Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAEAA, Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra), with a secondary code of CRALAEAH, Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail. Its NAICS code is 459140.