The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center is hosting Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World, a traveling exhibit from the National Guitar Museum. Exploreum marketing director Josh Holland walked through the show, which pairs the history and science of the guitar with a stunning collection of instruments.
The exhibit grew from a casual comment to collector Harvey Newquist that his home looked like a museum. Research revealed no museum dedicated solely to the guitar anywhere in the world, and the National Guitar Museum was born as a traveling exhibition searching for a permanent home. Holland would love to see that home in Mobile.
Setting up took nearly two years of planning and, once crates arrived, under two weeks of assembly — about 60 display cases, each with roughly 16 parts, plus a 43.5-foot playable Gibson Flying V certified by Guinness World Records. Highlights include B.B. King’s “Lucille,” Steve Vai’s prototype Ibanez Jem and Tony Iommi’s Epiphone SG. Related events include live performances Nov. 5, 10 and 19.