From Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88”—widely considered the first rock ‘n’ roll song—to Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive,” the love affair of pop music with cars and guitars is one of music’s most enduring romances.
So it was that, on a Sunday morning in Hollywood, long before the Sunset Strip crowds had fully shaken off the night before, the parking lot at Guitar Center’s flagship Sunset Blvd. store was already alive with activity. Chrome caught the rising sun, the scent of fresh espresso mingled with car polish and a familiar low E string buzzed to life from under a shaded pop-up gazebo. This wasn’t just another product launch or casual in-store jam—it was Vintage Guitars & Cars, a showcase where two obsessions collided: the roar of classic engines and the resonance of timeless instruments.
Headstocks Left to Right: 1968 Fender Paisley Telecaster, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior in TV Yellow, 1962 Fender Jazzmaster in Lake Placid Blue
A Hollywood Morning, Up Close
Walking into the event felt like stepping into a mashup of a Concours d’Elegance and a collector’s guitar fair. To one side sat a 1965 Vicious Mustang, its stance aggressive and impossible to ignore. Nearby, a 1963 Aston Martin DB5 gleamed, evoking Bond-era cool. Under one of the gazebos, a 1960 Gretsch White Falcon glowed golden with age, its ornate tailpiece and stereo wiring daring you to imagine the sound.
And then came one of those “only in Hollywood” moments. I’d worn a shirt that apparently caught the attention of actor Jack Black, who had brought his personal car to be part of the show and was wandering the lot with the same kind of wide-eyed enthusiasm as everyone else. He grinned, pointed at my guitar-themed aloha shirt, and struck up a conversation. When I told him, “My wife will kill me if I don’t get a selfie with you,” he deadpanned back: “My wife will probably kill me anyway, and I’d hate to see you get hurt. Let’s do it.” We each took selfies with the other—proof that the event was as much about community as it was about collectibles.
Pictured: 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior in TV Yellow and 1962 Fender Jazzmaster in Lake Placid Blue
The Spark of the Event
The idea behind Vintage Guitars & Cars came from Jake Baker Gindy, Guitar Center’s artist relations manager, who also happens to be a vintage car and guitar enthusiast.
“We wanted to create a moment for the community to come together around that shared love,” Baker Gindy told me. “The idea was to get people excited about our vintage business while putting on a show that felt uniquely Guitar Center.”
That meant pulling in the right partners. Suede Ops curated a lineup of 15 vintage cars, each chosen to mirror eras of music history. Internally, the events and content teams collaborated to stage 25 vintage guitars, all drawn from Guitar Center’s Hollywood Vintage Room. Baker Gindy focused on the creative vision—how the cars and guitars should be displayed to feel less like a trade show and more like a cultural happening.
Pictured: 1954 Fender Precision Bass in Blonde
The Art of Orchestration
Turning that vision into reality fell largely to Kaylee Largay, Senior Manager of Events for Guitar Center.
“This one was layered and more tricky than most,” she said. “You’ve got permitting to shut down the lot, fire and police inspections the morning of, insurance coverage for millions of dollars in cars and guitars, plus coordinating external vendors—everything from branded lattes to audio rentals.”
Security was a major factor. Guests were invited only from a curated list of collectors, artists and “friends of the show.” Extra guards patrolled the Vintage Room, and wristbands controlled who could enter. Largay and her team thought through every detail, from ingress and egress for cars to making sure the event’s musical entertainment, Angela Petrilli & the Players, had exactly what they needed for their set.
As she put it, “There’s a lot of teams involved and a lot of people, but when the cars and guitars are out there together and the music’s playing, it all comes full circle.”
Baker Gindy put it best: “It’s just a dance of leveraging strengths. You figure out who you need to bring in, step in where you’re needed, and then step back and let the pros handle the rest.”
Pictured: 1965 Fender Stratocaster in Sonic Blue
Inside and Outside the Vintage Displays
If the parking lot was loud and flashy, the Vintage Room carried the hush of a museum. Inside, only the most sacred instruments stayed under guard: a 1968 Gibson Super 400CES, Gibson’s flagship archtop, and a 1948 Martin D-28, its Brazilian rosewood back and sides still resonant after nearly 80 years. Security was tight, wristbands were checked and access was carefully managed.
But the bulk of the collection lived outside, where shaded pop-up gazebos lined the lot. There, guests could get close to the shimmering ’57 Stratocaster Blonde, the psychedelic ’68 Paisley Telecaster, the gilded ’62 Lake Placid Blue Jazzmaster and even a double-neck 1980 Rickenbacker 4080. Seeing those guitars framed against Mustangs, Porsches and Lamborghinis blurred the line between musical history and mechanical art.
Jack Hetherington, who manages Guitar Center’s vintage inventory, admitted that the magic isn’t always about the details of an instrument's provenance. “Sometimes it’s just the rarity of a White Falcon or the presence of a Super 400 that makes people stop in their tracks,” he said.
Pictured: 1960 Gretsch White Falcon
Chrome, Steel and Storytelling
Outside, the cars told their own stories:
- Ady Gil’s 1990 Martini Lancia and 1982 Lancia 037, rally legends with scars and stripes to prove it
- Chris Marechal’s 1000 horsepower 1965 Vicious Mustang, built to turn heads and raise pulses
- A 1958 pink Corvette, unforgettable thanks to the giant dragster-style blower rising through the hood, its intake mouth painted to match the candy-colored body
- A 1961 Porsche 356 Roadster, elegant is an understatement
- Jack Black’s own “Black Beauty,” a 1969 Dodge Dart parked as casually as if it were just another commuter car
- The 1986 Lamborghini LM002, better known as the “Rambo Lambo,” reminding everyone that excess has its own charm
Suede Ops curated the lineup so that the eras of the cars reflected the eras of the guitars under the gazebos. A paisley-covered ’68 Telecaster made perfect sense when a muscle car from the same year was parked a few feet away.
Pictured: Suede Ops Vintage Cars at Vintage Guitars and Cars
The Soundtrack of the Day
Music was never an afterthought. Angela Petrilli & the Players provided the live soundtrack, Petrelli playing her own well-worn Strat and Les Paul. It wasn’t about showcasing instruments behind glass but about putting music into the air. Notes rang out across the lot, bouncing off chrome fenders and mixing with the rumble of idling engines.
Her performance grounded the event, reminding everyone why guitars matter in the first place. These instruments aren’t just museum pieces—they’re meant to be played, heard and felt.
Pictured: Angela Petrilli and The Players Performing at Vintage Guitars and Cars
A Day to Remember
By late morning, the lot was buzzing. Collectors swapped stories, artists posed with dream guitars and car enthusiasts debated horsepower. Inside, guests leaned reverently over cases containing six-figure instruments. Outside, someone craned their neck to get a better look at the ’63 Aston Martin DB5.
For me, the highlight wasn’t a specific car or guitar—though I’ll admit the ’57 Strat nearly made me reconsider my retirement savings. It was that moment with Jack Black, laughing about wives and selfies, surrounded by people who cared just as much about vintage tone and torque as I do.
The event was proof that when done right, a brand showcase doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like community. Even if you didn’t leave with a guitar slung over your shoulder or cruising in a cool vintage car, you walked away with something else: the memory of an only-in-Hollywood morning where chrome and chime met in perfect harmony.