Best of Nashville 2026

Thank You, Nashville: Carter Vintage Guitars in the Best of Nashville 2026

By Ben Montague, CEO of Carter Vintage Guitars

First and foremost, thank you. We are incredibly grateful to all of our customers and friends of the store, near and far. From those who have been with us since Walter and Christie Carter opened the doors in 2012, to the new faces walking in from all over the world every day, we appreciate every single one of you.

This year was a landmark year for us. Nashville Scene readers recognised Carter Vintage in four categories, a first for the store. We retained Best Place to Buy a New Instrument and Best Place to Buy a Used Instrument, and we were honoured to place second for Best Repair Shop and Best YouTube Channel in Nashville. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote.

Since acquiring the business in 2022, my family’s greatest goal has been to continue building upon the incredible legacy created by Walter and Christie Carter. They are, and always will be, the foundation of Carter Vintage Guitars, and we celebrate them every day for the brand they built. Every award we receive belongs to that foundation as much as it does to us.

I also want to take a moment to thank our staff. We are a big group of passionate people who love what we do, and today, in our beautiful new home at 606 8th Avenue South, it is hard to believe we are a staggering team of 42. Every one of them, full time or part time, adds real value to our customers each and every day.

A quick thank you to our front of house team, the first people you see and the last people you say goodbye to; our sales team, matching guitars to people the way it should be done, with care and attention; our brilliant repair team, whether it’s a walk in customer looking for a setup or a long standing artist on the road bringing their warhorse back to life; our intake and authentication team, who make sure those beautiful instruments arrive safely and are represented correctly; our phenomenal marketing and content team generating fresh and engaging videos and photos each and every day; all our back of office brains hard at work to keep the wheels in motion; and of course our shipping team, making sure every instrument reaches you perfectly and safely. It takes a village to be as good as we can be, and every person in this company makes our customers’ journey the best experience it can be.

We try to be customer-obsessed in everything we do. Whether you are buying a T-shirt or a hat, watching a video, consigning a guitar, or buying an instrument in store or online, we want it to feel special right from the start.

As we get ready for the busy season, we have some truly incredible instruments coming to market over the next few months, so keep an eye on the site and our Latest Arrivals each and every day. And if you are thinking of consigning an instrument with us, please don’t hesitate to contact our intake team at info@cartervintage.com.

This fantastic city is built on music, and we are grateful to be a part of that foundation in our own little way. So come and visit us. Whether you play guitar or not, saw one of our videos, or just want to stop by and grab a t shirt, our doors are always open.

Thank you for everything. We will keep doing our best to serve each and every one of you, every single day.

Ben Montague
CEO, Carter Vintage Guitars