the guitar amp & keyboard center
You read it right - we are turning 30 this year! To celebrate GAK's 30th
anniversary and our fresh look, we're going to delve into our history and how we
grew into one of the top music retailers in the UK. It's been a long journey
from very humble beginnings to getting to where we are today. And it all started
with one man and a market stall. 1992 HUMBLE BEGINNINGS It's been a long journey
from very humble beginnings to getting to where we are today. And it all started
with one man and a market stall. 1995 BRITPOP EXPLOSION Britpop bands like
Oasis, Blur, Suede and Pulp were all electric guitar-based, markedly increasing
the demand for the instrument. As the popularity of the guitar flourished, so
did the business. 2000 FRESH EXPANSION The business would begin to flourish and
grow at a seriously quick pace. Bigger and bigger premises were needed to keep
up with the ever-growing amount of stock that needed shipping to customers. 2010
BRAVE NEW WORLD The Internet was a lot like the Wild West back in its early
days. By having the foresight and the initiative to delve into this new frontier
of sales, we were able to get ahead of the curve and grow alongside the Internet
boom. 2016 TEA TO MD From GAK's early days, Max McKellar was helping drive the
business forward as it entered unexplored territory. Today, he's leading the
company as our Managing Director - a long way to come from cleaning guitars and
making tea! 1994 SETTING THE TONE From the beginning, the store was a
down-to-earth and unpretentious place to buy your music gear. Everyone was
welcome and they were free to try out whatever they wanted. 1996 BEYOND THE
STORE A flat above the store had its kitchen and bathroom converted to a
mail-order room and office respectively. To spread the word about GAK's Mail
Order service, print ads would be run in popular magazines such as Guitarist and
Sound On Sound. 2002 THE INTERNET AGE We were one of the first music retailers
in the country to go online and have an e-commerce store. Our customers could
buy their dream piece of gear, have it brought straight to their house and
receive the same friendly service you'd get into the store. 2014 DESTINATION HUB
With help from the eye-catching print ads and the enormous success of the
website, word spread about what an exciting place the GAK store is to visit. You
can walk in and discover something new around each corner. 2022 30 YEARS AND
BEYOND As we reach the major milestone that is our 30th birthday, we are beyond
excited to unveil the brand new look and feel of the GAK brand. We're looking
forward to what the next thirty years and beyond have in store for us.
