Leicester Square: A Legacy of Strumming.

A worn and fading white Fender Stratocaster electric guitar hangs amidst an array of other guitars on a wall rack. It’s an original model, perhaps the rarest instrument in the store. Its pricetag: £20,000.

“We can get anything we want,” says a smiling Barry Mason, director of the Spanish Guitar Centre. “In 55 years, you get to know a lot of people.”

The facility opened its doors near Leicester Square in 1952 as a guitar teaching facility, operated by Len Williams, father of international classical guitar virtuoso John Williams. In the time since, the Centre has remained on the cutting edge, expanding its retail section considerably and offering acoustic guitars like Martin and Taylor, as well as vintage and custom-built electrics.

Mason, a classically trained guitarist and former international performer himself, now works as a buyer for the store, making trips and retrieving some of the most prized guitars on the planet. Guitar legends like Eric Clapton and new generation stars like Amy Winehouse frequent the store.

Though Mason claims the legacy of classical guitar stylings is fading due to a generation gap and a decline in production of classical and Spanish guitars, he still recognizes the importance his facility and others like it play in cultivating a new generation of musicians.

“This place is a stepping stone for beginners,” Mason says, “but music goes way further than here.”

- Text and images by Kevin Brosky.