25/03/2026
Guitar shops have been a huge part of my formative teenage years. Going to the shops with empty pockets but a heart full of G.A.S. Checking out the guitars that I could never afford, judging others who could. If you’re not aware, the guitar retail scene back then was like Westeros in Game of Thrones. There were a few noble houses and a few small ones. Each of them had their own brands, their own style, and their own service standard. Walking in meant getting hit by poorly tuned power chords. To try a guitar you have to watch a salesman perform a “testing” first before letting you try. Swee Lee, Davis Guitar, and City Music were the axis of guitar retails. Today, only Davis Guitars remains in the axis, with more square footage. I’ll never forget the Uncle-owner of Davis. Dresses like an accountant but plays like Yngwie.
Swee Lee today has a cafe? And some small ambitious businesses also sprouted out, feeding the music scene of Singapore. Some still hold on like Ranking, TY Music, Guitar Workshop, and Guitar Connection. Sinamex and Luthermusic are now mostly pro-audio stuff, less or no longer selling guitars. As a Singaporean, I’m used to complaining and lamenting the fact that Singapore changes so fast and how these changes are killing off businesses. Looking through the photos of the guitar shops, I realised, while things do change, there is beauty in the transitory moments.
Now a wider audience can appreciate the guitar business from the cafes of Swee Lee. Small doesn’t mean gone. Uncle Beez is still servicing guitars but in a different place (everything else is the same though). The smaller OGs are still around showing the younger, smaller ambitious few the way. Looking at the scene now, I realize that guitar shops are a lot like guitar strings on some guitars. Some remain long past their prime, full of rust and grit. Some get changed out after only a few plays.
What never changes is I still silently judge those young kids that can afford a Gibson or PRS. But at least I still have my Marshall that’s made in England.
