THE T-SHIRT CLUB
FOR GUITARISTS
FEATURED SHOP OF THE MONTH
SEPTEMBER 2022
CUMBERLAND
GUITARS
Cumberland Guitars in Jamestown, Kentucky opened its doors in 2019, but owning a guitar shop has been Mark Blasko’s dream since 1997. At the age of 12, he stepped into his first local guitar shop and was in awe at the sheer number of instruments, triggering an insatiable desire to learn everything about guitars and guitar history.
By 18, he became manager of that same shop, then spent years honing his skills in sales, management, teaching, and repair at guitar shops in Virginia. After graduating from Luthiers International in Atlanta, he became a Product Specialist at Gibson, working directly with guitar shops to help grow their businesses, and later joined Fender, working in management for Gretsch, EVH, Jackson, and Guild.
Mark’s dream finally came true in 2019 when he and his wife Erin relocated to her hometown in rural Kentucky to open Cumberland Guitars. The area is rich with musical roots, but the closest vintage guitar shop was over two hours away!
The shop, located in a historic building on the town square, showcases a wide variety of new brands, but specializes in vintage and rare stringed instruments, everything from blue chip collectables to eclectic oddballs and one-offs.
Their repair and restoration department prides itself on lasting, high quality work, for the customers’ sake and for the love and respect of the instrument. Cumberland is also known as a trusted source for the most accurate, honest information regarding guitar history, players, gear, and the industry in general.
Fun fact: On August 24, 2020, Mark won a Guinness World Record for the most people playing air guitar online simultaneously (186)!
