Cincinnati Museum Center - Guitar Exhibit

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

The Cincinnati Museum Center Guitar exhibit not only showcases various guitars but also explores the science of sound.

Impression:

While we are definitely fans of music, we often do not take the time to look at the instruments that make it possible.

The guitar has been with use for a long time and has gone through many iterations of change.   Going from a primitive wooden box with a hole and strings on it to expertly crafted acoustic and thanks to people like Les Paul - electronically amplified versions.

The Cincinnati Museum Center's exhibit, Guitar shows the progression of this evolution.  Not only of the instrument itself, but you'll also have the opportunity to learn the science behind sound as it relates to music and the featured instruments here.

One of the greatest guitarists and musical pioneers, B.B. King has his famous guitar "Lucille" on display here.    I also saw that Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame had a guitar featured here.

The world's largest guitar is also here on display.  A Fender Stratocaster of 43 feet is just inside the exhibit room and to your right.  It was so big that I honestly didn't realize what it was at first.  I thought it was just a large display for information placards.

The Air Guitar area was both funny and fantastic.   I thought it was a great addition to the displays.   It is truly the best sounding guitar that is affordable to and playable by all.

I do not know of one person that does not like music.  Even if you have a passing interest in the instrumentation that creates a large portion of music through out history, this is a great exhibit to check out.  This exhibit is even good for kids, as there are some hands on areas where you can design your own guitar or see the physics of how guitar strings vibrate.

Just note that at the time of this writing, the Cincinnati Museum Center is still undergoing a large renovation.  The other larger museum areas are closed and the only areas open are the kids museum and the Guitar and Chocolate exhibits.