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Started by Schaurbroeck and his brothers out of the basement of their mother’s home,
House of Guitars® established it’s credibility by stocking the exact instruments
played by the Beatles before anyone else.
“When the Beatles came to America, we knew what they were playing,” Schaurbroeck
said “We knew that George Harrison play a Gretsch Country Gentleman and Vox Amps
that weren’t in the United States yet. I made an order to Vox in England, and they
shipped them to us. So, we had the first Vox amps that came into the United States.”
To expand their community profile, the Schaurbroecks started running advertising
and promotional campaigns that were received with contempt by parents and endeared
House of Guitars® to their children.
“It started somewhat accidentally,” Schaurbroeck said. “In the early 1960s, we made
our own television commercials before even car dealers were doing their own commercials.
It had always been an announcer that worked for the television station and maybe
professional models that would make them. We just turned on a 16-mm camera and had
rock ‘n’ roll music playing in the background.
 “The way we presented ourselves on television was a shock. This was during the 1960s
and Vietnam. People viewed
 us as the underground, trying to relay messages about
secret plots and bombing buildings. Television is a sacred thing, and we were just
coming on and blasting rock ‘n’ roll music, doing whatever we felt like. People
were shocked.”
One infamous campaign was in response to a series of billboards sponsored by conservative
groups in the ‘60s. Those billboards read “Beautify America. Get a haircut,” and
they didn’t sit well with Schaurbroeck. He responded with eight billboards of his
own proclaiming “Help Keep America Free. Let Your Hair Grow.” The billboards featured
a picture of Schaurbroeck and the House of Guitars® logo. The billboards served as
another Schaurbroeck shock, garnering mainstream media attention and further popularity
with rock ‘n’ rollers everywhere.
The House of Guitars® not only prospered in the face of controversy, but it also
reveled in it, eventually becoming known as the place for professional musicians
and those who want to sound like the pros. Aerosmith, Ozzie Osborne, Cheap Trick,
Metallica and Matthew Sweet are among the major acts that shop at the House of Guitars®.
“People hear from major bands that we’re the place to go (for vintage and specialty
gear), Schaurbroeck said. “through word of mouth, all the national acts know about
us. They trust us because of our reputation.”
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