Grinning Elk Music Company

by Eric McKenna

Back in the Spring of 2000, when I took Boogie Street Guitars full time, I received an interesting phone call one night. I was marketing a NOS (New Old Stock) Paul Stanley Washburn Carmel PS2000 guitar and this KISS fan from Atlanta called to inquire about the guitar. This KISS fan was Lee Jackson.

I ended up talking with Lee for about 3 hours that night. And I agreed to ship the guitar to him for his inspection – based on his word. About 3 days later, an overnight envelope arrived with a cashier’s check for payment of the guitar.

Since that first conversation, Lee has become one of my dearest friends. Indeed, in the early days of BSG,Lee and I marketed a significant amount of guitars. All makes, all conditions. We learned from each other – we talked about our dreams to grow our businesses. We just had fun in the guitar business.

I took BSG in a direction which brought us to Washburn and Bernie Rico and what we specialize in today. Lee took his business, Grinning Elk Music, in the vintage guitars and amps arena and became one of the very serious dealers and a real ‘go to’ guy in the vintage market.

Lee asked Ray Mauldin to join Grinning Elk so many years ago and Ray is a ‘true’ salt of the earth guy. And has become a great, great friend of mine as well. Together, they make a real team to take Grinning Elk Music into the future.

Integrity? You got it. Honesty? You got it. Customer Service? You got it. Lee and Ray’s concern for their customers and their ‘Elk Nation’ is something that really strikes a chord with me. It’s rare when a business truly believes in service – first. Customers become friends. Real friends. It can’t get any better than that.

I would strongly suggest checking out Lee and Ray at www.GrinningElk.com and if something on their site is of interest, make sure you tell them Eric McKenna sent ya.