More Than a Guitar Store
The six-decade story behind Guitar Factory Parramatta — and the Gibson obsession that never quit.
Walk into Guitar Factory Parramatta, and it hits you fast: there is almost no wall space left. Over 1,200 instruments — electric, acoustic, classical, bass — cover every available centimetre of a store that has been in continuous operation since the early 1960s. The love for guitars and guitar playing is felt on every bit of wall space covered by amazing instruments.
The Legacy
Before it was Guitar Factory, this space traded as Watson’s Music — one of those classic suburban music shops that surfaced across Australia in the post-war boom, when rock and roll was brand new and electric guitars still felt like the future. The store survived the 1960s, selling instruments to a generation of Western Sydney kids who wanted to sound like The Beatles, The Easybeats, and whoever else was blasting from transistor radios.
In 1972, Ross and Paul Chalker bought the business and kept it running through the decade that gave the world the golden era of hard rock. By the mid-’80s, the music scene had shifted again — and so had ownership. In 1985, Stan Mobbs and Lewis Mallia took the reins.
That move changed everything
Lewis didn’t just manage the store — he built it into something. From a guitar-centric shop, he expanded the inventory to cover the full map: drums, keys, PA, recording gear, and eventually the computer-assisted music-making equipment that defines modern production. Stan retired in 2019, but he still comes in to help with instrument repairs. Sixty-plus years of experience doesn’t just switch off.
Today, Lewis co-manages alongside his eldest son, Dylan. The store has never been busier.
The Gibson Thing
Ask Dylan about the store’s relationship with Gibson, and he doesn’t reach for a press release. He reaches for a personal story.
“My own first great guitar, and still probably the one I’d take to the grave, is a real deal 1974 Flying V that was traded in to our shop over twenty years ago — had been resprayed purple, most of the parts changed out, and reeked of a thousand cigarettes.”
He bought it anyway. Because he’d spent years obsessively studying Kirk Hammett’s original ’70s Flying V through guitar magazines, and when this battered, purple-painted ’74 came through the door, he knew exactly what he was looking at.
Twenty-odd years later, in one of those moments that makes you believe the universe has a sense of humour, Gibson Custom released a limited Murphy Lab reproduction of that exact guitar. Dylan grabbed one. Now he has both: the real ’74 and the 2023 Custom Shop tribute, sitting side by side.
That story, the obsessive research, the patience, the full-circle payoff, is probably the best summary of what Guitar Factory Parramatta is actually about.
Gibson has been on the wall here since the Watson’s Music days. It’s not a brand relationship built on allocations and deals. It’s a conviction. “They’re an inescapable pillar of guitar history,” Dylan says, and there’s no qualifier attached. The store stocks Gibson because the people running it genuinely believe in them.
Five Guitars Worth Making the Trip For
Right now, on the floor and the walls at Guitar Factory Parramatta, there are pieces that deserve more than a scroll through a website.
Gibson Custom Shop B.B. King “Live at the Regal” ES-335 — Argentine Grey
“There are so many cool things about this guitar, the history and music behind it, the unusual finish, the extra case candy included, and the sheer fact that there’s only one hundred in the world!”
Only one hundred of these exist. Tied to one of the most celebrated live blues recordings ever made, the Argentine Grey finish is unusual enough to stop you mid-step, and the full case package makes it feel like you’re taking home something larger than just an instrument.
Gibson Custom Shop ’59 Les Paul Standard Reissue — Slow Iced Tea Fade VOS, Hand-Picked Top
“That top… enough said. You’re always going to get something that looks great on a ’59 Custom Shop Reissue, but this one is especially striking, thanks to the Custom Shop allowing us to occasionally hand-pick from their private stash.”
Guitar Factory has a relationship with Gibson’s Custom Shop that occasionally allows them to select directly from the private inventory. This is what that access looks like.
Gibson Les Paul Custom ’70s — Wine Red
“The introduction of this ’70s Les Paul Custom reissue was warmly welcomed at our shop, bringing back some less common finish choices rather than focusing solely on Ebony or White. I think this Wine Red is killer, matching so well with gold hardware and allowing you to see the timber grain beneath.”
Gibson Custom Shop J-45 — Australian Blackwood
“An uncommon fusion of classic American design with some Australian natural beauty. Doesn’t hurt that it also sounds fantastic, either.”
Gibson ’70s Explorer — Antique Natural
“The Explorer remains one of the coolest guitar shapes in the world, and the Antique Natural finish looks reminiscent of those earliest sought-after examples that Gibson brought to market.”
The Explorer is one of the few guitar shapes that still looks genuinely dangerous after sixty years. The Antique Natural ties it directly to those early originals players have been chasing ever since. See this one in person.
What Walking In Actually Feels Like
Guitar Factory Parramatta has a gravitational pull toward two things that don’t usually coexist in the same store: premium, high-end gear and a deep love of Rock and Heavy Metal.
The metal connection runs through the DNA of the place. They stock the Gibson and Epiphone Kirk Hammett signature models. They carry Mesa Boogie’s new ’90s Dual Rectifier. The whole section dedicated to high-gain metal gear exists because the people working there are into it — and that’s exactly the kind of authenticity that makes a guitar store worth crossing the city for.
And then, in the same building, you’ve got hand-picked Custom Shop Les Pauls, Murphy Lab aged guitars, and a B.B. King ES-335 that belongs in a serious collection. The range is only possible because the enthusiasm is genuine. You can’t fake 1,200 instruments.
The store also offers full guitar setups and electronics customisation. They stock pickups from Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle, DiMarzio, Fishman, EMG, and Gibson itself — along with factory original parts and third-party hardware upgrades from leading brands. Whether you’re after a full pickup swap, a hardware overhaul, or just replacing a worn-out part, you can talk it through with people who’ve done it themselves.
Guitar Factory Parramatta isn’t hard to find. It’s in Western Sydney’s biggest city centre, it’s been there for over sixty years, and the family running it has no intention of going anywhere. A Gibson relationship that is as special to them as it is to most of the people reading this. A team that will talk to you about Kirk Hammett’s original Flying V without you having to explain who Kirk Hammett is.
Don’t miss an opportunity to visit this amazing store. More information below:
guitarfactory.com.au
Guitar Factory Parramatta, NSW — Western Sydney’s Longest Continuously Trading Music Store
