After 17 years, Allstar Guitar has a new star — and he learned his first chords there.

From student to employee to owner, Jacob Lincoln’s journey at Allstar Guitar began at the age of 12.

Lincoln, now 26, walked into the Gig Harbor guitar store 14 years ago to begin acoustic guitar lessons. Dan Wilson, the owner, and his wife, May, became his mentors.

“Dan was my doorway into music in general. Since then he has definitely been a mentor, a friend,” Lincoln said.

Lincoln went on the graduate from Peninsula High School and joined the Navy, keeping in contact with the Wilsons while enlisted. Four years later Lincoln used his GI Bill to get a music degree from the University of Puget Sound, and subsequently became an employee at Allstar Guitar.

During this time, Dan and May Wilson, who are both approaching the age of 70, began talking about retirement. Since opening the store in 2004, the couple figured they had taught between 400 and 500 guitarists, including many who went on to become performing musicians. Maybe it was time to take a break.

“The way I remember it, was one day Jake overheard me talking about retiring and raised his hand and said, ‘maybe I can be the guy,’” Dan Wilson said.

“He knew every light switch and doorknob in the store,” already, Dan Wilson said. “I couldn’t have imagined going a different or better way.”

After months of planning, on October 19 Lincoln officially became the new owner of Allstar Guitar, along with its repair shop and music academy at 3110 Harborview Dr.

Lincoln is a Gig Harbor native and his family has been in the harbor since 1961. Lincoln’s grandfather, Jack Lincoln, owned Lincoln Photography Studio, located in the historic Empire Building. He also operated a local newspaper, the Peninsula Pictorial, and his work remains on display in the Harbor History Museum.

In taking over Allstar Guitar, Lincoln said, “I reached out to some of my most experienced friends.”

Steve Brownlee, a long-time friend, has also joined the store, and the repair shop has been entrusted to Casper Huggins, a graduate of Red Wing Technical College for guitar design and repair.

“Casper fit right into the part I was walking away from,” Wilson said. “We introduced Jake and Casper, and that turned out to be a perfect fit, it was almost like they were twin brothers.”

Wilson said he is very confident in the direction Allstar Guitar will go, keeping the store’s core values while implementing Lincoln’s visions.

Lincoln said one project Allstar Guitar is currently working on is creating a new e-commerce page so they can sell and have people sign up online.

“We thought it was best to adapt to the times,” Lincoln said.

Wilson said seeing the transformation of his and Lincoln’s relationship was special.

“Jake was a young kid and I was his teacher,” Wilson said. “He stayed in touch with us while he was in the navy and it became more friends, then he became an employee. Now Jake’s morphed into an adult, an equal, a friend with the same things in mind. He will take the store to the next level.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 5:30 AM.