What Hobgoblin does

Hobgoblin Music is a privately held UK specialty retailer of folk and acoustic musical instruments, founded in 1976 by Pete and Mannie McClelland. The company operates 9 physical shops across Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, and Southampton, alongside an e-commerce site (hobgoblin.com) and a US-facing store (hobgoblin-usa.com). Its assortment spans guitars, fretted and bowed strings, squeezeboxes and free-reed instruments, woodwind, percussion, studio and live equipment, accessories, and books and media, with prices ranging from budget items (e.g., strings at ~£1.33) to high-end instruments (e.g., gongs at ~£11,659). Same-pricing-online-and-in-store policy, expert advice from gigging-musician staff, and in-shop services such as repairs, setups, valuations, restrings, rentals, part-exchange, and commission-based secondhand sales are central to the offer.

The business model is primarily one-time transactional retail, supplemented by professional service revenue (repairs, setups, rentals) and ancillary income from Hobgoblin Records, the company's own folk music label established in 2005 with 15 albums released. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer retail (physical and online), event-driven seasonal sales at folk festivals across Britain (including a 2026 Folk Festival Tour), a 10% discount educational account program for schools, and financial sponsorship of live folk events. Distribution is UK-anchored with a modest US online presence. Customer segments span beginners, intermediate-to-expert players, folk music enthusiasts, and live music events, with no named enterprise customers and a broadly distributed consumer base. The company is founder-owned, with no external investment or parent company identified.

Strategically, Hobgoblin's recent moves emphasize consolidation and community reinforcement rather than aggressive expansion: the Scayles Music (Edinburgh) acquisition established its Scotland presence, while incremental moves include US e-commerce, the educational account program, and continued record-label output. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no app, no API integrations, and no technology platform beyond a standard e-commerce storefront. Revenue and headcount are not publicly disclosed, and there is no external funding or listing.

Name

Hobgoblin

Legal name

Hobgoblin Music

Website

https://hobgoblin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hobgoblin Music is a UK-based specialty retailer of folk and acoustic musical instruments, operating 9 shops nationwide plus e-commerce (UK and US), serving beginners through professional musicians with instruments, repairs, rentals, and a folk record label.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Used Merchandise Retailers (45951)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH), Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG), Educational Music Products Retail (Method Books, Exam Prep, Classroom Instruments) (CRALAEAJ), Sheet Music & Music Books Retail (CRALAEAB)

Keywords

• Folk musical instruments
• Acoustic instrument retail
• Musical instrument repairs
• Secondhand musical instruments
• Musical instrument rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Burgess Hill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Musical Instrument Sales: Retail sales of new acoustic and folk musical instruments including guitars, fretted instruments, bowed strings, woodwind, percussion, squeezeboxes, and accessories. Products range from entry-level to professional instruments.
2. Secondhand Instrument Sales: Buying, selling and exchanging secondhand musical instruments across all 9 UK shops. Also offers commission-based sales for instruments brought in, particularly from local luthiers and makers.
3. Musical Book and Media Sales: Sales of song books, music and tune books, tutor books for various instruments, and recordings including Hobgoblin Records label releases.
4. Instrument Repairs and Services: Provides instrument repairs, setups, restrings, valuations, and tuning services. Offers short and long term instrument rentals.
5. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for musical instruments and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hobgoblin Music is a UK specialist retailer of new and second-hand folk and acoustic musical instruments, operating nine physical shops across the UK and dedicated e-commerce stores for the UK and US markets. The product catalogue spans guitars, fretted and bowed stringed instruments, squeezeboxes/free-reed instruments, woodwind, percussion, studio and live equipment, accessories, books and recordings. Beyond retail, the company offers instrument repairs, setups and restringing, short- and long-term rentals, part-exchange and commission-based consignment sales, gift vouchers, educational accounts, and its own record label (Hobgoblin Records) supporting British folk artists.

Product overview

Hobgoblin Music is a UK-based folk and acoustic musical instrument specialist retail business founded in 1976, operating 9 physical shops across the UK (Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, Southampton) and an online store. The company offers a comprehensive range of new and second-hand acoustic and folk instruments across multiple categories including Guitars (Classical, Acoustic, Electric, Bass, Resonator), Fretted & Stringed Instruments (Mandolins, Bouzoukis, Ukuleles, Banjos, Harps), Bowed Strings (Violins, Violas, Cellos, Basses, Bows), Squeezeboxes/Free Reed (Accordions, Melodeons, Harmonicas, Concertinas), Woodwind (Recorders, Flutes, Whistles, Bagpipes), Percussion (Cymbals, Gongs, Drums, Bodhrans, Samba, Tuned Percussion), Studio & Live equipment, Accessories, Books & Media (song books, tutor books, recordings including the Hobgoblin Records label), and Gift Vouchers. The company also provides repair services, part-exchange/commission sale services for secondhand instruments, and short-term instrument rentals. Hobgoblin primarily sells products from brands like Dream (cymbals), Ashbury, Tanglewood, D'Addario, Yamaha, Glenluce, Atlas, and others, positioning itself as a specialist retailer serving musicians from beginner to expert level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hobgoblin Records: Record label set up in 2005 to release albums from British-based artists playing folk and traditional music.

Products and services

• Guitars

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hobgoblin RecordscoreOthers · 1 January 2005Hobgoblin Records was established in 2005 with the aim of releasing albums from British-based artists of all cultures playing all types of folk and traditional music. The label has released 15 albums so far with several more in the pipeline. This is Hobgoblin's own record label, making it a strategic initiative for supporting the folk music community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thomann: Germany-based, Europe's largest online musical instrument retailer with massive catalog, competitive pricing, and broad European fulfillment. Directly comparable on folk/acoustic SKUs (guitars, fretted, bowed, accordions) but operating as a broad-category incumbent rather than folk specialist.
• Sweetwater: The largest US online music instrument retailer, offering guitars, fretted/folk instruments, and accessories with strong service-led sales. Comparable as a multi-channel music retailer with a broad catalog overlapping Hobgoblin's assortment, though Sweetwater's scale and breadth exceed Hobgoblin's folk-specialist focus.

Direct peers

• Gear4music: Largest UK-listed online musical instrument retailer, public on AIM, carrying thousands of SKUs across guitars, folk, fretted, orchestral, and percussion. Comparable omni-channel competitor with structurally lower cost-of-sales serving many of the same UK consumer and educational buyers as Hobgoblin.
• Elderly Instruments: Long-established US-based specialist retailer of acoustic guitars, folk instruments, banjos, mandolins, and orchestral strings. Closely comparable on folk/acoustic specialist focus, multi-channel retail, and strong repair service layer, though based in the US rather than UK.
• PMT (Professional Music Technology): UK multi-store music retailer with shops in London, Birmingham, and other major cities plus a strong e-commerce site. Direct comparable on multi-channel physical-plus-online music retailing, with overlapping guitar, acoustic, and fretted instrument categories.
• Dawsons Music: UK-wide chain of music retail stores selling guitars, fretted, orchestral, and acoustic instruments via physical and online channels. Comparable multi-store UK music retailer with overlapping product range, especially in acoustic guitars and orchestral strings.
• Andertons Music: UK multi-channel music retailer with physical stores plus a strong online presence covering guitars, fretted, and acoustic instruments. Direct multi-channel competitor to Hobgoblin in the UK consumer market, although broader in genre (rock/pop) and electric-leaning versus Hobgoblin's folk specialty.
• Norman's Rare Guitars: US-based specialist dealer in vintage, used, and new acoustic and fretted instruments with a strong appraisal/trade-in model. Comparable on folk/acoustic specialty, used-instrument inventory, and emphasis on expert staff curation of unusual instruments.

Emerging players

• Acoustic Centre: Smaller UK-based retailer specialising in acoustic guitars and fretted folk instruments. Comparable as a UK acoustic-folk specialist focused on premium and boutique brands, though operating at a smaller scale than Hobgoblin's nine-store network.
• Eagle Music Shop: UK-based specialist in banjos and folk instruments with strong ties to bluegrass and traditional music communities. Comparable on folk-specific focus and community-driven GTM, though smaller in scale and banjo-leaning versus Hobgoblin's broader folk catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HobgoblinMusic
• Facebookfacebook.com/hobgoblinmusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hobgoblin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hobgoblin