Bigfoot Music Inc

What Bigfoot Music Inc does

Bigfoot Music Inc is a privately held, single-location retail music store headquartered in Arlington, Washington (3405 172nd ST NE), founded in November 1996 and operating continuously for over 25 years. The company sells new and used musical instruments and equipment through its physical storefront, open seven days a week, and maintains an online presence on the Reverb marketplace for buy/sell/trade activity. Core technology is not applicable beyond standard e-commerce and marketplace integrations; competitive differentiation rests on human expertise, curated inventory, and community positioning rather than proprietary software.

The company's revenue model is multi-stream: musical equipment sales (new and used), instrument rentals for school band and orchestra programs with monthly rates starting at $27 plus a mandatory $7/month maintenance & repair fee, professional repair services (bench rate $100/hour, plus unit-priced restringing, setups, and parts work), in-store music lessons delivered by independent in-house instructors, consignment sales on a percentage fee, and layaway/financing (25% down with 60-day payoff; 6-month no-interest financing on purchases of $250 or more). Bigfoot Music is a licensed warranty repair facility for Fender and related brands (Fender, EVH, Jackson, Gretsch, Charvel, Squier, and Fender Custom Shop).

The business is founder-owned with co-owners Deric Dobesh and Ryan Laffin and a small team of approximately five people including family member Erin Dobesh and recently hired percussion specialist Alexz Doris. Customer segments are horizontal and B2C, spanning school music program students, music learners of all ages, and professional and hobbyist musicians. Marketing is organic and community-driven via Facebook, Instagram, email, and word-of-mouth, with no paid advertising, no app, and no disclosed technology platform beyond the Squarespace website.

Name

Bigfoot Music Inc

Legal name

Bigfoot Music Inc.

Website

https://bigfootmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bigfoot Music Inc is a single-location retail music store in Arlington, WA selling new and used instruments and offering band/orchestra rentals, music lessons, and licensed Fender warranty repairs to school music students, hobbyists, and professional musicians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG), Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH)

Keywords

• Musical instrument retail
• Band orchestra rentals
• Music repair services
• Music lessons instruction
• Used instrument sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Musical Equipment Sales: New and used musical instrument and equipment sales. Careful vetting and curation of inventory.
2. Instrument Rentals: Band and orchestra instrument rentals including clarinets, flutes, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, violins, and more. Monthly rental fees starting at $27.
3. Repair Services: Guitar and bass setup, restringing, electronic repair, hardware upgrades, acoustic nut/saddle replacement, cleaning and conditioning. Bench rate $100/hour.
4. Music Lessons: Guitar and bass instruction offered by independent contractors. Instructors handle their own scheduling.
5. Consignment: Consignment sales of instruments and equipment. Percentage-based fees depending on instrument value.
6. Layaway and Financing: Layaway with 25% down and 60-day payoff period. Financing available on purchases $250+ (6 months, no interest with credit approval).
7. Trade-ins: Occasional trade-ins for different instruments and equipment, evaluated in person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bigfoot Music Inc operates a single-location retail music store in Arlington, WA that sells new and used musical instruments and equipment, rents band and orchestra instruments to students, offers in-house guitar and bass repair services (including as a licensed Fender warranty facility), provides music lessons through independent instructors, and facilitates consignment sales and layaway/financing on purchases. The store opened in November 1996 and emphasizes a community-focused retail experience distinct from big-box competitors.

Product overview

Bigfoot Music Inc is a single-location retail music store offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on musical instruments. The core offering includes new and used instrument sales, supported by an online Reverb marketplace shop for broader reach. Service & Repair (including licensed Fender warranty repair) and Band & Orchestra Rentals are key value-add services that drive both foot traffic and instrument acquisitions for resale. Music Lessons by in-house instructors complements the ecosystem, while Consignment and Layaway/Financing provide flexible purchase and sale options. All services are coordinated through their Arlington, WA physical location opened in 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Musical Instrument Sales

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ReverbminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBigfoot Music maintains an online Reverb shop for buying, selling, and trading musical equipment online, extending their reach beyond the physical storefront.
• FendercoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed Fender warranty repair facility authorized to perform warranty repairs on Fender, EVH, Jackson, Gretsch, Charvel, Squier, and Fender Custom Shop products.
• EVHcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for EVH brand guitars and amplifiers as part of the Fender warranty network.
• JacksoncoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for Jackson brand guitars as part of the Fender warranty network.
• GretschcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for Gretsch brand guitars as part of the Fender warranty network.
• CharvelcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for Charvel brand guitars as part of the Fender warranty network.
• SquiercoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for Squier brand guitars as part of the Fender warranty network.
• Fender Custom ShopcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed warranty repair facility for Fender Custom Shop products as part of the Fender warranty network.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Music Exchange: Independent brick-and-mortar and online music retailer known for curated new and used guitars, repair services, and strong community content. Closely comparable service-led, curation-focused positioning relative to Bigfoot's local store model.
• Sweetwater: Large direct-to-consumer musical instrument and pro audio retailer with strong service orientation, free shipping, and detailed product curation. Comparable as a service-led instrument retailer even though it operates nationally and online-only with a much larger catalog.
• Music & Arts: Specialty retailer focused on band and orchestra instruments, rentals, lessons, and repairs with a large physical footprint. Directly comparable because of the rental subscription model and school-music program focus that mirrors Bigfoot's primary rental business.

Broad incumbents

• Reverb: Online marketplace for buying, selling, and trading new and used musical instruments. Comparable as a sales channel and competitor for Bigfoot's used-gear trade and consignment business, though operates at vastly greater scale.
• Sam Ash: Long-standing national musical instrument retailer with stores in major U.S. metros, offering sales, lessons, and repairs. Comparable multi-service music retailer at broader scale; recent store closures affect competitive intensity in shared markets.
• Guitar Center: Largest U.S. brick-and-mortar musical instrument chain offering new and used gear, lessons, and repairs across hundreds of locations. Comparable as a multi-service music retailer, though it competes on scale and price rather than curated community experience.

Regional players

• Schmitt Music: Upper Midwest-based family-owned musical instrument retailer with deep school band and orchestra rental programs. Directly comparable band/orchestra rental and lesson offerings, but serves a different U.S. region than Bigfoot.
• Ted Brown Music: Pacific Northwest independent music retailer with band/orchestra rentals, lessons, and repair services. Closely comparable product mix and customer base to Bigfoot, though headquartered in a different PNW submarket.
• Dietze Music: Family-owned Nebraska-based music retailer offering instruments, lessons, and repair services. Comparable independent multi-service store model and band/orchestra focus, though serving a different regional market.
• Russo Music: Independent musical instrument retailer in the Northeast U.S. offering sales, rentals, lessons, and repairs. Comparable multi-service community-store model, but in a different geographic market than Bigfoot.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BigfootMusic
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigfootmusic/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigfoot-music-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Bigfoot Music Inc