Do guitars still sell in 2025? Is there a glut of unsold instruments? How have tariffs affected the high-end musical instrument space?

At this year’s Fretboard Summit, we asked a handful of guitar retailers for their unfiltered thoughts on selling instruments in 2025. Included were Rebecca Jasso (Old Town School of Folk Music retail store), Joe Caruso (The Music Emporium), Matt Kappenman (Mass Street Music) and Nathan Schiller (Folkway Music).

Their thoughts on guitar retail may just surprise you, and their insights into how to take care of a customer (and stay profitable during these tumultuous times) were revelatory.

Recorded live at the 2025 Fretboard Summit. We’ll be sharing more talks and panels from the Summit soon. Our next Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

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