Welcome!

Welcome to the Hobgoblin Website & Online Shop!            

As always, we offer you a unique range of unusual and exciting acoustic instruments from all over the world. We have more new lines, from British makers and designers as well as our trusted long term overseas partners. Every item is in the catalogue on merit, and we constantly review the range so we can supply the best quality available at each price level. So give us a call, or visit one of our shops, and we’ll do our best to help you find the instrument you want.

Our Aims

From Beginner to Expert

• We want to give beginners a chance to take up a folk instrument, as well as to provide the best for those who already play.

A Commitment to Traditional Music

• We aim to encourage more people to discover and enjoy English, Irish, Scottish & Welsh traditional music, as well as all the many other types of folk music now played these islands
• Everyone at Hobgoblin is involved in folk music; most of us are regularly gigging musicians. We provide employment to a growing number of folk musicians, makers and repairers, we support many live music events across the country and our record label gives an outlet to some of the best new folk and acoustic talent.

Making Real Music

• We help keep music live, by making real acoustic instruments widely available at affordable prices, and financially supporting live events.
• We always encourage people to make music themselves, by taking up a musical instrument. You are never too young or too old to start!

Hobgoblin Music was founded in 1976 by my wife Mannie and myself while we were searching for a concertina to play. Many other interesting instruments came to light, and the search grew into a business as we discovered we were not the only people who wanted to buy folk instruments, but couldn’t find any.

The early market stall and barn were quickly outgrown, and Hobgoblin has been based in Sussex since 1977. In 1992 we opened a second branch in London. Since then we have opened up in Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Wadebridge, Birmingham, Canterbury, Brighton, and our newest shop Southampton opened in 2015. We hope to add more branches in the future in the pursuit of our aim to make real acoustic instruments as widely available as possible. The shops are better stocked than ever, and we attempt to stock everything in this catalogue, as well as hundreds of secondhand & one off items.

Each summer since the beginning we have set up shop at folk festivals all around Britain, and occasionally overseas too. This has proved a great opportunity for us to meet our customers, and keep in touch with what you want, and with the new trends in folk music. We hope to meet you in our shop or at a festival soon.

Thanks to all our customers for your continued support! We really appreciate it.

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