Since hanging his shingle at 38 Washington St. in Keene in 1988, Retro Music founder Jeff Firestone has adapted to a changing market and seen more than his share of instruments—and music royalty—pass through his doors.
Retro began as an extension of guitar player Firestone's love of variety. "During my playing days in the '70s and '80s, I would always horse-trade vintage guitars, back when they were still 'used guitars,' so I had a pretty good background in it," he says.
In the beginning the shop was a music smorgasbord: Firestone sold everything from LPs and CDs to keyboards, horns, and most anything else that produced sound. After transitioning to primarily high-end vintage guitars and amps, he began focusing on the more egalitarian task of providing something for nearly every axe-slinger. Retro is now floor-to-ceiling guitars, offering everything from a modest 50-dollar beginner to a 1966 Gretsch Country Gentleman.
With the Internet's emerging omnipresence, Firestone and crew have expanded their website to open up an ever-evolving inventory to the international guitar-buying community. They conduct about 40 percent of their business online, and with the current state of the American dollar, about 20 percent of those online sales head overseas.
Retro has counted more than a few guitar heroes as former and current clients over the last two decades. "We've seen some," Jeff says, "Ray Davies of the Kinks, Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., David Grisman, Daryl Hall, among others, have all bought guitars from us. Ronnie Earl and T. Bone Wolk (ex-Saturday Night Live, Billy Joel, Hall and Oates) have become pretty close friends over the years, besides buying lots of guitars."
Find out more and peruse the inventory at: retroguitar.com, myspace.com/retromusicguitars.
