trade-ins, and that’s an opportunity and a threat at once,” Bults explained. “On one hand, you get cool, unique stuff that doesn’t compete with big retailers like Thomann — you get a unique standpoint. On the other hand, you don’t always get all the cash you’d like, so cash flow can be tight. It’s always a question of, ‘What will I trade?’ ‘What will I not?’” This shift has also changed buyer behav- ior. With more instruments in circulation, players are becoming more precise in their choices, demanding demos, videos and fast responses from shops. TFOA has responded by prioritizing service speed. “One thing we’re hammering on is re- sponse time,” Bults said. “Last week, our average response time during business hours was 12 minutes, a first for us.” EXPANDING & EVOLVING This fall, TFOA will embark on a new venture aimed at expanding its reach and evolving with the changing needs of musicians through Fellowship Auctions. For the Dutch retailer, the launch of this platform is a way to connect with an even wider community of players and collectors across Europe. Collectors often approached TFOA with dozens of instruments they wanted to part with, but the shop couldn’t always take on the volume. “I have it so often that people call and say, ‘I have 40 guitars here that I want to get rid of.’ I cannot buy 40 guitars right now,” Bults explained. “Before, I had to say no, but now I can say, ‘You can auction them.’ Those guitars were ending up in the market anyway, just not through us.” By offering an auction platform, TFOA ensures that instruments continue to circulate through its ecosystem, keeping buyers and sellers connected while growing its share in the ever-expanding second-hand market. “That’s our biggest goal right now,” Bults said. “Just to get as much market share as possible in the second-hand markets and to make growth there.” And speaking of market share, when it comes to breaking into the European mar- ket, Bults encourages international brands to take a more traditional, personal approach. “Get the guitars over there, get boots on the ground and just drive by the shops,” Bults said. “I get advertisements all day long, and that doesn’t mean anything on the screen anymore. If you’re an international company and you want to sell in Europe, just plan a trip for two weeks and drive by all the stores.” MI
The Fellowship of the Acoustics New Arrivals room has a rotating stock.
implement a counter-tariff.” Fortunately for TFOA, importing instru- ments remained the bigger priority. “Luckily for us, most of our guitars come from the U.S.,” Bults explained. “It’s more important to receive guitars without tariffs than to export, because exporting was only a small portion of our business anyway.” Even as tariffs and currency fluctua- tions create hurdles for international trade, TFOA has doubled down on what sets it apart: offering guitars musicians won’t find anywhere else. “The biggest thing that we try to do is be very strong in the secondhand market, just to make sure that we get products that are unique, because every used guitar is unique,” Bults said. “With the new brands that we carry, we focus a lot on boutique instruments and custom guitars. Even with the bigger brands, like Gibson, we’re active with their Made to Measure Program — selecting special top woods, unique backs and custom necks. We try to ensure our stock is unique and nowhere else to be found.” This focus on rarity and customization has helped TFOA navigate international market shifts. “Our exports to the U.S. completely dried out because the dollar is relatively weak com- pared to the euro,” Bults said. “On top of tariffs, that made guitars from us about 25% more expensive from an American standpoint in just six months.” TFOA’s luthiers make distinctive stock so musicians can recognize the brand name. That means leaning heavily into boutique brands and custom instruments, creating a collection that feels curated rather than mass- produced. From lesser-known acoustics like Collings and Iris to electric innovators like Novo, TFOA actively seeks out guitars that
carry craftsmanship and story. Every instru- ment on the floor, whether pre-loved or newly crafted, is treated as a singular piece, ready to inspire the next musician who picks it up. Unlike many retailers, TFOA is one of the few stores in Europe that handles its own imports, giving it a unique level of control over stock and sourcing. “If we have concerns, we speak directly with distributors who import from the U.S.,” Bults said. “Right now, it’s quite relaxed, and everybody is just holding their breath that it remains this way, because it’s not too bad for us. The dollar is relatively weak, so we can purchase quite well, and there’s no tariff against it.” Bults noted that the current climate is actually an improvement over recent years. “It sounds a bit odd, but things have gotten better for us in the last six months,” he said. “The year before, and even during COVID, the dollar was so strong that when the in- struments we ordered finally arrived, they were much more expensive than expected, and we continuously had to adjust.” By managing imports in-house, TFOA is able to maintain a carefully curated stock of guitars while navigating the fluctuations of global markets. Despite ever-changing markets and external challenges, TFOA has made adaptability its calling card. “[During] COVID, we saw a lot of people picking up their instruments and buying more gear,” Bults said. But the ripple effects of that buying surge that was similarly as strong in Europe as it was in the U.S. are still being felt today. Many players who invested in new instruments dur- ing the pandemic lockdowns are now looking to trade them in, creating both opportunity and challenge for shops like TFOA. “We see a big increase every month on
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