Guitars and Grooves

Guitars and Grooves pairs instruments, lessons, repairs, and records in downtown Hudson. Matt's answers show how guitar players, vinyl collectors, tourists, students, and local regulars all cross paths in a shop built around music as a whole.

Interview with Guitars and Grooves

Guitars and Grooves just changed hands — Matt and Dan, who'd been there since day one, took over from founder Bill. How did the shop start, and what are you carrying forward?

G&G started in February 2021. Bill P had an idea to start a hybrid vinyl-guitar shop from the beginning but he needed help. Upon answering an ad on Craigslist for a guitar instructor, I figured what the heck, Hudson seems like a low key place to start teaching. Then I recommended Dan (an elite guitar tech) who was recently let go by another music shop because of the pandemic. As soon as we began in Hudson the community really took to having a place like G&G in the heart of their downtown. So we hope to carry the spirit of music in the downtown area moving forward.

Downtown Hudson's become a real destination with its breweries and restaurants — who comes through, and how's the local scene?

We get a lot of walk-ins from the tourists who enjoy the lively restaurant scene here. And we are grateful for all the different faces we see. That mixed with occasional customers who look us up online. Believe it or not there is a lot of musical lore in this part of the state. So we get people who have been to various Dead shows, people who have played and toured around the area from bluegrass to rock and roll, and just your average green vinyl collector.

What's the most valuable or surprising record that's come through the door?

It is always a surprise when something cool comes through. We have had OG Master of Puppets, OG Pearl Jam Ten, an Ozzy Tribute as well. Lots of great records have come through the shop.

You'll take a bunch of records off someone's hands — for a seller bringing vinyl in, what are you looking for?

When sorting through records, condition matters a lot. We offer a wide variety from Jazz (Miles, Satchmo, Benson), R&B (Marvin Gaye, EWF, Aretha), Rock (Police, Zep, Steely Dan, Beatles) and even some classical to boot. So we don't turn things away based on genre. But for the most part we try to weed out the duplicates. I think we have a dozen of The Honey Drippers albums. Great album, but I don't think we can physically house anymore. Besides that we try to stock the shelves with the classics. But every time we fill the shelves with Floyd, Zep, Maiden, etc, they go out the door soon after. It's hard to keep up!

Between the lessons, the repairs and the record bins — do you find the guitar players and the record collectors are the same folks, or two crowds?

I believe it was Wynton Marsalis who said "You play for the audience, but you are the first listener." Many of our students and guitar customers are vinyl collectors. As an artist what you listen to defines your style on the instrument. But furthermore there is an appreciation for the quality that physical media brings to the table which resonates with an artist. Besides that you also have the die hard audiophiles and the die hard gear heads that keep in their lane when it comes to shopping in the store.

Beyond LPs, do 45s and the smaller formats still move for you?

We do have all of the above and even a decent CD collection that has started. But the primary focus is vinyl when it comes to inventory.

What do people most often get wrong about what their records are worth?

When people are excited about their collection, it's because the collection is so meaningful to them. I personally have 500+ records at my house. If you asked me what it was worth I would say thousands. And it might be! However at a shop on a main street you have to be fair but realistic. Your Gilbert and Sullivan might not be as much as you hope to get.

Last updated: 2026-08-14

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