John Packer started his woodwind and brass business nearly 40 years ago. From humble beginnings with a small woodwind repair shop in Taunton, Somerset, his reputation quickly grew. John was well known for his expertise and great customer service in the UK and across the world. Both a musician and trained oboe maker and repairer, John has since consulted on the design of instruments for a number of major manufacturers including Yamaha, Boosey & Hawkes and Schreiber. John has used his experience to create a multitude of features on the JP range of instruments which are now popular across the globe. This process is ongoing with regular trips to the factory to work with the technicians actually on the production line.
Hailing from Yorkshire, the true home of British Brass Bands, Rob was destined to join his local Brass Band and had a glittering career over many years playing in the UKs finest brass bands. Having joined John Packer Ltd in 1998 he now oversees the company’s sales and marketing strategies including the JP Musical Instruments brand and can often be seen at all the major trade events across the globe
Having spent her formative years in Devon, Annie joined John Packer Ltd in June 1994 and became a Director and Company Secretary later that year. Her financial background was formerly in hotels, but after initially being the only the member of the Finance Department when she first came to John Packer’s, she now has a strong team around her who help her keep an eagle eye on the finances of the company.
From a very young age, music has been a passion of Tom’s. A tuba player who has represented Great Britain in the National Youth Orchestra, performing all over the country and even playing at the BBC Proms. Tom studied for two years at the Royal Academy of Music, and in that time worked with some of the world’s leading conductors and sharing a stage with Elton John. Now back in Somerset with his wife, son and daughter. Tom spends his spare time performing with street bands and jazz bands as a tuba/sousaphone player, mostly with The Little Big Horns, playing cricket and enjoying a refreshing beverage.
Amy started playing the Cornet in 2006 after moving to Devon from Maidenhead. Amy has a great passion for brass bands and contesting, she joined the Sidmouth Town Band in 2017 and competes in contests all over the Country, including the National Championships of Great Britain. She joined John Packer in 2019 as a sales assistant. Shortly after, Amy began to oversee our spare parts department. She now works closely with our Admin team and continues to manage our spare parts.
Alice is an clarinettist who graduated with a BMus (Hons) from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2018. Whilst there she specialized in harmony clarinets as well as the traditional Bb/A instruments. Born and raised in Somerset, she enjoyed the music scene from an early age, be it on clarinet or saxophones. She has been studying the clarinet for over 10 years and has studied under names such as Michael Whight, Fiona Cross, Ian Mitchell (Bass), Dr Kevin Murphy and Sue Francombe. Alice has gained both her DipABRSM clarinet performance and LTCL instrumental teaching diplomas.
Thomas joined the team in the beginning of 2023, after graduating from Bangor University with a Masters Degree in ‘Composition and Sonic Art.’ Thomas has played Trumpet since the age of 7, and began French Horn as a second instrument whilst in college. He is a passionate ensemble player, having played with Taunton Concert Band for many years, in addition to being an ex-member of Phoenix Brass Crewkerne and several university ensembles. After a year conducting the Bangor University Concert Band, Thomas has decided to continue conducting, and currently has two Musical Director positions, with the North Curry Village Orchestra and the Taunton Clarinet Choir.
A leading voice in the local musical community, Andy is a talented clarinet player and Assistant Musical Director for Taunton Concert Band. Andy is a highly experienced member of the John Packer Ltd team with many years experience. As an Ex-Army Band Musician, Andy is also well equipped to deal with saxophone queries of all standards.
Jean did school work experience at Packers on Wood Street in 1997, and it was serendipity that she became a fully-fledged member of staff ten years later after studying piano and oboe at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester and obtaining a piano performance diploma with Trinity College London. In the early days Jean worked on the shop floor dealing with double reed enquiries, before utilising her experience in local and national media to work in the Marketing Department.
Stuart's past experience was in IT, but he made a career change to Digital Marketing. His IT experience comes in handy in his role of keeping the website up to date. Stuart also maintains our social media accounts and does our product photography and videos.
Odette manages all web orders placed via our website, ebay and amazon and ensures they reach you quickly and safely. She also organises our popular instrument hire scheme which gets hundreds of new players off and running. An expert on our internal systems and procedures, Odette is well placed to answer all your hire and web order queries.
Roger joined us in early 2015 but hasn’t hesitated in becoming a core part of our team. Our resident Sage guru, Roger is continuously looking for ways to improve our system which in turn enables us to give better customer service. Roger is one of the first points of contact when dealing with telephone enquiries and usually the friendly voice you first speak to.
Use this section to explain a set of product features, to link to a series of pages, or to answer common questions.
Use this section to explain a set of product features, to link to a series of pages, or to answer common questions.
Gary is a stalwart of John Packer Ltd having worked alongside John Packer since its inception. With over 40 years experience repairing woodwind and brass instruments, there isn’t much Gary hasn’t seen. Whether it’s a small dent or stuck tuning slide, Gary is always on hand to see your instrument returned to working order.
A talented saxophonist and Jazz musician, Dan has developed his instrument repair skills over 20 years whilst in the John Packer Ltd workshop. Specialising in woodwind repairs with a focus on saxophones, clarinets, flutes and oboes specifically, Dan is also gifted in creating custom modifications to keywork and mechanism for players with additional needs.
Ian has worked at John Packer for more than 15 years and specialises in the repair and servicing of brass instruments. Along with Amy he can help with any spares you may need.
Use this section to explain a set of product features, to link to a series of pages, or to answer common questions.