 John Packer
John Packer began his career in music as both a musician and trained repairer and oboe maker. The first instrument designed by John was the Portland oboe – named after the road the shop was on.
Over the following years John used his skills in a design consultative role for a number of major instrument manufacturers including Yamaha, Boosey & Hawkes and Schreiber.
With the increased government funding into musical education and the increasing of Chinese musical instrument manufacture, John Packer visited factories in China to create a JP Musical Instruments line. With the assistance of the workshop team under their Manager, Gary Dickinson, the company developed a number of new instruments. Since 2001 the pace and breadth of development dramatically increased and the range now covers the vast majority of brass and woodwind instruments from elementary to professional standard.
JP Musical Instruments controls all aspects of production; design, materials, and manufacturing methods. The company has also worked closely with manufacturers to ensure that working conditions are among the best available, along with the use of modern machinery and processing materials.
 Smith-Watkins
In 2006 the company began collaborations with Dr Richard Smith (the designer of Smith-Watkins trumpets, cornets and flugel horns), which resulted with the JPSW range of trumpets and cornets.
Dr Smith worked for Boosey & Hawkes for many years as chief designer and technical manager responsible for the world famous Besson brass range. He designed several Besson Sovereign instruments, used by most brass and military bands. He has since invested much time in researching acoustics; testing and development of brass instruments, the results of which have been widely publicised in scientific literature and on TV and radio.
All his experience has been utilised in designing vital elements of our range of cornets and trumpets which have become a phenomenon amongst amateurs, professionals and teachers alike.
Find out more about Smith-Waktins
Rath Trombones
After this collaboration, JP Musical Instruments began working with another renowned industry expert Michael Rath (Rath Trombones) on a range of trombones and French horn.
Michael Rath trombones are highly respected and trusted by professional players of both classical and jazz music. There are many endorsees including Mark Nightingale, Michael Dease and Carol Jarvis, just to name a few.
The Rath involvement hasn’t just been at the design end of the process; Michael has also been working closely with the technicians on the production line at our Chinese factory to ensure that the JP/Rath trombones are made precisely and to his exacting standards.
Find out more about Michael Rath Trombones
 Sterling Musical Instruments
More recently we began working with Paul Riggett of Sterling Musical Instruments on a range of background brass (tenor horn, baritone horn, euphonium and tuba).
Before founding his own company, Paul Riggett worked as Manufacturing Manager for Boosey & Hawkes. He founded Sterling in 1987, producing brass instruments specifically aimed at the British style brass band. The company rapidly established itself in the brass band market in the UK and across the globe.
His enormous experience and skill in the manufacture and design of professional brass instruments is acknowledged worldwide and is now at the heart of the JP/Sterling range of brass band instruments.
The industry specialists we’ve collaborated with not only governed the design of the instruments, but also the manufacturing methods, materials and quality control standards. Our range has created an era of high quality and high performance instruments at prices lower than had previously been available. It has also revolutionised the perception of Chinese manufacturing capability within the music industry.
Learn more about Sterling Musical Instruments
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