Why We Only Sell Pianos We Would Happily Sell Again

At Sykes & Sons, we work to a very simple principle. If we sell a piano today, we must be confident that we would still be happy to sell that same piano again twenty years from now.

That belief quietly guides almost every decision we make in the workshop. It shapes the instruments we select, the work we carry out while they are here, and the advice we give to customers when they are selecting a piano.

It is also the reason we are comfortable offering what we call our “buy-back guarantee”.

From time to time, a piano that has previously left the workshop returns to us. Circumstances change. Families move home, players progress to larger instruments, or a household simply reaches a point where the piano is no longer required.

When that happens, we are usually very pleased to see the instrument again.

Recently, one such piano returned to the workshop after many years in private ownership.

---

We originally sold this piano 10 years ago.

When our customer wanted to sell the piano, we were able to purchase the piano back from them.

As soon as I saw it, I immediately remembered the piano. That is not unusual here. When you spend time carefully selecting and preparing each instrument that passes through the workshop, we tend to remember them.

We were very happy to purchase the piano back from its owner. In this particular case, the customer received back roughly half (50%) of what they had originally paid for the instrument, despite having enjoyed many years of use in their home.

When the piano arrived back at the workshop, it told a reassuring story.

The structure remained sound, and the action geometry was stable. The cabinet had aged gracefully, showing only the small nicks and marks that naturally accumulate during domestic life. Nothing about the instrument suggested neglect or deterioration, just good care.

The preparation required was therefore modest.

The action was carefully regulated to restore its precision. The tone was refined and balanced across the keyboard. The cabinet was tidied and the brass fittings polished. After tuning and final preparation, the piano was once again ready to begin its life with a new owner.

A well-built piano, properly prepared and responsibly cared for in a home, should not be a disposable object. It should be capable of serving one household faithfully before eventually returning to the workshop and continuing its life in another.

In much of the modern market, pianos are often sold with little consideration for how they will age. Instruments are chosen because they are immediately saleable rather than because they will remain worthwhile many years later. Our approach at Sykes & Sons is deliberately different.

When we bring a piano into the workshop, we are not simply asking whether it can be made attractive for sale today. We are asking a much more important question. Will this instrument still represent a worthwhile piano many years from now?

If the answer is uncertain, we do not proceed.

But when the answer is clear, the result is an instrument that can move quietly through time. From one home to the next. From one generation of players to another. Continuing to fulfil the purpose for which it was built.

The piano in this case is now beginning its second retail cycle at Sykes & Sons, and perhaps in 10 or 20 years from now, if it is ever offered back, it will be prepared for a third.

A piano from the Sykes & Sons workshop is not simply purchased for the present moment. It is chosen and prepared with the expectation that it will remain a worthwhile instrument for many years to come.