The Sykes & Sons Specialist Sourcing Service

The pianos presented on our Inventory page represent only a small proportion of the instruments passing through the Sykes & Sons workshop. Many are never offered for general sale.

Through our Specialist Sourcing Service, we maintain individual briefs for customers seeking a particular instrument. Some are relatively broad; others specify an exact model, cabinet finish or configuration, together with individual preferences for tone and touch.

A customer might, for example, ask us to source a three-pedal Knight K10 in a dark teak cabinet.

When an appropriate instrument becomes available, our task is not simply to acquire one which satisfies that description, but to select the best example we can find and one which we consider worthy of entering the Sykes & Sons workshop.

Once selected, the piano is acquired, transported to our workshop and carefully reconditioned and prepared. The customer is kept informed throughout, before being invited to view and play the completed instrument.

This is why many of our pianos never appear on the website. They already have somebody waiting for them.

---

A particular piano

Many of the instruments most sought after by our customers have not been manufactured for decades, and we cannot simply place an order with a manufacturer and have another one delivered a few weeks later. Every instrument must first become available, after which it must be assessed, acquired, transported, prepared, and ultimately judged worthy of entering our stock.

Knight and Welmar instruments are particularly well represented amongst our sourcing requests. Models such as the Knight K10 and Welmar uprights continue to enjoy an excellent reputation amongst pianists, teachers and enthusiasts, yet the supply of genuinely good examples is finite.

Our sourcing extends beyond these makers, encompassing selected British, European and Japanese instruments from Bechstein, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Challen, Chappell, Danemann, Fazioli, Fazer, Grotrian-Steinweg, Kawai, Kemble, Knight, Schimmel, Steinway & Sons, Welmar, Woodchester and Yamaha.

Some requests can be fulfilled within a matter of weeks, while others require many months. Particularly specific requirements, especially where finish, configuration or musical character are important considerations, may take longer still. As a general guide, customers using the Specialist Sourcing Service should expect a waiting period of between six and twenty-four months.

---

Registering your requirements

The process begins with a private consultation, either in person or by telephone.

We will discuss the piano you are seeking, your budget, any requirements concerning maker, model, finish or configuration, and your preferences for tone and touch.

You do not need to arrive with a complete specification; part of the consultation is establishing precisely what we should be looking for on your behalf.

Your requirements are then recorded with us and, when an instrument becomes available which we believe merits your consideration, we will contact you directly.

If you are waiting for the right piano, we would encourage you to speak to us before it appears on our website.