Shopping

The piano specialists
Tucked away in the depths of Tottenham's badlands, Time Out pays a visit to one of Britain's largest piano stores.

The Indian specialists
Time Out catches up with Jas Musicals owner Harjit Singh Shah who counts Jimmy Page, Talvin Singh, Asha Bhosle and David Gray as loyal customers.

The woodwind specialists
The daddy of Chiltern Street music shops, TW Howarth is one of London's finest music shops.

Plus...

Where the pros shop...
We ask the likes of Courtney Pine and Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots for their favourite music shops.

Where to stock up...
From squeeze boxes to Steinways, a comprehensive list of London's finest musical instrument shops.

Pianos from JR Reid

The piano specialists
J Reid & Sons
‘We don’t get many high-class customers up here in the badlands,’ laughs proprietor John Gregory. It’s probably because they wouldn’t expect to find Britain’s largest piano store in the heart of Tottenham’s grim, grey, low-rise council estates. Step through a blue garage door to the left-hand side of two large Georgian terraced houses and you’re suddenly dazzled by thousands of pounds’ worth of pianos: brand new Bösendorfers, Blüthners, Kawais and Yamahas; reconditioned Steinways and Bechsteins, shiny new Czech uprights (Petrof, Weinbach, Rieger-Kloss), and scores of restored second-hand models.

North-east London was once full of piano factories, using timber that came up the River Lea on barges, metal components tooled in Camden and the furniture-making nous from Stoke Newington and Shoreditch. Reid’s store-rooms are filled with reconditioned pianos with local marques like Brasted, Challen and Barrett & Robinson. Now all are extinct, and J Reid’s operation remains the only local vestige of this once-huge industry.

Competition from China, Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia has all but killed off the British piano industry. English brands like Broadwood are now built in Malaysia and even quality German firms like Steinway are in trouble. Reid sells a new, Chinese-made Dorffman upright for £1,200 and a comparable German-made Rönisch for around £6,000. ‘With the German model, the wood, the materials and the work quality will be better,’ says Gregory, ‘but it’s difficult to convince people that it’s five times better.’

Reid’s own-brand pianos – Reid & Son – are built in Korea but the busy workshop gives the impression that there’s still a thriving factory on the premises. There are ten full-time and four part-time technicians who repair, refit and restring pianos, with scores of jobs on the go.

Recently the long-term decline in piano sales has very slightly reversed, but much of this revival comes from electronic pianos. Gregory concedes that they’ve got quite good lately, and stocks a few, but points out that digital pianos have a built-in obsolescence. ‘The parts needed to repair these things won’t exist in two years’ time,’ he says. ‘An acoustic piano will last for several lifetimes and will often increase in value.’

He is irritated by internet competition but believes that good music shops are eBay-proof. ‘We’re always dealing with people who’ve picked up a second-hand piano on eBay for £300. They’ll take it home, get in a tuner and find that it needs restringing, or that the soundboard is cracked. That can be more than a thousand pounds-worth of work. If they’d come here in the first place they could have bought a perfectly good, second-hand upright for less than a grand.’

J Reid Pianos, 184 St Ann’s Rd, N15 (020 8800 6907/jreid-pianos.co.uk) Seven Sisters tube. Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm.

The Indian specialists
Jas Musicals
For more than 15 years, this humble store on Southall Broadway has attracted anyone interested in Indian instruments; the website shows Jimmy Page, Talvin Singh, Asha Bhosle and David Gray all shaking hands with owner Harjit Singh Shah. Now they won’t have to schlep nine miles down Uxbridge Road, because Jas has acquired premises on Chiltern Street, W1.

Shah came to Southall from Delhi in 1984, started importing Indian instruments a year later and opened a shop in 1990. He soon discovered that the quality of craftsmanship in traditional Indian instruments was very poor.

‘It’s left to the low castes,’ he says. ‘For a country that is booming in so many ways, India’s music technology is still stuck in the dark ages.’ Shah studies musical instrument technology (he’s got a masters and is studying for his PhD) and has started to apply Western technology to traditional Indian instruments. Manufacturing his company’s own instruments in a factory in Delhi, he now uses high-quality hand tools and machines. Wood is treated; animal skins are properly processed; fittings are carefully machine-tooled. And he’s started using well-crafted reeds on the harmoniums so they won’t go out of tune.

‘Harmoniums are actually a European invention,’ he says, ‘taken to India by British missionaries 200 years ago and largely forgotten in Europe. I found there was a wealth of expertise here about making reeds.’ He now exports a million reeds a year back to India, and his hand-crafted harmoniums will set you back a grand.

Still, prices are inexpensive compared to Western instruments. A student sitar is only £130, rising to £1,000 for a model with a hand-crafted peacock face and a kaddu, or resonating chamber, made of a real gourd (hollowed out, hardened in the sun for up to two years and varnished).

Shah has also started putting on concerts and running classes from his stores, setting up the Academy of Indian Music and Dance (AIMD). ‘In India, the musician is often seen as a beggar, an irritating busker. Here they get a bit more respect.’

Jas Musicals Ltd, 124 The Broadway, Southall, Middlesex (020 8574 2686/ www.jas-musicals.com) Southall rail or Ealing Broadway tube then 207, 607 bus. Daily 11am-7pm.

TW Howarth specialises in woodwind instruments

The woodwind specialists
TW Howarth & Co
Chiltern Street has a reputation for music shops but daddy of them all is TW Howarth. The store is divided into three shopfronts: one for clarinets, one for saxophones, another for bassoons and oboes. The meat and drink of the shop’s business is mouthpieces, reeds and sheet music, and four members of staff handle repairs. Yamaha is market leader but the best saxes and clarinets are French (Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc), bassoons tend to be German (Gebrüder Mönnig, W Schreiber and Püchner) and oboes a mix of German, French and American (though Howarth’s own student instruments are excellent).

Howarth’s was boosted by recent Government policy encouraging students to play traditionally unpopular (and expensive) orchestral instruments like bassoon and oboe. ‘They need a lot of work,’ warns the store’s Nigel Clark. ‘The average student has to bring their oboe in every couple of years. It’s like servicing a car.’

TW Howarth & Co, 31-35 Chiltern St, W1 (020 7935 2407/ www.howarth.uk.com) Baker St tube. Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm,
Sat 10am-4.30pm.

Where the pros shop
Courtney Pine, saxophonist
‘I play soprano, tenor sax, bass clarinet and flute, and I seem to spend half my life at Howarth’s for reeds, mouthpieces and repairs. I’ve certainly picked up a few parking tickets on Chiltern Street! It’s also great for research – there’s a great collection of sheet music – and the people who do the repairs are brilliant.’

Fyfe Dangerfield, Guillemots
‘Ray Man in Chalk Farm is a kind of through-the-looking-glass world of a music shop. You can guarantee there’ll always be some affordable, weird and wonderful exotic instrument in there that fills you with ideas, be it a zither, a gong which bends pitch or a plastic tube you whirl around your head. They have great Chinese folk music CDs in there, too. And cheap incense! It’s shops like Ray Man that make you appreciate living in London.’

Adem, singer-songwriter
‘I always feel welcome at Hobgoblin, just off Oxford Street. It’s filled with a huge wealth of different and inspiring instruments from traditional to exotic. The people who work there are passionate about music and are always more than happy to show
me how to play whichever bizarre instrument takes my fancy. It’s perfect for an inspiring browse or an in-depth discussion.’

Steve Beresford, composer and multi-instrumentalist
‘Last time we went to Hobgoblin the two assistants were having a jam. One was blowing a conch shell and the other was banging a small gong. We waited respectfully for them to finish and then bought a toy xylophone.’

Where to stock up
Allodi Accordions
Accordions are cool: witness Arcade Fire, King Creosote, Annie Proulx and Beirut, not to mention all those Balkan gypsy punks. This is London’s squeezebox hotspot. Founded in 1953 by Bruno Allodi and now run by his son, Emilio, it heaves with hundreds of (mainly secondhand) piano accordions, button accordions, continental chromatics and bandoneons. There’s also a repair workshop.
Allodi Accordians, 143-145 Lee High Rd, SE13 (020 8244 3771/ www.accordions.co.uk) Lewisham DLR/rail then 122, 178, 261, 321 bus. Mon 2-6pm; Tue, Thur, Fri 10.30am-6pm; Sat 10.30am-5pm.

Andy’s Guitar Centre
The daddy of Tin Pan Alley’s guitar shops has been here for more than a quarter of a century and offers five floors of acoustic, electric and bass guitars, alongside sheet music and accessories. They also do repairs and lessons. Next door is Andy’s Drum Centre (020 7916 5080).
Andy’s Guitar Centre, 27 Denmark St, WC2 (020 7916 5080/www.andysguitarnet.com) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon-Sat 10am-8pm; Sun 12.30pm-6.30pm.

Bina Musicals
The older rival of Jas Musicals in Southall specialises in a large range of sitars, veenas, flutes and drums from around the world, as well as made-to-order harmoniums. They also do a fine range of Indian figurines, books, videos and music.
Bina Musicals, 31-33 The Green, Southall, Middlesex (020 8571 5904/ www.binaswar.com) Southall rail. Mon-Sat 10.30am-7pm; Sun 11am-7pm.

J&A Beare
With more than 140 years’ experience selling Stradivari and other antique violins, violas and cellos, you’ll often see notable orchestral players here.
J&A Beare, 30 Queen Anne St, W1 (020 7307 9666/www.beares.com) Bond St tube. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; appointments preferred.

Bridgewood & Neitzert
Busy shop selling violins, violas, cellos and double basses alongside early viols, lutes and baroque violins. Violins start at around £200, double basses at £900. Five full-time staff deal with repairs.
146 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 (020 7249 9398/www.londonviolins.com) Stoke Newington rail or 73 bus. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 10am-4pm.

Chappell of Bond Street
It retained its name, but Chappell recently moved to this three-storey temple in Soho. It’s the leading Yamaha stockist in the UK, with an enviable range of digital and acoustic pianos, guitars, brass, woodwind and electronic equipment. The sheet music is reputedly the largest range in Europe.
Chappell of Bond St, 152-160 Wardour St, W1(020 7432 4400/www.chappellofbondstreet.co.uk) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm; Sat 10am-5.30pm.

Duke of Uke
A Spitalfields newcomer with ukuleles and banjos for all levels and budgets. A brightly coloured Mahalo is £20, Duke of Uke’s own brand starts at £80, electrics go up to around £700 and vintage ukes (Domino, Martin, Roy Smeck) can cost up to £1,000. They also stage jams and workshops.
Duke of Uke, 22 Hanbury St, E1 (020 7247 7924/www.dukeofuke.co.uk) Liverpool St tube/rail. Tue-Sun 11am-7pm.

The Early Music Shop/London Recorder Centre
You can go from a tenner for a plastic recorder up to £3,500 for a Paetzold cherrywood model. They also stock harps, flutes, baroque cellos, crumhorns and other world folk instruments.
The Early Music Shop/London Recorder Centre, 34 Chiltern St, W1 (020 7486 9101/www.e-m-s.com) Baker Street tube. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm.

Foote’s
Percussion specialist with drumkits, African and Latin drums, glockenspiels and electronic kits, plus a good selection of woodwind, brass and string instruments. Plus tuition and a rent-to-buy scheme.
Foote’s, 10 Golden Square, W1 (020 7734 1822/www.footesmusic.com) Piccadilly Circus tube. Mon-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat 9am-5pm.

Gigsounds
An amazingly comprehensive stock, from kazoos to studio electronics, with a good range of electric guitars and amps.
Gigsounds, 86-88 Mitcham Lane, SW16 (020 8769 3206/www.gigsounds.co.uk) Tooting Broadway tube then 57 bus or Streatham Common rail. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6.30pm; Sat 10am-6pm.

Hobgoblin
Folk specialist with a large range of banjos, mandolins, Celtic harps, penny whistles, flutes, harmonicas, ukes, bagpipes, hand percussion, bodhráns and autoharps . Also carries a large range of sheet music and a luthier who makes lutes, ouds and guitars and repairs other instruments.
Hobgoblin, 24 Rathbone Place, W1 (020 7323 9040/www.hobgoblin.com) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm .

Holywell Music
London’s top harp retailer. Prices start at £750 for the smallest lever harp, rising to £59,000 for the most expensive Salvi jobs, with mother-of-pearl inlay. Beginners can rent harps for three months, students will find strings, tuners and sheet music.
Holywell Music, 58 Hopton St, SE1 (020 7928 8451/www.holywellmusic.co.uk) Blackfriars or Southwark tube/rail. Mon-Fri 10am-5pm.

Kensington Pianos
Two floors of new Yamaha, Kawai and Zieder pianos plus a large range of secondhand, reconditioned and digital models. Kensington Pianos, 288 Kensington High St, W14 (020 7602 7566/www.kensingtonpianos.com) High St Kensington tube. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 10am-5pm.

Phil Parker
Dizzy Gillespie once visited this brass temple, as have hundreds of jazz and classical performers over the last 50 years. They have an unrivalled range of trumpets, trombones and tubas and also specialise in repairs and sheet music.
Phil Parker, 106a Crawford St, W1 (020 7486 8206/www.philparker.co.uk) Baker St tube. Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm; Sat 10am-4.30pm.

Piano Warehouse
Through what looks like a shed door there’s a large warehouse selling Yamaha, Steinmayer, Weber, Kemble and Seiler plus secondhand and digital pianos. You can also rent a brand-new upright for £396 for a year.
Piano Warehouse, 30 Highgate Rd, NW5 (020 7267 7671/www.piano-warehouse.co.uk) Kentish Town tube/rail. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm.

Ray Man
For more than 30 years this family business has sold traditional instruments from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America, from sitars and darbuka drums to Chinese zithers and Vietnamese jaw harps.
Ray Man, 54 Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 (020 7692 6261/www.raymaneasternmusic.co.uk) Camden Town tube. Tue-Sat 10.30am-6pm; Sun 11am-5pm.

The Spanish Guitar Centre
This shop, set up 55 years ago by the father of guitar virtuoso John Williams, specialises in classical and flamenco guitars.
The Spanish Guitar Centre, 36 Cranbourn St, WC2 (020 7240 0754/www.spanishguitarcentre.com) Leicester Square tube. Mon-Sat 10.30am-6pm; Sun 11am-4pm.

Turnkey/Soho Soundhouse
London’s finest specialists in synths, samplers, pro-audio and DJ equipment.
Turnkey/Soho Soundhouse, 114-116 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 (020 7379 5148/www.turnkey.co.uk) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat 10am-6pm; Thur 10am-7pm.

Wembley Drum Centre
A drum mecca with a range of Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, Sabian, DW and Zildjian kits.
Wembley Drum Centre, Unit 7-8, Metro Trading Centre, Fifth Way, Wembley, Middlesex (020 8795 4001/www.wembleydrumcentre.com) Wembley Park tube. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm.