Its foundation is about 40 years old, John Packer began with a small blowtorch repair shop in Tauton, Somerset, UK, whose reputation grew rapidly. As a musician (oboe), John Packer investigated the construction of instruments from some of the major manufacturers, including Yamaha, Boosey & Hawkes and Schreiber, and used his experience to create a wide variety of new features on JP instruments popular among the wind instrumentalists around the world.