Call us free in the UK  →  0800 043 1022

Other Services

Acoustic avalon
Our annual acoustic guitar show - Europe's largest
Instrument repairs
We'll get you playing again with the minimum of fuss
Woodwind & brass instrument Rental
Quality starter instruments at a low monthly rate
Violin, viola & cello rental
Sizes from 1/16 upwards, set up by our own luthiers
Weekend warriors!
Join a band and have fun making music again
2nd wind
A new wind band especially for adult beginners

About Us

The Sheehans shop front 2008

On this page you will find:

Other relevant pages:

What You Should Know

Our business:

  • Sheehans is a friendly, family-run business located in Leicester, UK
  • We have been trading for over 25 years and we are a REAL SHOP!

Our staff:

  • We employ specialist sales staff who are all experienced musicians
  • We are not on commission!  This means we are able to honestly advise on the best instrument for your needs, whether or not it is the most expensive.

Our guarantee:

  • All instruments are set up and/or tested prior to sale by our specialist staff.
  • We offer a full guarantee with the instruments we sell, and we have our own workshops and luthiers on site to carry out any repair work.

Meet Our Staff

Noel Sheehan

Noel Sheehan

The boss! Ask him anything - Noel knows a frightening amount about musical instruments. He is also a senior member of the Music Industries Association.

Martha Bean

Martha Bean

Our piano and keyboards specialist, Martha is also a songwriter, performer and composer. A music graduate of Dartington College of Arts, Martha also plays double bass in the Bardi Orchestra.

Roger Brown

Roger Brown

Roger is responsible for processing and shipping all of our internet and mail orders, and is currently learning to play the guitar.

Joe Handford

Joe Handford

Experienced drummer Joe manages the percussion department, whilst also taking responsibility for a lot of the background admin work. He also teaches and performs in his spare time.

Jim Huckle

Jim Huckle

A luthier as well as repairer, Jim specialises in electric basses. A graduate of Newark College, he is currently making several instruments in his spare time. If you’ve a guitar or bass that needs repairing, Jim’ll-fix-it!

Gary Lewis

Gary Lewis

Our resident blues man! Slide guitar maestro Gary also knows a thing or two about harmonicas.

Dan Monk

Dan Monk

Our woodwind & brass specialist, jazz-enthusiast and Leeds College of Music graduate Dan also runs sax quartet The Horn Supremacy, and teaches clarinet and saxophone in the evenings.

Pierre Pannetier

Pierre Pannetier

Pierre is our senior guitar luthier. He won the Ashley Mark Classical Guitar Magazine Prize for the Most Outstanding Student in 2009. Pierre works on all guitars, but specialises in the classical guitar.

Caroline Randle

Caroline Randle

Orchestral strings specialist Caroline is also an accomplished pianist and is in charge of all the books and sheet music we stock.

Jason Spencer

Jason Spencer

Our electric and acoustic guitars specialist. Well established on the local music scene, he also plays and sings in two bands.

Callum Wimhurst

Callum Wimhurst

Callum is responsible for processing and shipping all of our internet and mail orders. He is also a composer and an experienced electric guitar player.

A Brief History Of Sheehans

Noel Sheehan founded Sheehans in 1984, after realising that there was a market for musical instrument repairs in Leicestershire.  The business began trading as a repair service in a small workshop in Leicester, with 2 experienced repairers, but soon expanded into retail sales.  Growth has been rapid (and sometimes chaotic!), but Sheehans is now widely regarded as one of the best acoustic musical instrument stores in the UK.

The business currently employs 12 full-time staff at our London Road, Leicester store, and is still expanding.  There are now 3 repair workshops, servicing and repairing guitars, orchestral strings and wind instruments - these workshops remain a vital part of the business, as they are also responsible for setting up and testing all our instruments prior to sale.  In addition to sales and repairs, we also offer a woodwind & brass instrument rental scheme, a violin, viola & cello rental scheme, and run a number of popular events including our annual Acoustic Avalon guitar show.

Sheehans is a specialist store staffed by experienced players.  Our website is intended as an addition to our services, not a replacement - wherever possible, we recommend that you visit our store and experience our service first hand.  However, because of our high standards of instrument set up and testing, you can be confident of ordering online from us.

We hope you enjoy your visit to our site, and welcome your feedback.

Our Opening Hours

Hours of Opening
Monday - Closed -
Tuesday 09:30 - 18:00
Wednesday 09:30 - 18:00
Thursday 09:30 - 18:00
Friday 09:30 - 18:00
Saturday 09:00 - 17:30
Sunday - Closed -

We are normally open every day except Sundays and Mondays.

If you wish to contact us outside of our opening hours, an answerphone service is available.

Internet Orders

Orders placed on this website are processed Monday* to Friday inclusive.

We normally offer same-day despatch in the following cases:

  • Large items sent by courier - orders placed before midday
  • Small items sent by post - orders placed before 5:00pm

*Excludes Bank Holidays

Job Vacancies

There are no vacancies at the present time.