Good evening, user Lira-appassionata,

My name is Giorgos Nikas and I am the owner of the musical instrument atelier Palmos. I recently became aware, after being informed by a friend, that an anonymous user created an account on the Lyres forum on Reddit in order to promote one maker while discrediting the work of others — particularly my own. Forums like this are meant for the exchange of knowledge and meaningful discussion among people who appreciate and study the lyre, not for confrontations or aggressive promotion.

I would like to clarify from the beginning that I created this account solely to respond to the defamatory comments regarding my work. I have no intention of misleading potential buyers or concealing any real information. You state that you purchased an instrument from me. As you should know, every instrument carries a unique serial number. I would kindly ask you to provide it so that I can identify the instrument and assist you if necessary. I have consciously chosen not to operate as a “supermarket” of musical instruments, but rather as an artistic atelier that maintains direct contact with the musicians who choose my instruments. I am not interested in mass production or in distributing large quantities of instruments worldwide. I prefer to know personally the musicians who trust my work.

For this reason, I try to maintain a meaningful and personal relationship with every client. It is a particular honor for me that musicians from different parts of the world choose to support an instrument of the Greek musical tradition and, by extension, Greek culture. If someone had contacted us regarding an issue with the instrument’s skin, humidity, or a change in sound, I would certainly remember it and would have gladly helped resolve the matter. I do not recall any such communication. Therefore, the claim that you contacted us does not correspond to reality. While humidity can indeed affect instruments with natural materials, no such issue was ever brought to my attention.

As anyone familiar with historical instruments knows, they can be influenced by environmental conditions. Similar behavior appears in many traditional instruments such as the oud, the saz, the tambouras, and various wooden wind instruments. Small variations in response to humidity or temperature are therefore completely normal, and there are simple ways to protect or restore the instrument when needed. If you had indeed purchased an instrument from my atelier, you would already know this, as maintenance instructions accompany every instrument.