[CAUT] harpsichord questions

[Dennis Johnson]

It's my understanding that most shops use a gauge to standardize the wrap
length.  The one I have was copied from a model that Bill Garlick passed
around years ago at a convention, which in turn was copied directly from one
in William Dowd's shop decades before.  I'm trying not to loose that one.
In my opinion the important thing is to find a measure that works and looks
good, then copy it as best you can, noting that length of wire for the
tuning pin increases as diameter decreases.

Dennis Johnson
_______________

On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 8:21 AM, Porritt, David <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>wrote:

>  I have the late Margaret Hood’s Harpsichord book that is a good
> reference.  These are still being offered in an ad in the classified section
> of *The Journal*.  I’ve never strung a whole harpsichord though I’ve had
> to replace lots of broken strings on them.  I’ve generally left +/- 14
> inches of wire behind the pin and wrapped it around the pin while it’s
> attached to the hitch pin.  It seems about right.  The loop is the most
> challenging thing to me.  All of the harpsichords at SMU had the long
> English loop like most piano bass strings and getting a tight loop without
> breaking the wire was the tough part.  I would have been much happier making
> German loops or even double German loops and if I were to have to string a
> whole instrument I’d probably go that route.  I don’t think of putting a
> string on a harpsichord as being more difficult than on a piano, just
> different.
>
>
>
> dp
>
>
>
>
>
> David M. Porritt, RPT
>
> dporritt at smu.edu
>
>
>
> *From:* caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] *On Behalf Of *D
> Marie Jones
> *Sent:* Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:00 AM
> *To:* caut at ptg.org
> *Subject:* [CAUT] harpsichord questions
>
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
>
>
> I've never installed new strings on a harpsichord & have a few questions. .
> .if anyone could either explain the below or direct me to a resource(s),
> that would be most appreciated:
>
>
>
> 1.  What is the standard amount of string you leave beyond the pin to end
> up with the perfect amount of wraps?
>
>
>
> 2.  Is the process for stringing a harpsichord the same as a piano?  Or are
> there hidden tricks that would be helpful to know in advance?
>
>
>
> 3.  What is the best source for harpsichord string?
>
>
>
> thank you-----D
>
>
>
> D Marie Jones, RPT
>
> Kalamazoo College
>
> 269-383-0620
>
> 269-806-4067 (cell)
>
>
>
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