Harpsichord

[Frank Weston]

John,

You can't always apply piano rules to harpsichords.

What passes for a perfectly acceptable coil on a harpsichord looks like a
bird's nest to a piano tech.  Unless you really want trouble, leave the
coils alone.  There are actually at least three different types of
harpsichord pins (not sizes, types) and at least three different acceptable
types of string coils - all of which look pretty much like crap with the one
common characteristic that there are dozens of wraps.  Most harpsichord
construction manuals include detailed instructions on wrapping the wire
coils, and your dentist was probably just following the plans.  Ask him
before you get too carried away.

Also, before you get too far along in tuning, you should learn how to make a
replacement string in case you break one, and you probably will.  You should
be aware, that depending on the type of harpsichord you are tuning, strings
in the same "unison" may be tuned an octave apart.

Good luck.

Frank Weston

-----Original Message-----
From: John R Fortiner <pianoserv440@juno.com>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Sunday, August 08, 1999 6:26 PM
Subject: Harpsichord


>List:  Sorry to post this to piano techs, but I know that there are some
>harpsichord "techs" on this list and this post is primarily posted to
>them:
> Last week I was asked to tune a harpsichord that a dentist had
>"constructed" ( what a crude word ) from a kit.  Actually, considering
>that he had absolutely NO training in the area of keyboard instruments he
>did a very good job - from the eyes of this piano tech.  His wife had
>painted a Flemish landscape on the underside - GREAT JOB!!
> There were, however, a couple of things that caught my attention as
>needing improvement:
> 1.  The coils on the pins were nothing even close to tight - ( some
>wraps were seperated from the previous wrap by as much as 3/16".  Is
>there a coil lifter similar to the one that we use on pianos? or do you
>who work on these instruments use a hook.
> 2.  The coils were not level ( how did you ever guess )  Yes, I know we
>use a steel tool to level the tops of coils on pianos, but what about on
>harpsichords?  My own GUESS was that a piece of very hard maple with a
>hole drilled in it to allow the wooden coil setter to slide over the pin,
>but not the wire was a thought - and then again that wire is really small
>stuff - so how is that done?
> 3. What angle should the wire be making as it approaches the pins from
>the bridge? ( I know that until the coil problems are ironed out that
>this angle is going to be anything but correct.)
> 4.  How far above the wrestplank should the bottom of the coils be?
>btw I believe that the owner said the make was something like
>"Hubber"????
>
>Sorry again to those of you that are primarily piano techs, but to those
>of you who work on these instruments, PLEASE RESPOND.  Thanks so much in
>advance.
>
>Waiting to learn from you,
>John R. Fortiner
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