Thursday, January 30, 2014

Dowd French double manual harpsichord



This instrument was restored by me for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
William Dowd, FF-fff, 415/440 transposing, instrument number 279, 1973.
Restrung, plastic jacks/registers replaced by wooden jacks/registers furnished by Jake Kaeser.

Broadwood square piano



Pictured are before and after photos of the restored John Broadwood & Sons square piano, circa 1819.

William Post Ross English Double





This instrument arrived in my workshop in unplayable condition. The lead weights in the rear of the key levers had expanded to the point where the keys were binding together. Not a single key was functioning. Additionally, the old style Hubbard jacks were badly warped, and the strings were badly rusted.
It has been restrung, and the jacks and registers have been replaced with wooden jacks furnished by Jake Kaeser.
Originally an FF-g''' non-transposing instrument, it has been converted to an FF-f''' 415/440 transposing instrument.
Pictured are the keyboards prior to restoration, and a view of the restored instrument.