Tell us about your instrument(s)

[thesparrow]

I have a 1986 Sabathil and Sons clavichord.

I also am currently borrowing a David Jensen 1982 flemish harpsichord

I dabble a bit with pipe organ using Hauptwerk and some sample sets.

And finally I occasionally experiment with synthesizers playing baroque music and rennaisance music, although never in an overdone tacky way like "Switched on Bach"

[keyboardclass]

I have a Michael Thomas as my usual instrument (early 70's with an interesting provenance) :


And a Morley (1960) for where I stay during school holidays:

I've taken the sound board out of the Morley and scraped the laminate (mahogany) from under the pine. Also I've raised the action - now plays quite nicely.

[derek]

I've got a 1976 Sabathil & Son clavichord.



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[thesparrow]

cool. Looks like the design hasn't changed in the 10 year difference between ours.

Any problems with yours at all?

[derek]

Mine did have a couple of minor problems when I first brought it home. A couple of the tangents would thunk against a string other than their assigned string. Also, there were a couple of places where execution of bebung would cause a scratchy sound, because the string was rubbing against the coils of another string around a tuning peg. I was able to resolve that by sticking a piece of tape folded back against itself between the string and the coils it was rubbing against, then I could get clean bebung from the note. At first I was not able to resolve the thunking tangents, because it looked like they were slid as far over as they could go in their slots. According to Sabathil, you're just supposed to tug on it firmly enough to actually make the tangent cut a little bit further down in the wood. I was reluctant to do this; I was afraid it would damage the instrument. But, I did what they suggested and it actually worked, no more thunking. There's a note in the lower register that doesn't have that reedy, overtone rich brilliance like the others, it sounds more dull. I can't figure that one out. And, there's one key that isn't quite as free as others. But---those are all minor issues. After I resolved the thunking tangents and tuned it, the instrument sounds and plays beautifully! That's pretty impressive for a 34 year old instrument. As I understand it from the original owner, it was hardly ever played.

[thesparrow]

Interesting. When I got mine, it appeared that someone had replaced a few of the strings just above where the coiled ones start. They used a very heavy wire and thusly those notes sounded like crap, and played(felt) very poorly. Much too rigid. I replaced them with some brass strings which were more in line with the strings above and ended up solving that issue. I also have a key that sometimes squeeks against its guide pin, but occasional applications of graphite make that go away.
The only other issue is that we had an extremely humid summer. My house is still at about 70%. This has caused the soundboard to bow down a bit with its expansion. I've rigged up a small terrarium heater inside the case above the soundboard and that has helped somewhat, but I think if I experience the same issue next year I may drill a whole underneath the instrument and install a more permanent internal solution - at least for the wet summers.

Other than that I mostly love the instrument. It is a little non traditional sounding, lacking some of that "thin wooden box twang" that most clav's have, but I'm ok with that. Its great fun and challenging to play.

[keyboardclass]

I must admit I'd be terrified of humidity. There's an orginal Dolmetsch in the Bate Collection that's unplayable due to 'twisting' (where opposite corners try to meet). It's also a common problem with early squares like mine that were designed from a clavichord. Mine has a small twist but is containable.

[thesparrow]

Well, my teacher once said to me, you chose early instruments. Mechanical/structural issues are often just part of that lifestyle. Learn to live with it. The harpsichord in my house has a bit of cheek droop. It might last another 5 years, or another 50. Hard to tell. I will probably be in a position to purchase it next year. What do I do? Take a gamble I guess.

[derek]

Oct 14, 2010 13:01:13 GMT -5 thesparrow said:

Interesting. When I got mine, it appeared that someone had replaced a few of the strings just above where the coiled ones start. They used a very heavy wire and thusly those notes sounded like crap, and played(felt) very poorly. Much too rigid. I replaced them with some brass strings which were more in line with the strings above and ended up solving that issue.

This makes me wonder if those were original strings, my clavichord also has that heavy wire for those notes. Maybe I'll write to Sabathil and ask what they recommend for these.

[thesparrow]

That's what I did. I wrote him describing the strings. He said they 'sounded like they were the right ones'. I disagreed and changed them anyway and ended up with a better playing and sounding instrument. i think I ended up using .020 .021 and .022. I can check if you really need to know.

[keyboardclass]

What's a bit of a problem over here is that older instruments were strung with an alloy as suitable brass wire just wasn't available. Replacing them with brass is very much trial and error.