Video Tutorials, Harpsichord Servicing and Repairs.

For anyone not wishing to follow the D.I.Y. route, I am pleased to service and repair harpsichords, spinets and clavichords. My prices are based on £30 per hour with a set charge of £300 for re-stringing one register, and £300 for replacing plectra and revoicing one register. (For example, to replace strings and plectra on a harpsichord with two registers would cost £1,200. This includes cleaning the soundboard, checking the keyboards and other minor adjustments as required.) 

Visits to service harpsichords in situ cost £90 for the first two hours and £30 per hour thereafter plus travel.

I am also happy to recommend the following harpsichord makers who may be nearer you:

Andrew Wooderson, Bexley, Kent http://www.woodersonharpsichords.co.uk  

Andrew and Robert Durand, Surrey, http://www.musicroomworkshop.co.uk

Other harpsichord repairers are on my page: uk-harpsichord-makers-and-technicians.php

Replacing strings on tuning pins with no holes. Here is a scan of the Zuckermann kit manual 1976 and below that, a photo of the device I use for winding coils onto strings. Look at my blog page for further details. 

Metheod 2: Make a coil winding tool as shown. The oblong section can be made of wood. The pins are about 1mm and 2mm smaller than the diameter of your tuning pins. Wind a loop for the hitch-pin end of the string and cut the string about 20cm past the tuning pin hole. Put the string loop on your hitch-pin and pull gently, but firmly, as you make the coil as shown until the coil is above your tuning pin hole. (2nd item in picture). Remove the coil (3). Cut off the tail close to the end of the coil and insert end of tuning pin, tuning pin anti-clockwise to enlarge coil and allow the pin to work it's way into the coil (4). Set coil at correct height and put pin into wrest-plank. This system is particularly useful for putting on the thicker strings. It can be used for the thin strings too.

Here are two pictures from my Servicing trip to Cork and Dublin. It's not all hard work on these trips!

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