by Diane Hubbard
We conduct our business with a sense of pride and with a strong desire to insure
the preservation of all Hubbard harpsichords manufactured during the past five decades.
Obsessive? Perhaps. But our dream is to have every Hubbard instrument in top condition at
all times.
As with any acoustic instrument, keeping ones' harpsichord
in fine playing condition requires regular and persistent maintenance. We have learned
that time and climatic conditions take their toll on anything made of wood, and the more
than 5000 Hubbard harpsichords, virginals, clavichords and fortepianos now in use are no
exception.
At the Hubbard workshop, through voicing classes, the lunch
hour "hotline", the newsletter, and some two dozen instrument fix sheets, we try
to encourage a versatile clientele of harpsichord owner/technicians. Although our kit
builders have contributed enthusiastically to this population, we are aware that for many,
maintaining a perfectly regulated instrument will always remain illusive. This is no
crime. Do not despair. We can help you.
For owners of harpsichords built in the 50's and 60's whose
goal is to retain peak market value for their instruments, there are special
considerations. It is a fact that the state of the art of harpsichord building and the
instruments themselves have much changed since Frank Hubbard completed Opus #1. The
increasing appearance of antiques at auctions and in public and private collections has
provided information about the classical harpsichord not available at the outset of this
adventure more than 50 years ago.
Older Hubbard instruments need not be placed in mothballs.
Options are now available which we feel represent improvements: for example, removing
pedals, replacing steel music wire with low-tensile wire, adding a transposing keyboard,
re-quilling jacks, re-voicing, lightening the action, even refinishing the case. For more
recent instruments, a thorough regulation may be all that is required.
From a scratch in the paint to a complete revoicing we can
help you realize whatever dream you may have for your instrument. With a determination to
make the next 50+ years as productive as the first, we are convinced that we best serve
ourselves when we best serve you. Please contact us with your problems and we will do our
best to help you put your instrument in first class condition.
Contact
us
Pedal
Harpsichord
.
