CAUT

  • 1.  Harpsichord Dampers

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-06-2024 12:08

    I'm about to launch into some major regulation/refurbishing of our main harpsichord including replacing damper felt. In previous harpsichord experience i have always dealt with regular "flag" dampers but whoever replaced them last used a slant cut like those outlined in this link:Paul Y. Irvin Harpsichords

    Pyirvin remove preview
    Paul Y. Irvin Harpsichords
    The harpsichord damper is an item which has been in plain sight for years, but which seems to have been given little thought by modern builders and performers as an item to be studied with an "historic" eye.Indeed, as Dr. Grant O'Brien points out in his superb book on the Ruckers harpsichord builders, "Virtually all seventeenth and eighteenth century harpsichords that I have seen with apparently original jacks have dampers with sloping sides."

    I would like to stay with the slants on this instrument. Mr Irvin seems to advocate for using a softer cloth for slanted dampers but also says that his preferred cloth doesn't work well with plastic jacks. I have plastic Zuckerman jacks.

    So, does anybody have experience installing slanted harpsichord dampers? Where did you get your cloth? 



    ------------------------------
    John Pope
    University of Kentucky School of Music
    Lexington, KY
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Harpsichord Dampers

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-09-2024 11:05

    The harpsichord police may come after me for this, but I've had pretty good results with key bushing cloth on those Zuckerman jacks. I have sometimes been forced to use what I have instead of what I want.

    You may get better, more even damping with something softer.

    Contact Paul Irvin, he makes a great case for those slanted dampers and is a very nice guy. 



    ------------------------------
    Wesley Owen RPT
    Evanston IL
    (847) 257-5554
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Harpsichord Dampers

    Posted 09-09-2024 12:31

    Proceed carefully, testing a few in bass, midrange and treble.

    In a harpsichord with jacks loose in the register, the slant dampers can do a nice job of pushing the jack to the back side of the slot, giving a more evenly repeating  voicing response. I had good results in a 1 x 8' instrument this way.

    If, however, the slanted dampers are in a register that is moved on and off they may drop down when the register is moved "off" and then jam when the register is moved back on. This may take very careful regulation of jack height from the key.

    You may also want to try doubling thin cloth to put the folded edge onto the string, making a sort of "mouse ear" damper.



    ------------------------------
    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Harpsichord Dampers

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-19-2024 11:48

    Key bushing cloth seems to be working well, much improved over the old cloth anyway.

    Ed,

    As you point out, it's trickier on jacks that move. I hoping that if I set damper cloth so that it only dampens when the back 8' is on it won't get compressed when it has been off and gets turned back on. This seems to be what Mr. Irvin is suggesting. It also gives you another effect: shimmering undampend 8' simpetheticly vibrating along with the other 8' rank that is being played. If you want one 8' rank with no shimmer you play the upper manual.



    ------------------------------
    John Pope
    University of Kentucky School of Music
    Lexington, KY
    ------------------------------

    Original Message