Harpsichord

Harpsichord

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  • 1.  Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-28-2025 08:10

    Hi, all. 

    I am working on an 88" Sabathil single with 3 choirs (1x4, 2x8) 63 note compass FF - f"' on which numerous broken strings have been replaced.

    It belongs to Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. I am aware it is a low quality instrument and made them aware politely but in no uncertain terms that it is. 

    They are not going to invest in another instrument. I am about finished with regulation, but need to straighten out the stringing. 

    Does anybody know where I can find a string schedule? What's left of the original does not seem to match what is in any of my reference sources.

    TIA.

    Dave



    ------------------------------
    Dave Conte, RPT

    Piano Technician in Residence
    The University of Tennessee
    College of Music
    Knoxville TN
    (817) 307-5656
    Owner: Rocky Top Piano
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  • 2.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-28-2025 08:55

    You might check with HCH,  Zuckerman or Wolf Instruments in The Plains, Va



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    Parker Leigh RPT
    Winchester VA
    (540) 722-3865
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  • 3.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-28-2025 15:24
    Not a direct response to the question, but there are three detailed sources of information about harpsichord stringing I know of:

    The Harpsichord Stringing Handbook, by Thomas Donahue, 2015, Rowman & Littlefield

    A Handbook of Historical Stringing Practice for Keyboard Instruments, by Malcolm Rose and David Law (Published by and available from the Malcolm Rose Workshop)


    I'm afraid none of them is the source for a scale of a Sabathil, but they do provide detailed formulae and instructions for calculating such a scale. All are available - Donahue is pricey.

    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "A mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." Plutarch




    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Posted 08-28-2025 20:28

    Dave- You could do your best to smooth out the scaling based on what's on the instrument.

    I don't think Sabathil used historic wire.

    You can buy "dulcimer wire" from Mapes at a very low price.



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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 5.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Posted 09-02-2025 13:42

    I've worked on a couple of Sabathils over the years.  To be honest, I'd go with whatever is on the instrument, or perhaps a little heavier.  There will be no "light delicate tone" with this beast and the best you can do is to even out the scale and keep it regulated.  It probably doesn't matter to much what you use - the player most likely won't be all that discerning anyhow.

    Bob Dianetti



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    Robert Dianetti
    Chardon OH
    (330) 807-8070
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  • 6.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-02-2025 13:59
    I'll suggest never going with something heavier when restringing. Heavier wire will need to be at a higher tension, so you will be adding strain to the instrument, potentially resulting in wracking the instrument. There has been a tradition of restringing with heavier gauges over the years, and it has led to a lot of unnecessary destruction of otherwise solid instruments. (This is not really specifically applicable to Sabathil, which has a plate - at least in the older ones). 

    In general, although heavier wire will withstand a higher tension, the increase in tension is proportional to the increase in size. Hence, a larger diameter wire will be almost precisely at the same breaking point percentage, for the same length and same pitch. If anything, it is wiser to reduce size a bit, since the smaller diameters often have a somewhat higher strength in proportion to diameter due to work hardening from the drawing process.

    The main issue with string breakage in harpsichords tends to arise in the area of brass strings. In that case, there are options of different types of brass, or phosphor bronze if all else fails. 

    Regards,
    Fred Sturm
    "I am only interested in music that is better than it can be played." Schnabel




    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-02-2025 15:26
    Fred, thank you for your input. Using heavier gauge wire for the same frequency seems 
    counter-intuitive to me, wherein it would take a higher tension to reach the same pitch, making it closer to or at the failure tension of the wire and also upset the partial series (although this probably not very significant in harpsichords). 

    I don't have a similar instrument here. The two I have are either 6" shorter or 4" longer. 
    Maybe I can split the difference. I measured the Hubbard double with the same compass and will see how it compares to the Sabathil I am working on. 

    It looks like red brass up to D# which has a diameter of .020". YB notes E @ .018" to A @ .016". 

    All the notes strung with .022" RB were broken. Perhaps I should go with phosphor bronze on those? 

    The rest are steel. Doesn't look like there is any iron, but the notes that might be are not an issue. 






    --
    Dave Conte, RPT, CCT
    Owner, Rocky Top Piano
    Knoxville, TN
    817-307-5656





    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Posted 09-03-2025 07:25

    If you post your concern to the Facebook "Revival harpsichords" group, you may get a reply from someone who has one of these instruments.

    In my long ago memory, I believe Sabathil used wound strings in the bass. But that gets longer and longer ago...



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


  • 9.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-03-2025 07:33
    Ed, thank you. I will try that group. 

    No wound strings among what was there. But .027 on the lowest 3 notes. 

    The existing schedule somewhat resembles the normal pattern from a 
    Hubbard book I have. But the note count is different according to what appears
    to be original wires. 

    Thanks everyone for your help.


    --
    Dave Conte, RPT, CCT
    Owner, Rocky Top Piano
    Knoxville, TN
    817-307-5656





    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Sabathil string schedule

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-03-2025 08:16
    Correction FWIW, the notes that had failures were .024", not .022".
    Maybe it was a batch issue. All were contiguous notes. 


    --
    Dave Conte, RPT, CCT
    Owner, Rocky Top Piano
    Knoxville, TN
    817-307-5656





    Original Message