Harpsichords Blog

Business During Corona Virus Outbreak in U.K.

March 24, 2020

Grim times. I'm lucky to have plenty of work to do at home. A huge De Blaise double to renovate, a Delin to finish, a Zuckermann Italian to rebuild and paint, timber for two more cases and plenty of workshop tidying up to do!

I have a new web page to tell you what I charge for selling used instruments (10% commission for instruments over £3000) and what information to send me so I can continue to list new instruments on my site.

Many musicians are offering online lessons, which is a great idea. I'm happy to help with maintenance advice by email is you need it. This advice is fee of charge.

I hope you are finding more time to play instruments and finding some solace in music making.
Keep safe and stay at home.

Best wishes,
Peter

Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : working on...

Hass Clavichord to finish.

March 13, 2020

Hello to the 500 plus website visitors who visit this sight each month. Apparently this is your favourite page, so I had better start adding to it!

I have just receved this lovely Hass clavichord and am rather too busy to finish it myself, so it is offered for sale with a full size plan for £1,250. A great project, but not for someone who would want to rush it.

It was great fun pealing away the protective layer of 1978 newspaper and discovering just how well it was made (by a professional maker).
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Second-hand

Colin Booth Italian Harpsichord

August 21, 2019

Welcome to the latest harpsichord for sale. Breathtaking!

Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : New Harpsichords

Sunny Weather

August 21, 2019

The Joy of a workshop and plenty to do!
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Weather

Restringing Michael Thomas single manual harpsichord

August 6, 2019

Thoroughly cleaned and now being restrung, I am interested to see just how nice this 1971 instrument sounds with Iron and Brass strings and new plectra. So many makers were still using steel strings in the 1970's but the sound has so many high harmonics and so little warmth.
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : String replacement

Welcome Clavichord!

July 26, 2019

This one is like an old friend come back to visit! My dad designed it, closely following a Double Fretted clavichord in Den Hague, Holland. Made by Anthony Calvert, who I know well, and brought to me by another friend in Cambridge....
I have replaced a string and tuned it. It sounds so full and resonant for such a portable instrument. Now I have an instrument to take on sailing holidays! (until it sells for £1,3500).

Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Second-hand

Three used instruments to welcome and sell!

June 28, 2019

Not much time for making this week. I have three arrivals in the showroom: A beautiful Michael Johnson single, a Spinet which I made in 2002 and a English/Italian harpsichord after Barton. The Barton sold in three days!

The Hass clavichord copy by Douglas Hollick is ready to go to Latvia, a refurbished Hubbard Double is off to Glasgow and a little Zuckermann single is going to Cornwall... All go!
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Posted by Peter Barnes.

New Flemish Harpsichord after Albertus Delin.

May 18, 2019

I'm now making a Flemish harpsichord out of very light French poplar, specially imported from a little saw mill in the south of France.
The case is made and I'm working on the soundboard today.
The instrument is 210cm long, 88cm wide and 26cm high, slightly smaller than the Delin harpsichord kit produced some years ago by the Early Music Shop. The most striking difference however is the weight; American Tulip Wood, often called Poplar, is much more dense than French Poplar. I can't stop myself...
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : New build

Hubert copy clavichord to finish...

December 30, 2018

Having had time off to sail across the Atlantic, I’m enjoying being back in the workshop again.
You don’t have to sail 600 miles away from the nearest land in order to enjoy a digital detox. Just leave your iPhone in the kitchen while you go and play the Harpsichord for an hour a day. The joy of sailing by the stars and a magnetic compass was liberating. A flat that is not to hot, not too cold, too dry or too damp provides an ideal environment for you as well as your Harpsichord. If the c...
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : working on...