Flemish single manual
This instrument is based on the design of a 1640 instrument by Ruckers.
It has, however, been enlarged to give a GG/d3 compass that will cover
music up to and including Bach. There are three ranks of jacks giving a
registration of 2 x 8ft and 1 x 4ft. There is also a buff stop to the long 8ft choir.
The jacks are traditionally made with pear bodies and holly tongues.
The tongue return spring is a simple hog bristle, which has proved to be the
most successful way of working the action for three centuries. The quills
are made from 1mm delrin sheet with a 4% taper.
The soundboard is made from finest quality spruce (Picea Abies) grown in the
Swiss Alps. The scantlings, or case parts, are made from poplar and lacquered,
whilst the inside lids and case rim are decorated with block printed, handmade paper.
In the 16th and 17th Centuries, harpsichord makers belonged to a guild that did not
allow them to decorate their own instruments. That required a member of the printers'
guild, so it became cheaper to decorate as much of an instrument as possible with papers,
in order to save money on the time-consuming cost of many coats of paint etc.
The oak stand of this instrument is an apron design,
much used for early seventeenth century instruments.