Michael Johnson wrote:

> I cannot remember why John Toll had the instrument changed other than he was very used to Delrin. <

I would have to ask whether my mom recalls anything about this specific case, could do this if necessary; I'm still in Bremen (digging away in the machine room etc.).

The usual story would be that regular maintenance became a hassle because of an owner's long-term absence during concert tours, in combination with her/his possibly tight practicing or rehearsal schedule when (finally) at home. It's just not so great to come home, having to get a new program going in a hurry, only to discover that half a day is needed to get one's instrument in shape. I may have been blessed in that my concert tours usually were organisable in day trips from home, even during the most intensive period. If one leaves a harpsichord with quill alone for a longer timespan, it will need some work afterwards.

Something along these lines applied, for instance, to Leonhardt's so-called 1755 Lefebvre/Skowroneck which was ordered with quill (after GL made the Balbastre/A.L. Couperin recording on mine which had quill), but changed to Delrin fairly early on in its life because of maintenance schedule issues (manifest, or verbalised, as regularity issues). The first Bach-arrangements CD (and I think also the English Suites on EMI) was recorded with quill--and one can hear that there are some unaddressed irregularities.
Some people I know had troubles at the beginning of their quill-harpsichord ownership, but stuck to it and got really good at keeping their instruments in shape with quill. Others have changed to Delrin; it might sometimes just be the better solution.


Tilman 

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