Domenico wrote:

> I don’t know yet which instrument I would make, sorry. I
> have a drawing of the Nuremberg Silbermann 1775 (MIR 1061),
> unfretted, and a drawing of the Nuremberg Hubert 1789 (MIR 1058),
> fretted, is on its way, But I have a lot of doubts

 > will I be able to make a fretted
> clavichord with all the cranked keyboard and tangent position and so
> on?

Not any mpore difficult than making an unfretted one, I'd say. The plan 
will give you all the basic details. You can check the tangent positions 
using the methods already discussed on the list, and if necessary 
re-draw the rack.

> I read the Hubert has some complicated way of guiding the
> keys...

It isn't complicated. Hubert usually used pins between the far ends of 
the keylevers, with the sides of the levers padded with leather. In 
truth, I do not personally believe that this is a good system, because 
if the ambient humidity increases, the ends of the levers swell causing 
the keys to stick; and if you make them loose enough to avoid this, they 
are just too loose for a really controlled feel to the action. Moreover, 
some sorts of leather can become 'sticky' which can also cause keys to 
stay down, even if there is sufficient clearance.

If I made a Hubert, I would change the guidance to a rack system. With a 
rack, incidentally, the essential thing for a quient action is to have a 
gap between the rack and the keylever ends of at least 3 mm, preferably 
a bit more. Of course you must also have as little play between the 
guide slips and the rack slots as possible, and the guide slips should 
be thin - less than 1 mm if possible. The material of the slips is 
largely irrelevant.

> On the other side, is the Silbermann a good-sounding
> instrument? I find it has a very small soundboard, isn’t it
> detrimental to the tone?

It is IMHO a superb design. However, the difficulty is not the size of 
the soundboard: it is almost an ideal size, and the bridge is ideally 
placed on it. No, the problem for a maker is the foreshortening of the 
bass, which makes necessary a large number of overwound strings. I do 
not believe this design will work at all well with plain wire (though 
you could try silver - recommended by Martin Skowroneck - and even gold 
if you can afford it!). At least 16 notes require overwound strings: 
that's 32 strings to make and you need to be set up to do it, or find 
someone reliable who will do it for you ...

> I am looking to a
> clavichord both “easy” to make but with a good tone, or should I say
> a clavichord which is easier to produce a good tone.

Both the designs you mention are good bases for a new instrument. But it 
is the *maker* that produces the clavichord, not the design. Don't 
expect the design to do the difficult work for you.

Whatever design you choose, it will never be *easy* to make a clavichord 
with a good tone. It is extremely hard to get everything right, and 
apart from fine woodworking skills it requires endless trial and error 
and, ideally, long experience. If you want quick results, make another 
harpsichord or spinet instead. But of course, you may have beginner's 
luck (and I wish you every success).

Peter

-- 
Peter Bavington
Clavichord Maker
291 Sprowston Mews
LONDON
E7 9AE
www.peter-bavington.co.uk

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