Keith Rogers wrote:
 
>
 
>>Hello - we were talking about humidity control for harpsichords.
 
>I'm a real believer that instruments, like people, should adjust to
>the humidity of their local environs...
>>If the instrument has been built wetter than that ... and has to live
>>in the desert, cracks are inevitable... They mostly aren't a disaster.
 
>There are tens of thousands of instruments residing in the "fly over"
>zone of the US which were built in much more humid places....
>There is actually an advantage to having High Plains Drifter
>instruments.  Once they make the transition the RH is uniformly low
>from then on.
>Of course the best situation is when the instrument was built with
>similar humidity to its final home but homes change and shops are
>stuck with what the local weather deals out.  For example, I don't
>know anywhere I could get a *chord to be built at 10% or even 20%
>humidity - all the shops are just in the wrong places.
 
[many snips]
>
I have a Ruckers copy by Ron Haas (my second instrument by Ron) of
Aptos, near Santa Cruz Calif, a very humid place indeed.  I know that
Ron is very aware of humidity, especially when he is setting soundboards
and other crucial operations.  Shortly after completing my instrument
(1982) he exhibited it in Phoenix.  When the instrument arrived in LA a
few days after that, the keys were completely immobilized, and the short
hitchpin rail in the deep bass was split right through.  Ron replaced
the hitchpin rail, the keys (and I ) relaxed, things settled down to
normal, and the instrument sounded (and sounds) glorious.
 
Los Angeles is one of the most difficult climates for musical
instruments I know of.  When the infamous Santa Ana Winds come, humidity
drops to 8%, and _all_ musical instruments go bananas.  Recording
sessions founder, concerts are a mess, and there's simply nothing
adequate to be done.  The old CBS recording studios on Sunset had an
elaborate humidity/climate control system, proudly encased in a display
cabinet with glass doors right in the studio, sho everyone should feel
more confident about the whole thing.  All for nought.  When the Santa
Anas came, nothing could save the instruments.
 
Ron Haas has relocated, for part of the year at least, to Indian Wells,
CA, not far from Palm Springs. You want an instrument from a dry clime?
Talk to Ron.  He makes particularly nice clavichords, by the way.
 
Joseph
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