Lemont, PA 16851
(814) 234-4407
dmaple@adelphia.net
Quality materials and careful workmanship would seem to be obvious requirements of any keyboard instrument, but they are not always present, as I can attest from my years of repair work. I give careful consideration to the best methods of construction, and also to the wood used in my instruments. Choice of species, dryness, and grain orientation are all controlled to produce instruments that are stable and long-lived.
From the sonic standpoint, it is vital to start with an outstanding design. Modern makers are fortunate to have several hundred years of instruments by the old makers available for study. Replication of almost any of the antiques will usually result in a decent instrument, but experience teaches us that a select number have superior traits. I seek to find these noteworthy instruments, and to reproduce their excellence.
My basic philosophy is to work closely in the tradition of the old masters, but my instruments are not slavish copies. I believe that blindly copying an instrument gives no guarantee that the result will be entirely successful. For example, it sometimes happens that several hundred years of string tension have revealed structural flaws in what is otherwise an excellent design. I see no point in copying details that will only give the owner problems, and in such a situation I introduce changes, often small, that stabilize the case without affecting the sound.
Special attention is given to the process of voicing. I discuss the subject with customers to learn what preferences they have, in order to provide them with the type of feel and sound they are seeking. I generally prefer to keep each instrument for a while before delivery, so that I can continue to refine it during its initial break-in period. Each instrument I make is special to me, and owners will find that I make a long-term commitment to them, in order to insure that they remain happy with their purchase.
Whenever possible, I prefer to use instruments that I have measured in person as the basis for my designs. Many of these prototypes are found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but I have also studied instruments in other museums in North America and Europe. Each of the standard models offered has been selected because I feel that it is an outstanding example of its type. Preferences vary, however, so I am always happy to accept requests for other models.