Lemont, PA 16851
(814) 234-4407
damaple@comcast.net
Each instrument I make is special to me. I work deliberately, by myself, making one instrument at a time. I give careful consideration to the best methods of construction and also to the wood used. Choice of species, dryness, and grain orientation are all controlled to produce instruments that are stable and long-lived. I use modern power machinery for the grunt work of flattening and thicknessing boards, but most of the finish planing and joinery is done by hand, using a mixture of Western and Japanese tools. Given my current reduced building schedule, it may take several years to complete an instrument.
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 many 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 will reveal 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 help stabilize the case without affecting the sound.
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 model listed on these pages has been selected because I feel that it is an outstanding example of its type. Preferences vary, however, so I am always happy to consider requests for other models.
The instruments listed on these pages include many of the models that I have built over the years, plus a few that I have studied and would be interested in making. My current interests include 16th-century harpsichords, virginals, and spinets, both from Italy and the northern countries; 17th-century harpsichords from France, Germany, and England; and clavichords from all periods. I like to reproduce instruments that are historically and musically significant, but that might not be viable in the commercial market. Players who have similar interests and who are able to wait for a period of time for the instrument to be finished should contact me with their thoughts.