After a 30-year hiatus, I'm diving into instrument construction once again. The last two instruments back in the day were Flemish harpsichords. They are now in the hands of other owners. My newest venture is a King of Sweden double-fretted clavichord. Due to its compact size and the ease of moving it around, I'll be keeping this instrument for my own personal enjoyment. I wish I could recommend the company which manufactures this kit, but I'm afraid that since the departure of David J. Way (who later called himself D. Jacques Way), the Zuckerman Harpsichord Company has gone downhill in the area of customer service and satisfaction. With this clavichord, I also ordered a stand but only received part of it. I didn't do the parts inventory within their time frame (you know, folks, sometimes life intervenes) and came to learn that half the stand was missing. They refused to make good on it, so I will be paying a custom woodworker to construct the balance of the stand for me using what wood Zuckerman generously gave me for the big wad of cash I laid on them. The kit was also missing the bridge pins, and it took two e-mails and a little arguing to get them to send me some. So if you're interested in buying an early instrument kit, I suggest you try Hubbard Harpsichords. While I have no personal experience with Hubbard, they can't be any worse than Zuckerman. Yes, I'm being a little whiney, but at the price I paid for this kit and that stand, I think I'm more than entitled. If you do decide to try Zuckerman, inspect the kit immediately. Print out the parts list and go through everything to make sure it's all there. At least Zuckerman won't be able to pull the old "it's too late" routine on you. My plan is to give you a blow-by-blow description of the building process. Stay tuned.
