Instruments

All my instruments are hand­ made to order, following historical models and methods which were standard practice in the 17th and 18th Century. The kinds of woods, the scales and measurements, the weights of the keys, and so forth are patterned on a thorough and in- depth study of the original instruments. With most instruments, a transposition mechanism can be built in. Many varieties of soundboard and lid decorations can be provided.

A variety of models based on historical examples are avaible: some are rather strict copies while others are loosely based on a "school" of instruments. Infact Gianpaolo Plozner has also thought of realizing some harpsichords that, even if they follow the historical models, scales and materials, they allow expecially to students to play all the repertoire from the Renaissance to the Late Baroque period. Very often it happens that in copy instruments from Grimaldi (big Italian Harpsichord), it’s not possible to play many Scarlatti’s sonatas because there are not enough high keys; and the same happens on harpsichord copy on Ch.Zell model or Ruckers, were is also not possible to play all C.Ph.E.Bach, Haydn or Mozart. Since it’s not possible for everybody to own the right and appropriate instrument for each style and literature, Gianpaolo Plozner has thought to take as model a Ruckers harpsichord dated 1612 and enlarged in France in the XVIII century, and to add at the five octaves also the keys f#’’’ and g’’’ necessary to play some Scarlatti and Soler’s sonatas. In the same way, as Italian model, one anonymous instrument from 1789 has been choosen for this porpuose: infact, this instrument has 63 keys (FF ­ f,g”’).

Following the traditional methods, Gianpaolo Plozner combines some variations just for pratical reason and stabity of the instrument: the wrest plank is realized in cross layerings beech tree, this to avoid deformations related to the strings’ tensions. Also the case, in some instruments, is realised in multilayerings poplar or lime: this to prevent the harpsichord from home climatization and the cosequent dryness in the houses in winter time, that could distort and damage the instrument, as often happens with those built with ingot woods. Many historical harpsichords, surviving beyond the centuries, have been devastated in these last decades proper though the houses’ heating and bad clima conditions.

Soundboards are realised in harmonic spruce coming from Val Canale (Udine ­ Italy). This precious wood is protected with a hallmark and is used by many Italian and abroad companies building keyboard and other musical instruments, expecially by the lute­makers in Cremona (Italy).

All keyboards are avaible with a trasposition mechanism (a (La) at 415Hz and 440 Hz). It’s also possibile, for some models, to have the diapason at 391 Hz.

• Soundboards are realised in harmonic spruce coming from Val Canale (Udine – Italy). This precious wood is protected with a hallmark and is used by many Italian and abroad companies building keyboard and other musical instruments, expecially by the lute-makers in Cremona (Italy)
• Keyboards, are built following the ancient proportions related to the model, and the keys are covered with the material chosen from the client.
• Jacksare in pear-wood and furnished with upper and lower regulation screws..
• Stringsare always historical: tender iron, yellow and red brass.
• Wrestpins could be chosen between the traditional or the historical ones.
• Soundboardsof the Nordic models instruments could be decorated according to the original ways of painting.
• The arpsichord’s legs, normally lathed in beech-tree and assembled in kickstand way, are avaible in French style with a minimum overprice.

All keyboards are avaible with a trasposition mechanism (a (La) at 415Hz and 440 Hz). It’s also possibile, for some models, to have the diapason at 391 Hz.