Restoration Copyright ©2005 CBH

“Restoration” is a word which has quite rightly developed bad connotations in historic instrument making circles, with many experts preferring the use of “conservation”, sometimes even eschewing the original role of the instrument to make music.

Current thinking dictates that some original instruments should never be restored, as they are more valuable historic documents in their present state. The restoration processes must always involve some destruction of the original fabric and interference with evidence of past states, and it is not always possible for all the work to be reversible.

However, gradual deterioration or disaster can affect instruments of all ages and qualities, so “restoration” is still a valid word to use when there is no other that acceptably describes the processes being undertaken to return a loved instrument—recent or older—to playable order. Sometimes musical instruments do need more intensive care than can be provided in the field maintenance situation. In these instances, the instruments need to travel to a well-equipped workshop for serious attention.

If an older instrument has been much-altered in its past but is still loved, it can be possible to recover from even serious damage and make the instrument play, preserving as much of the original material as possible.

On these pages, you can read about some interesting projects we’ve undertaken in our Sydney workshop or (in some cases) out in the field.

	Site overview
	Harpsichords Australia Home Page