Spinet by Robert Goble 1950

Robert Goble was a pioneer of the harpsichord revival in England.  Born in 19o3, he worked with Arnold Dolmetsch in the 1920s.  In 1928, Elizabeth Brown was awarded a Dolmetsch scholarship, and in 1930 she became Robert's wife.  In the late 1930s he made his first harpsichord for her, and after working in a Gosport boatyard during the war, making motor torpedo boats, he moved to Headington (Oxford) and established his workshop in 1947.  He made his first concert harpsichord in 1952, and this 1950 spinet is an early example of a successful design.  

The two pedals operate a buff stop and a 'half-hitch' whereby the jacks are backed off slightly to give a gentler pluck.

This is only possible because of the arrangement of the strings singly, rather than in pairs as in a conventional spinet.

The beautifully made keys are wooden - no ivory worries for this one!

  The condition generally appears to be excellent, but there is a problem - a significant split in the soundboard which really does need to be corrected.  There is some consolation in that the design featured an open bottom.  By allowing access to both sides of the soundboard, I believe that this fault could be corrected without the need to remove the soundboard.  

New Home Found

2/25