Renaissance Workshop Company
The foremost manufacturer of early musical instruments worldwide

| Home | About us | Products | Prices | Buy | Services | Bookstore | Projects | SecondHand | Knowledge | News | Testimonials |

Search:
 

Instrument & Kits

Spares & Tools

Books & Drawings

Cembalino

	RWC 8' Italian Cembalino

Cembalino (it.) = Small Harpsichord.

[more about the Cembalino]

RWC Cembalino

	RWC 8' Italian Cembalino

Our cembalino is the fulfilment of an ambition we had for many years to design a harpsichord small enough to be truly portable. Whilst looking for a suitable model on which to base our instrument we contacted Denzil Wraight, the leading authority on Italian keyboard instruments. He suggested basing the design on the compact virginals of the 16th century maker Dominicus Pisaurensis but adapted as a small harpsichord. An interesting and exciting project followed, the result of which is a compact delightful little Italian harpsichord, small enough and light enough to be transportable in a car yet still capable of producing the sound of a full-size instrument. The extraordinarily bold sound surprises many and enables it to hold its place in an ensemble.

The casework is quarter sawn from close grained English sycamore, the baseboard is planked from tulipwood (American poplar), the soundboard is planked from selected Swiss pine, the keys are cut from lime with maple / rosewood covers and the beech jacks are fitted with holly tongues with delrin plectra.

Strung in hand drawn brass the single 8' is scaled to a 16th century virginals pattern. The Cembalino produces a fine clear Italianate sound and can be tuned to either a=415 or a=440. A transposing keyboard is not practicable on account of the short bottom octave.

The finished Cembalino includes a finished turned stand in the price.

Because Italian harpsichord builders almost universally built extremely light instruments they had to provide them with a strong outer case for transportation. Similarly we provide as an option a strong yet attractive carrying case for our cembalino.

Disposition: Single 8', 45 notes, CC/EE - c''' (short bottom octave). Size: 140cm long, 67cm wide, 17cm deep. Height of keyboard above the ground: 70cm.

Weight: Excluding case 14kg, including case 25kg.

Each instrument is entirely hand built by 'in-house' experienced craftsmen to special order in our own workshops in Toledo (Spain) to the highest standard of craftsmanship. They come with 12 months warranty and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on setting up, playing and maintenance.

A simple hard carrying case is available as optional extras for safe transportation and there can be a considerable saving in shipping costs if the case is ordered with the instrument as everything can be packed into the case and sent in only one crate.

A cassette recording of music by Salvatore, De Macque and Mayone played on the cembalino by Christopher Stembridge is available.

Cembalino Kit

	Cembalino Kit & case

The same instrument is offered in kit form for home assembly.

In addition, you will find a turned stand and a music desk specially designed for it.

The price includes the license to build one instrument for private use and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on construction, setting up, playing and maintenance.

To ensure success, even for the first time builder, each kit includes:
A fully dimensioned life-size drawing and working template,
A manual with clear and concise step-by-step full assembly instructions.
A set of photographs illustrating further each stage.

The Cembalino Kit is now supplied as solid timber throughout. Only the highest quality materials are used, 'Swiss' pine for the soundboard, tulipwood for the baseboard, beech for the jacks, holly for the tongues and English sycamore for the accurately mitred casework parts, music desk and finely cut mouldings.

Complete in every detail the kit includes, plectra, tuning pins, balance pins, hitch pins, bridge and nut pins, a set of brass stringing and a tuning lever. Even the parts to make a set of special clamps to secure the bentside have been provided.

Our Cembalino kit is ideal for the first time harpsichord builder.

The turned stand and the music desk are available as extra kits that provide all the parts to build the attractive stand and desk shown in the picture of our finished instrument.

Cut from matching English sycamore the legs and cross rail of the stand are turned to a high standard so the kit builder only has to final sand and polish. The attachment plates are planed with moulded edges whilst the feet are bandsawn to shape ready for hand finishing.

The stand can either be permanently assembled and carried separately from the instrument or left so that it can be taken apart to fit in the carrying case with the instrument.

A simple hard carrying case is available as optional extras for safe transportation and there can be a considerable saving in shipping costs if the case is ordered with the kit as everything can be packed into the case and sent in only one crate.

Cembalino Technical Plan

	Cembalino Kit & case

You can make the same Cembalino from scratch, following detailed step-by-step instructions through the construction process in a clear and concise manner.

A fully dimensioned life-size drawing with templates and a set of photographs illustrate each stage.

The price includes the license to build one instrument for private use and 12 months free access to our 'helpline' for advice on construction, setting up, playing and maintenance.

This icon indicates that you can choose between the hard copy of the documents sent by postal mail, or the downloadable electronic files, in pdf format to your computer. In order to view and print the pdf files, you need the free 'Acrobat Reader' program installed in your computer. Life-size drawings require large printers. Electronic documents have a reduced price, don't have shipping costs, but are non-refundable.

Cembalino Accessories and Spare Parts

	Finished Cembalino in the case

Lead wire to counterbalance keys and add weight to jacks.

Cembalino Availability and delivery time

Not all of the items listed on our site are available immediately. Products without a reference nor a price are rarely available for quick dispatch. If you are interested in them, please contact us.

We publish standard availability, which means that this product usually ships in that time since it has been ordered. But at the specific time of your order, that interval can be longer or smaller depending on many production factors.  In addition, you still will have to wait for your product to arrive (delivery time). [More info about availability & delivery dates]

Cembalino Configuration, References and Prices

Prices and Exchange rates
All published prices are exclusive of VAT and shipping costs. They are shown in RWC.
The following exchange rates are valid on April 28th, 2020. See other conditions

Exchange rates 1 RWC= 1.585 GBP 1.725 EUR 1.973 USD 210.4 JPY 2.744 CAD 3.017 AUD 1.925 CHF 144.3 RUB 13.97 CNY 35.84 ZAR 46.99 MXN

Promotions
Some temporary offers and discounts might apply: In April up to 25% Off

Ordering
For security and service quality, we need your order to be in writing and cannot take it by phone.
If you want to buy, please, fill and send the ORDER FORM. Should you have any difficulty, please contact us.

More Info
For more information about buying our products, you should consult the following pages:

Currency exchange Shipping Cost

Discounts: In April up to 25% Off VAT or Sales Taxes

Methods of Payment Customs Duties

Customer Service Availability & delivery dates

Copyright © 1999 Renaissance Workshop Company Ltd.
Last modification: 03 de mayo de 2019

Phone:(+34) 91 450 30 50