Moving into a second year of hand surgeries, and frustrated by the physical difficulty of certain keyboard instrument tasks, Tom decided to make his first modern double bass. A bass required less precision than the keyboards and their actions, so his lack of fine motor skills was less critical. Making a bass allowed him to be productive and creative while learning to re-use his hands, so he went to the scrap box and threw himself into the project during off hours. It was patterned on an instrument by Abraham Prescott that he had once owned, but Tom reduced the size somewhat to make it more playable. It received compliments at the 2003 International Society of Bassists convention and eventually was purchased by Robert Oppelt, principal bass of the National Symphony Orchestra.
The first harpsichord to be delivered after Tom’s accident was a French single that had been in progress for too long by that point. But it was commissioned by a client with the perfect last name for us at the moment: Hope. It received a unique decorative treatment, so it was presented in a well-known regional art show in The Plains. A reduced version of an information sheet from the show gives details about its appearance. Everyone’s spirits were boosted when it received the Best in Show award.
Looking ahead, we took deposits for new keyboard instruments and continued work on several already in progress, including the first Cristofori reproduction. The Hope harpsichord may have gone out the door, but hope still percolated in the shop.
