Restoring Stranglers’ Hohner Cembalet Keyboard
In this episode of the BBC’s The Repair Shop, organ specialist David Burville restores a knackered Hohner Cembalet electro-mechanical piano that once belonged to Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers.
The video covers the work done to restore the electronics, the keyboard mechanics, and case. Along the way, it offers a chance to understand how the rare Cembalet works.
The work is painstaking and lovingly done, and the result is a keyboard that plays like new, but retains the vintage instrument’s patina and character.
Video Summary:
“First to arrive in the barn is Toby from Berkshire, with a keyboard that was the sound of his hero, Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers. A lifelong fan of the band, Toby was inspired by Dave to take up the keyboard himself. Five years ago, when Dave sadly passed away, in an incredible turn of events, his bandmates invited Toby to join them as the new Stranglers keyboard player, and Dave’s original keyboard was gifted to him.
Now broken, it poses a substantial challenge for organ restorer David Burville, who repairs the keys and enlists the help of electrical guru Mark Stuckey to get this iconic instrument, once touched by Toby’s hero, playable again.”
