I wasn’t aware that Dowd had ever made Hemsch copies. Does anyone have further information on this? All the Dowd French instruments I know of are after Taskin and Blanchet.
A Dowd Hemsch copy (if that is what it is) is at the University of Texas in Austin. Since they do not have an active harpsichord program, I suspect it is stuck in storage somewhere and not accessible. It would be handy to get the serial number.
It was a tank, and completely lifeless, although mechanically it was (as typical) well crafted.
I can’t remember how I came to know it was a Hemsch copy. Perhaps Don Angle told me. It certainly was not a Blanchet copy, which I have owned and which is quite beautiful. I’ve played a Taskin double before and I didn’t see or hear a resemblance with this beast, although I cannot be definite there. Anyway, I have a memory of being told it was a Hemsch copy, which stuck with me because at that time, I didn’t know about Hemsch.