Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat, organ builder

The firm was founded in 1999 and is situated in the centre of the region of Lorraine, close to the towns of Nancy and Metz.  The workshop possesses all the tools and equipment necessary for making organs and restoring early instruments.

The first work carried out was the tuning and maintenance contracts formerly dealt with by Haerpfer, whose firm ceased business at the same time as ours was established.  We work regularly in collaboration with  Laurent Plet, who specialises in the restoration of historic instruments.

Activities

1  The building of mechanical action organs.  The instruments are conceived and designed in our workshop, and the work is entirely carried out using traditional craftsmanship.  All parts are made by us in the workshop, and no manufactured parts are used at all.  Traditional materials are always used, and no modern items such as plywood and plastic are ever employed in our instruments.

2  Restoration of early instruments

We undertake the restoration of all kinds of pipe organs, generally preferring to restore instruments to their original state in order to respect their overall character.  We take particular care to avoid any kind of discrepancy between the materials used by the original builder and those employed during restoration.

3  Renovation, rebuilding and maintenance

We carry out rebuilding work and propose maintenance contracts for all types of instruments.  At present we tune and maintain more than fifty organs and undertake emergency repair work as far away as Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat studied the organ at the Conservatoire in Troyes before beginning an organ building apprencticeship with Laurent Plet.  He continued with the same firm for thirteen years before establishing his own.