He studied the viola da gamba with Edgar Hunt at the Trinity College of Music in order to get the subsistence allowance that the G.I.
Hubbard returned to the USA in 1949 and founded a workshop with Dowd building harpsichords on historical principles, rather than the 20th-century modern (now known as 'revival') style practised by virtually all professional makers, such as Robert Goble.
Hubbard & Dowd found work performing restorations of harpsichords in public and private collections which helped them improve their own practises of design and construction.
He developed a harpsichord in 1963 based on a Pascal Taskin instrument of 1769 which was sold as a do-it-yourself kit.
It included a manual and all the crucial parts, with the wooden items planed to the correct thickness but otherwise requiring finishing.
In this way any person with a good grasp of woodworking and basic knowledge of harpsichord making, with dedication and careful work, was able to produce a fine instrument.
About the revival of authentic instruments for early music: This man, this composer from the past, had a talent greater than anything I will ever have.
Further, in the best harpsichords you will find surprises, such as a sudden reedy brilliance in the tenor, or a profound bass, or the clarity of a bell-like sound in the treble.
We always used to think of Scarlatti as par excellence the harpsichord composer; play him on a Steinway grand and no question it's terrible.