Thomas Dodds
organ builder
musical instrument maker
Biography
Thomas Dodds was an organ builder and general musical-instrument maker based at 66 Queen Street, New York, where he appears in the city's first directory, published in 1786. He made harpsichords and pianofortes at that address from at least 1786. Dodds partnered with Clements Claus in the firm Dodds & Claus, whose musical-instrument manufactory advertised in 1792 that its forte pianos featured newly invented hammers and dampers, wood specially prepared to withstand the American climate, and a standing guarantee to repair any defective instrument within two years of delivery.
Highlights
- Organ builder and instrument maker at 66 Queen Street, New York, listed in the first city directory (1786)
- Made harpsichords and pianofortes from at least 1786
- Partner in Dodds & Claus, whose 1792 advertisement touted newly-invented hammers and dampers and a two-year repair guarantee
Source
Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 70, 71.
Public domain.