I’ve been using Vanderbilt’s tarnish-resistant strings for years, and I’ve never noticed any appreciable difference in tone.

I don’t feel there is a noticeable difference, but I stack the odds in my favor with the best strings, harps, and technique I can afford. The accurancy in tuning makes a surprisng difference too. I prefer the tarnish resistant colored wires because I play in all kinds of lighting and I appreciated being able to see.

I’m sorry for the question…but do we speak here about real silver wrapping

To be specific, the difference I hear is in the brilliance of the overtones, most pronounced when the string is new. That makes the rest of the harp sing more actively, too. One possibility for playing in different lighting situations is to carry a footlight with you, or a clip-on light to illuminate the strings. I’ve only had a problem seeing strings when there was a color match to the background, like a copper-colored rug or wall, but there are lots of situations I haven’t played in. I found the tarnish-resistant strings to get quite dull after a year of use, so I don’t think you really save money with them.

Once, when I was restringing a harp, I was able to do a side-by-side test of a new standard bass wire and a new tarnish-resistant one on the same harp. The standard had a slightly stronger fundamental tone relative to the upper partials than the tarnish resistant. However, the characteristics of the individual harp and harpist are going to make a bigger difference in the overall sound than the difference between standard and tarnish-resistant. I would say that people should use whatever strings make them happy, because if they’re happy with their harp, they’ll play better!

I asked Mike this question and was told that the silver strings sound brighter up close, but then the question is, “Does the brightness project to the listeners?” From Eleanor’s blind test, it doesn’t appear to.