Are Venus Harps as good as Lyon & Healy?

[unknown-user]

I’ve been considering to buy a new concert harp. However I got stuck

when considering which brand should i buy. I’ve long heard that Lyon

& Healy is good (I play it myself), but I also wonder if Venus harps

are good. Have to make sure the harp I’d be buying is that best as

it’s going to be with me for a life time. Somebody please tell which

one is better, Lyon & Healy or Venus??

[unknown-user]

I have been playing on my Lyon and Healy style 19 harp for 6 years now and even though my harp is 90 years old, it still is in tact and plays beautifully.

[unknown-user]

I started playing harp at age 12 and have had the opportunity to play lever and pedal harps in many brands (Lyon and Healy, Venus, Salvi, and some miscellaneous others) for many years.

[unknown-user]

I definately prefer Lyon & Healy. It is my understanding that the reason why Lyon & Healy harps have a slanted colum is to help aging. The immense pressure put on a harp because of the strings can cause a harp to buckle or fall apart over time. To conteract this problem, Lyon & Healy has provided a solution, the slanted colum. The colum alleviates the pressure and will straighten out little by little over time. I am sorry if I am wrong but I do not think Venus harps have this slanted colum and if the harp is cracked or knicked in just the right place the frame could collapse.

[unknown-user]

I first learned on a Salvi Orchestra model and loved the warm and rich sound it projected.

[darhon-rees-rohrbacher]

I have two Venus pedal harps (Traditional and Protege) and love them. I previously had a Salvi Sinfonietta. I think the Venus harps project better than the Salvi in an orchestra situation; however, Salvis have a warm tone are a very even from top to bottom.

I think harps are very individual. Every company builds a few lemons, and no manufacturer builds perfect harps 100% of the time.

I think the thing to do it to go to Chicago and try out Venus, Salvi and Lyon & Healy pedal harps and decide for yourself.

Darhon

[Denise Krasicki]

“I have been playing on my Lyon and Healy style 19 harp for 6 years now and even though my harp is 90 years old, it still is in tact and plays beautifully. I’ve also had experiences with Venus harps. My harpist friend played on a Venus harp before she bought a Lyon and Healy and the soundboard on the Venus pulled up 5 times in 9 years. She also concluded that the sound was not nearly as projective as the Lyon and Healy.

— Andrea Mumm, September 15, 2002″

Andrea what a curious posting.

[unknown-user]

Folks, could we accept that there are tall, short, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, handsome, white, black, red, blue, green harpists, and that we all are pretty daggoned lucky to have such a variety of harps to satisfy the desires, wishes, wants and needs?

Is Venus as good as L&H?

[Denise Krasicki]

Barry …been a long time since we talked, but I hope you and yours are doing well my friend and best wishes to you in this Holiday Season.

[unknown-user]

I have had nothing but good experiences with L&H and have no experience with Venus harps. We have had several posts on this board that Venus are of excellent quality and durability, and I’ll rely on that statement. If a company has a good background, appears to be successful, and has such stories, then the company must make good harps. Why else would people tell those stories?

Regardless, it is my understanding that because every harp (and for that matter, every harpist) is different, the quality of the sound, projection, the size and how comfortable it feels is more because of of the specific harp than of the maker. Each harpist will have a preference for the sound, the tension, the spacing of pedals and strings. I guess what I’m trying to say is NO TWO HARPS ARE THE SAME. Therefore, you just have to try them.

A great example is that I had been renting a L&H Troubador III and learning on it. The strings were very tight, and had a very bright, bell-like voice. I then made the descicion to buy one of my own for various reasons. I bought an identical Troubador III. Same color, everything. But this harp sounded different. The strings were not as tight but produced the same note as the tighter strings on my other harp. The sound was different. I don’t have a word to describe how it was different, but it was. It was darker, and yet had a very… soothing, I guess, quality to the tone. The difference was so great that I really had to take some time to adjust to it, and after a while, found that I liked it much more.

I hope this helps to answer your question somewhat, . Good luck in finding the right harp for you, and have a happy holidays.

[unknown-user]

I’ve played both and I love both. The harp I learned to play first was an old Lyon and Healy

model 17. It is probably about 80 years old now, a smaller harp with a huge sound. It is a

little the worse for wear from being hauled around our university, but it is tough and

durable and has the same wonderful sound today as it had 40 years ago.

When the time came for me to buy my own harp, I chose a Venus Concert Grand, a

mahogany custom made finish with roses lightly brushed with gold. To me it is the most

gorgeous harp ever made.

[unknown-user]

I am an employee at the Virginia Harp Center in Richmond, Virginia.

[Denise Krasicki]

Common sense dictates that if all the major harp manufactuers ie.,

ourselves at VENUS. L&H and Salvi have been in business as long as we

have and are still actively engaged in business that we all make good products and stand behind what we make.

[unknown-user]

I know that this is late but for future readers.

A BETTER QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE BEST

HARP FOR ME!!!!!

Every body plays differently!

I sugest you try as many differernt harp as you can.

You should decide what your top price is and try as many differernt brands

and models as you can.

You should also look at used harps as well.

It is best if you have a good technician look over a used harp.

Now you can decide what harp is best for you!

I am very happy with my concert harp. BUT I SAID I WOULD NEVER OWN

THE BRAND OF HARP I HAVE!!!!!!!

It was not new or the brand I want or model or finish.

But when I played it I fell in love with it.

It responded well under my hands and my style of playing, and ever one tell

me what a beautful it sounds.

But when a friend play it

[unknown-user]

I have always owned Lyon & Healy harps (2), but I remember when the
Paragon model came out from Venus, it was quite impressive, and I was
quite tempted by it. It provoked a lot of discussion in Miss Lawrence’s
studio. I also like the design of several other of their models. I
would only encourage Venus to not feel defensive, even if people seem
to be against them. Just stand firm on the quality of your work. It
must be tiring to have to deal with people’s attitudes all the time,
but life is full of challenges, alright. It’s not easy to be a harpist
who doesn’t have the orchestra job either. Reading the posts on this
site, I can tell when someone is writing casually or seriously, so I
imagine most people can sense the difference, at least, I certainly
hope. Please, by all means, make great harps. We need them.

[Author]

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