Can't decide between Teffi Siff Saff and Camac Hermine!

[emilyeason]

Hello All,

I would be very grateful if anyone could help me with my indecisiveness!

I would like to buy a lever harp for my daughter who is currently at beginner level but she may wish to continue with the lever harp all the way up through the grades so the harp needs to be one that can take her to an advanced level.

I am torn between buying the Teffi Siff Saff and the Camac Hermine. The main selling point of the Siff Saff seems to be the levers. With the Hermine, I am taken by the idea of carbon strings.

If anyone has experience of either harp, I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Thank you so much.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by emilyeason.

[Tacye]

They are both good quality harps. The best one will be the one she practices on most – does she have a preference? Can you arrange for her to play and hear both? Does her teacher have a preference?

Personally, I prefer the sound of gut strings, but I’m not the person who will be playing this.

Are you aware it can be possible to buy it without VAT through her school?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Tacye.

[emma-graham]

Both are lovely harps and you can’t really go wrong with either! I don’t think the Teifi levers are superior to Camac levers so that wouldn’t be a consideration for me. Having played both, personally I would pick a Hermine. I’m just a real fan of them. I like their bright rich full sound. I have 2 that I use as rental instruments and 3 of my pupils have them. They are all excellent – very consistent sound with all of them. Given that the Siff-Saff is a more hand made to order harp, I don’t know how consistent they are so I would personally want to try the one I buy rather than ordering one new.
I don’t know where you are located but you can try both harps in one day if you are able to get to S. Wales. The Camacs can be tried at Vining Harps in Cardiff and the Siff-Saff is available at the Harp Studio in Newport. I suspect it would come down to the simple question of which sound yor daughter prefers.

[Rosalind Robinson]

The Teifi Siff Saff is a lovely sounding instrument and will definitely take your daughter from beginner to advanced level, it’s also really light so is easy to transport around. It is strung with gut usually, which gives a full rich sound, but it can be strung in KF if preferred.

[Tacye]

Are you the Rosalind Robinson of Teifi Harps? It is good to know about alternative stringing available.

[Author]

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