Clio or 85GP ?

[HBrock25]

I may have to choose from Camac Clio straight/extended

[catherine-rogers]

Lyon & Healy harps are great; I own and have owned several. I bought my Camac Clio extended in 1999 because at that time it was the only 44 string harp with an extended soundboard. Now the L&H 85GP is available, but the Clio soundboard is wider (as wide as my 23–I measured it) and it weighs less than the 85GP. I definitely prefer it, especially since there are no pedal felts to replace. You really should try both if possible and choose what is best for you.

[Denver CH]

Thanks, Catherine. How do they differ in tone and build quality? And do they have the same string spacing and the width of upper part of the soundboard? My daughter is petite and needs a smaller-sized harp, so I wish to find out which harp has narrower spacing and width. Thank again!

[tony-morosco]

I have an 85P and I have played on both the 85GP and Clio.

I would go with the Clio.

Tone wise the Clio is brighter. String spacing is close, but the strings on the Clio are, I think, a little tighter in the upper octaves, but also there is something about how they are arranged that actually makes playing the Clio a little more comfortable. I remember reading somewhere that the ergonomics that Camac uses for their harps is modeled after Erard harps, but who knows?

I definitely prefer the sound of the Clio with the extended soundboard. It projects much better and has a much stronger tone than the straight soundboard version.

And it is definitely the lighter of the two (I think somewhere in the area of 10lbs or so). So if it is for a child the weight would probably make the Clio a better choice for that alone.

Add to that the ease of maintenance and adjustment of the pedal cables (Camac pedal harps don’t use rods, they use cables instead) makes the Clio a good choice for that size and price range.

The down side is that when you need to get a professional regulation (which you need less often with the Camac) or repair you need to find someone who is trained on Camac harps as there are differences in how they are built that require that the tech do some things differently than on most other harps. So you will want to check first to make sure that there is someone in your area who can work on your harp if needed.

They are both great harps for the size. You won’t regret either, but if I had the money and the option I would go with the Clio.

[Denver CH]

Thank you, Tony! For me, the information you provided is very valuable.

[tony-morosco]

I wasn’t aware there was a newer model, but yes, the one I played was several years ago. I definitly noticed a weight difference.

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