Daphne SE vs EX? Aurora?

[Littlebuster]

Hi!
I would like to make the leap from a lever harp to a pedal harp. I played lever harp as a child and was at a fairly advanced level. I stopped playing when I went to university. I have started playing again and I’m loving it, but I am starting to feel the itch for more complex repertoire!

I am debating what harp to get. I would like this to be the first and last pedal harp I buy. I want a rich big sound with lots of range that brings me joy. I don’t plan on performing. Space isn’t an issue. I won’t be moving it much. Cost is of course a consideration, but the models I’m considering are in my budget (granted the Aurora would be a splurge!).

A Daphne EX may not be available for a year, but there is a Daphne SE available in a couple of months. An Aurora will be available shortly after that.

Has anyone played both an SE and an EX? I won’t have the opportunity to try them side by side. Is there a significant difference?

Or should I just wait for an Aurora and move up to the next tier?

And a frivolous question: If anyone has these models in a Walnut or Mahogany finish, could you please post a picture? I can’t decide which I like better! Does the color change over time?

Thank you! 😊

[balfour-knight]

Hello, “Littlebuster,” you don’t say where you are located, so I don’t know what kind of harps are available where you live. I prefer Camac harps for that “rich, big sound” that you mentioned above. My only pedal harp currently is an Atlantide Prestige concert grand 47-string harp that I “lucked into” back in 2017, but I owned two nice L&H 85’s before that. I have played many Salvi’s in my long professional career, and they are nice harps, but heavy, similar to Venus harps. To me, their sound is more mellow, blunt, and traditional compared to the brighter, fuller sound of my Atlantide. I have to “work harder” to get a full tone out of a Salvi or L&H than I do on my Camac. Also, the shoulder end of a full-size concert grand Camac is a little lower, making it more comfortable for me to play. (I am 5′ 6″ and suffer from arthritis in my hands and shoulders, so I need comfort in a large pedal harp, ha, ha!)

I love the looks of the Salvi harps, especially the Iris in a natural maple finish with the blue accents worked into the gold soundboard artwork. I did once play a very nice Daphne SE 47-string harp at the Atlanta Harp Center, if this helps you at all. There was also an Aurora there one time I visited the AHC, but I liked the Dianna and Apollo models better than that particular Aurora.

All of this is just my personal opinion, of course, and others may post here who differ with me, ha, ha! Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Balfour

[Littlebuster]

Thank you for your input, that is helpful! It is especially helpful hearing from people who have tried multiple different harps by different companies.

I’m in Canada, so I think our Camac selection is pretty limited without paying import duties.

I’m sure in the end I will be happy with whichever harp I choose, but it seems like such a daunting decision.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

There is usually a good second hand market for all quality pedal harps especially in countries that don’t make them so you could in fact always change your mind later on. I have played examples of all those and have found that any one of each model can be very different from another so always try a harp in person if at all possible or at least listen to someone else playing it if really no choice although different players can make rather different sounds on the same harp!

[balfour-knight]

Philippa, those are all good points. Also, I forgot to address the question about the walnut versus the mahogany finishes. If it were me, I would prefer the walnut. I found that the Salvi mahogany finish looks a little purple/pink in good light, especially sunlight. I’m not sure how that changes with age. My pedal harps have all been in natural maple, and ebony. Now, if you would like that purple/pink tint, there is nothing wrong with that, of course!

Harp Hugs,
Balfour

[Paul Chaveriat]

Hi Littlebuster,

In case this is helpful to you, if you go on the You Tube channel for “Harpwinkel De Zingende Snaar”, you can see and listen to the same 1 minute music clip being played on a Salvi Aurora, Daphne 47 SE and Daphne 47 EX (as well as on dozens of other lever and pedal harp models and manufacturers).

Thanks,
Paul

[Littlebuster]

That is a great point Philippa- There is a definite scarcity of used pedal harps here!

I’m even more convinced now that I will need to make the trip to try out the harp before I fully commit. Unfortunately, I probably won’t have the opportunity to try many different models in my price range side by side. These also seem to be harps in the price range that sell the fastest.

Paul- Harpwinkel De Zingende Snaar has been a huge help, thank you! What a priceless resource

[balfour-knight]

All great posts, friends! When I saw and played that very nice Daphne SE, I liked it better than the full-size Daphne that was standing right beside it at the Atlanta Harp Center. Part of it was that the size suited me better, and it was more comfortable to play. The SE also had the full 47 strings range of the concert harps, even though the lowest strings did indeed sound better on the larger Daphne, because they are longer. But, each individual harp is different, so it is better to try them out first before you make a decision to buy. It would be well worth the cost of the trip to a harp center or festival, since you want a harp to keep “for life.” You can also take possesion of the harp right away, if you take your harp-carrying vehicle, and you can enjoy taking the harp home with you!

Have a great day,
Balfour

[Paul Chaveriat]

Thanks all! Littlebuster, fyi there are also a good number of songs on You Tube played by French harpist Amelie Guiboux. She has a Daphne 47 S, which sounds very nice to me. The 47 S is the same height as the 47 SE (69 inches) but has a straight soundboard and weighs 6 pounds less.

Paul

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