harpcolumn

Different type levers- what’s the difference?

Log in to your Harp Column account to post or reply in the forums. If you don’t have an account yet, you’ll need to email us to set one up.

Home Forums Harps and Accessories Different type levers- what’s the difference?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 38 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #74892
    Minnesota Harpist
    Participant

    I see 3 different lever types listed with different harps/makers.

    #74893
    Kate Hopkins
    Participant

    I am also curious about this. I would like to also add the older brass levers found on the troubadour and their new performance levers to the question.

    #74894
    Karen Johns
    Participant

    If you do a google on Camacs, Truitts, and Lovelands, you should find at least a few threads here on these levers. I think just about everyone on these forums has a preference and has listed several reasons why.

    Karen

    #74895
    Minnesota Harpist
    Participant

    I have searched the forum, but still really haven’t found much on comparison or perhaps I’m missing something?

    #74896
    william-weber
    Participant

    Carol,
    The most desirable lever would be one that supports the string exactly like a bridge pin that is driven into the side of the neck. If a lever is too lightly made, it can lose energy, shortening sustain, and by adding an irregularity to the tension/motion relationship of the string, throw the upper partials out of tune and make the string sound sour. If the lever allows the string to slide on the pin that effects the actual sharping, energy lost through friction shortens the sustain and often dulls the tone, especially at the moment the string is plucked. If on the other hand the pin that does the sharping has a notch to prevent such sliding, and it happens to be

    #74897
    Karen Johns
    Participant

    Try this thread-

    http://www.harpcolumn.com/forum/message-view?message_id=2222516

    Hope this is what you’re looking for. :-)

    Karen

    #74898
    carl-swanson
    Participant

    The three types of levers you mention are all excellent levers that work by pushing the handle of the lever up to engage the string(raise the pitch a half step) and pulling the lever down to disengage it.

    The loveland lever is a good basic lever with a simple mechanism that is reliable. The handle(the moveable lever part) is made of some sort of plastic. It has a tendency to dull the sound of some strings very slightly when it is engaged.

    The Truett lever works much like the Loveland, but I believe all of the parts are metal. It is also very dependable and because of the all metal construction, the string sounds as bright when the lever is engaged as when it is not.

    The Camac lever is the most sophisticated construction and is beautifully made. It is very dependable and also gives a very clear sound when the lever is engaged.

    What I don’t like about the Truett and Camac levers is that there is virtually no adjustment available when you want to regulate them. The screws that hold the lever to the neck are in slots that are simply too short to slide up or down to correct regulation problems. If the lever has to be moved up or down to correct the regulation, then the only option is to drill new holes for the screws. The Loveland levers have longer slots, although I wish those were made with even longer slots too. I use the Loveland levers on my Swanson Lever Harp because they are dependable and relatively inexpensive. I don’t know what the cost is of the Truett levers. The Camac levers are the most expensive partly because of their much more complex construction and partly because of the exchange rate. Camac levers are made in France.

    There are many older lever designs that were made over the years that are no longer made. A lot of them are now so old and worn out that they really don’t work properly anymore. But putting new levers on an old lever harp is a big deal and quite expensive. Aside from the cost of the levers there is the cost of installation, which can be as expensive as the lever itself. Unless the (old) lever harp is in really good condition, it’s probably not worth the cost of taking all the old levers off and putting new ones on. The screw holes in the neck that held the old levers in place will not work when installing a new lever. They’re probably the wrong size, and they’re certainly in the wrong place.

    #74899

    Carl, in 1979 Wilfred Smith of England

    #74900
    barbara-brundage
    Participant

    >What I don’t like about the Truett and Camac levers is that there is virtually no adjustment available when you want to regulate them.

    But for camacs that isn’t how you normally do fine regulation on them. You adjust them by screwing the bridge pin in and out. I agree that for the smaller levers if you need to make a very large adjustment that needs the lever to be moved there’s not much room, but there’s at least as much as there is on lovelands on the larger ones.

    #74901
    Minnesota Harpist
    Participant

    Carl,

    #74902
    Minnesota Harpist
    Participant

    Yes, thank you very much Karen.

    #74903

    It’s not just Camacs that use the adjustable bridge pins.

    #74904
    carl-swanson
    Participant

    Barbara- Moving the bridge pin in or out is one of the adjustments available on most levers. It’s more effective in the treble area than lower down. But there’s only so much you can do with that adjustment. On the Loveland levers for example, the string really has to sit exactly half way between the tip of the unengaged lever and the bar that the lever pushes the string against. The string can’t be too close to either one(in the lower octaves) without causing problems. And so it is those lower octave levers that need a longer slot to adjust the lever assembly up or down.

    #74905
    Minnesota Harpist
    Participant

    Kate- there is also a nice explanation on the 3 levers I mentioned on the Thormahlen website that tells a bit about each very clearly.

    #74906

    Dave Kolacny’s book Troubleshooting the Lever Harp has descriptions of the old L & H levers and all their woes.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 38 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.