DS FH36S vs. Ravenna 34?

[Gwen R.]

Hello, all!

I’ve found myself in the very happy predicament of having to decide which harp to upgrade to, and I thought it might be useful to get some feedback from some objective folks with a lot more experience than me.

I bought a DS Allegro 26 about fifteen years ago which I have been playing off and on since (mostly off). It’s a good sounding, sturdy little harp that has served me well. Last year I picked it up again and I have just been having the best time truly finding my passion for the harp. However – it is time to upgrade to a bigger instrument!

I’ve been renting a DS Ravenna 34 from the local harp dealer, and I’ve really been enjoying it! I think it sounds really nice and I love the ringing bass and impressive sound. Now that I have the extra octave in the bass I don’t know how I managed all that time without it!

However, they also have a used FH36S on consignment that is absolutely stunning, sounds wonderful, and the quoted price feels reasonable. However, the “reasonable” price is still a huge jump up from the Ravenna!

My question is – if the financial side is navigable, is it worth it to go for the FH? I don’t really care about the 2 extra strings in the high end, but I am attracted to the fact that the FH is all solid wood, and I am partial to the sound of the nylon wrapped bass. I suppose what makes the decision difficult is that the Ravenna is such a wonderful instrument in its own right!

Thoughts? Opinions? Is there anyone here that has owned both harps?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and respond if you choose to do so!

[Gregg Bailey]

Hello, Gwen,

How nice that you have this decision to make! I own a Ravenna 34 (with the optional lever gut stringing from 4G up to 2C), and I love it! While I’ve never played an FH36S, Balfour Knight can speak to both models, as he owned a Ravenna 34 in the past and now owns an FH36S in cherry that he absolutely adores, so you can expect a response from him soon!

-Gregg

[balfour-knight]

Hello Gwen and Gregg!

Yes, I owned a very nice Ravenna 34 for about five years, and used her primarily as a gigging harp, since I am first and foremost a pedal harpist. I needed a small harp to keep from having to take the concert grand harp out all the time, ha, ha! I loved Ravenna and the only thing that made me trade her in was finding the FH36S “Cherie.” When I sat down and tried Cherie, I knew that I had found the lever harp of my dreams, and my sweet wife said, “do you love her enough to trade in Ravenna?” Of course I did, and that helped us pay for the new very expensive harp! I also want all the strings I can get, and the extra two at the top are essential for the way I play the harp, being used to 47 strings on my Camac Atlantide Prestige “Angelica.” (She is the pedal harp of my dreams, of course!) I was always “short-changed” by the Ravenna range only going up to high A, when I play in the Key of C so much and really crave that high C! Folks who tune in alternative tunings like E flat may not need higher than A flat at the top, but that is not me, ha, ha!

I hope this helps, and I know why Gregg said I needed to see this post!

Harp Hugs and have a great day,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)

[Gwen R.]

Hello Gregg and Balfour (and Carol Lynn!),

Thank you both for taking the time to respond to my query!

One thing you both helped put my mind at ease about was my concern that the Ravenna might be a “student” or “beginner” instrument and that I might be shortchanging myself by going that way. I have been doing so much reading and research that it is easy to get caught up in the marketing (which probably has more to do with price than anything else). But after hearing your testimonials I am reassured that it is a subjective matter of which harp one prefers! (By the way can you tell yet that I am the analytical over-thinker type? LOL!).

While I am leaning toward sticking with the Ravenna at this point I will probably see if i can play the FH once more to be sure.

Wishing you a Happy St Patrick’s Day today! I hope it involves some great music! 😊

[Gregg Bailey]

Hi, Gwen,

I suspect most anyone who compares a Dusty Ravenna 34 to a Dusty FH 34 or 36 model would prefer the tone of the FH. I’ve personally never experienced a Dusty FH in person. I’ve only been playing harps on-and-off for a couple of years (I’m primarily an organist/pianist), and, with the exception of my Lyon & Healy Prelude 40 harp, I’ve mostly been interested in collecting quality budget harps (“quality” as opposed to, say, Pakistani harps), as I feel that you can get quite a lot for the money in something like a Ravenna, and also because I’m not a seasoned professional harpist/harper at this point.

I communicated with Sylvia Woods at length awhile back about the various Dusty floor harp models, and, while she personally prefers the FH models (and in cherry like Balfour does), she said that most people perceive an especially huge improvement in the sound quality of the mid-line Crescendo model over the Ravenna 34. She said that there is less of an increase in the sound quality of the FH’s over the Crescendo model, but still an increase nonetheless (as would be expected due to the solid wood soundboard of the FH’s vs the laminated soundboard of the Crescendo model).

So, I guess it all comes down to what you’re looking for. The Ravenna 34 has quite a lot of “bang for the buck,” but the FH’s undoubtedly have a richer, more refined sound, and if having the extra 2 strings at the top is important to you, than that is only available in the FH36’s (as far as Dusty Strings’ models).

I hope this helps!

-Gregg

[balfour-knight]

Gregg, I could not have put that any better myself! Thanks so much for your post–that explains it all.

Gwen, the main thing is to keep playing your harp, whichever one you decide on. I grew up with a 29-string non-pedal harp (no levers, actually!) that my dad and I made before I was 8 years old. I played it off and on until I was able to play an actual pedal harp in college. Piano and organ were so important to me and my career, I neglected the harp after that. It didn’t help that harps were SO expensive! Eventually, I got back to the harp and I have never taken a break from it since then. It is my favorite of the three instruments I play! So, persevere and really enjoy learning the harp this time around. I am attaching a photo of my Cherie FH36S with the matching cherry stool that I made.

Harp Hugs to all of you,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)

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[Gregg Bailey]

Gwen,

I would like to add, if you’re considering the Ravenna 34, you could also look at the Brilliant Harpsicle model by Rees/Harpsicle Harps. I own both a Ravenna 34 and a Brilliant, and I love both, yet they’re so different from each other. The Brilliant is much lighter in weight at only 15 lbs vs the Ravenna weiging 24 lbs with the base attached. The tone of the Brilliant is also much mellower (which I really like), though the bass isn’t quite as strong as on the Ravenna, as the Brilliant’s soundbox is a bit smaller and narrower than that of the Ravenna 34. The Brilliant’s height, however, is fixed, whereas the Ravenna can accommodate different leg heights and even has the option for the drop-down leg (which I have). The Brilliant is also made of solid wood, whereas the Ravenna isn’t. The Ravenna 34 is probably regarded as being superior to the Brilliant, and in some ways it is, but I think the Brilliant model is under-recognized, probably in part because it’s a fairly recent model compared to the Ravennas. The tuning pins of the Brilliant, however, are zither pins, so they’re tuned on the same side of the neck as where the strings and bridge pins are, whereas the Ravennas are tuned in the same manner as most other harps.

-Gregg

[Gregg Bailey]

And good advice, Balfour! Your Cherie with matching stool is always so beautiful!

-Gregg

[Lily-White]

Hi everybody!

Gwen, it’s so funny, a few hours after you had posted this, I asked EXACTLY the same question on another thread here on HC. I wanted to know the difference between The Ravenna 34 and the FH36S. Our friends Gregg and Balfour kindly guided me to read your post (that I for some reason hadn’t seen).

I play a rental Ravenna 34 – exactly like you! I love it! The sound is beautiful, warm but still bright. I don’t want to rent forever, so I’m in the process of trying to understand which harp is the right one for me to buy. The FH36S is very interesting! On the other hand I can buy my rental Ravenna if I want to (and get half of the rent I’ve paid off the price). My Ravenna was brand new when I got it a month or two ago. It would be so easy – and much more affordable! – to stick to the Ravenna. However, having read everything above…

Thank you Gwen for this post and thank you Gregg and Balfour for all the information! I have learned so much reading this interesting thread! 🙂

Good luck and enjoy your harp Gwen – whatever your choice will be!

– Lily White

[Gwen R.]

Hello again! And welcome to the discussion, Lily!

RE: GREGG, Thank you for sharing that information from your conversations with SW regarding the differences between the Ravenna / Crescendo / FH series. Something you touched on that spoke to me especially, was about collecting the good “bang for your buck” instruments as you get a lot of quality to enjoy as (I’ll phrase it this way) a more casual musician. This goes back to when I said that what makes this debate so difficult is that the Ravenna IS such a wonderful harp! Going from the Allegro to the Ravenna was such a leaps and bounds improvement – frankly I was wowed. And since I have only been back to studying and playing the harp for a few months, I do feel that making such a big financial investment (in the FH) does feel a bit, well, indulgent. Of course I do want to acquire the best quality instrument that I can afford, but the truth is the only reason I’m even considering the FH36 (right now) is because the opportunity to buy the used one appeared and I decided not to dismiss it out of hand. I’ve genuinely been quite happy with the Ravenna and know there are far greater depths of beauty to be found in it as my skill increases. Of course then the FH got under my skin and now I’ve tormented myself with the debate! LOL!!

Also, what do you think about this? The used FH36 I am considering is about 10 years old. The Ravenna was brand new out of the workshop when I picked it up.

RE: LILY, not sure if this helps with your decision making process as I have no knowledge of your specific circumstances, but if money was no obstacle, I would absolutely get the FH36S over the Ravenna. However, it does sound like the affordability of the R34 was a selling point for you too. But let me know what you end up doing, please!!

RE: BALFOUR: 100%. Yes. I agree. The most important thing is to play the harp and keep playing it, as you said. I grew up in a musical family and have always wanted to play an instrument proficiently. The longest run I had was 2 years of lessons with a wonderful teacher. Last year when I reconnected with the harp it was through my love of MUSIC itself which has led me down a rabbit hole of learning that has been unbelievably exciting. I challenged myself to practice every day for a month – I am now on day 107 or 108 ?!? I remember practicing feeling like a slog and an obligation, but these days I genuinely can’t wait to get home from work so I can get to my harp. For the first time I am in love with the whole process!

BTW Cherie is gorgeous!! I listened to the sound clip on DS website and I know they are all different but if it’s anything close then I can see why she won your heart!

Gregg & Balfour: Both of you are organists??? My husband recently started learning to play the organ. As of November last year we have a 1979 Allen digital organ instead of a dining table!

TL;DR – I think I am currently leaning toward the Ravenna due to the quality-to-price balance, but I will try to play the FH again before I make a final decision (and of course I’ll post in here when I decide!).

[balfour-knight]

Hello Gwen!

Your post wasn’t too long, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, ha, ha!

How neat that your husband is learning to play the organ. Yes, both Gregg and I are professional organists, with college degrees in organ. (My degrees and proficiency are in all 3 instruments, including harp and piano.) My sweet wife knows all about having a grand piano and a pipe organ instead of a dining table, ha, ha!

You do have a difficult decision ahead of you concerning which harp to purchase! My Cherie was built in 2015 and if it is possible, she is now even better than when I first discovered her. At that time, she was the best sounding, most responsive harp I had ever encountered, lever or pedal harp. In 2017 I had the opportunity to acquire Angelica, the best pedal harp ever for me, to go along with Cherie. I had two other pedal harps before that, and lever harps, but these two current harps are the “ultimate.”

You have to play an instrument over a long period of time to develop your tastes and preferences, and so no harp is “forever.” With these last two harps, I have never found one to surpass either of them, so I have found complete happiness with them and my other instruments here–bliss!

I hope your quest is enjoyable, and we look forward to what you decide!

Harp Hugs and best wishes,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)

[Lily-White]

Hello Gwen,

and thank you!

I’m still in the process of trying to understand which harp is the right one for me to buy, when the time is right. I fell in love with the Ravenna 34 online, and the rental guy got one for me – a wonderful person!!!

I have been looking at different harps online – it’s so much fun! In my country we don’t have harp stores, and not a lot of harps or harpists either. So it’s online I fell in love with the FH36S as well… But as I was right about the Ravenna, maybe I’m right about this one too.

I need to take my time to decide, I’m not ready to buy anything yet. (There is no FH36S for sale where I am… 😉 ). Anyway, these two Dusty harps are my favorites, but I’m looking at other models as well. I’m a beginner and don’t know where this wonderful adventure will take me. Playing the harp has been a long-time dream of mine, and finally I decided to make it come true. I loved to play from day 1 and couldn’t stay away from my Ravenna either. It has been so lovely to read your story, there’s so much I can relate to!

Time will tell for me – I might stick to my Ravenna, I love her so much! It would be hard to let go of her… Her name is Mélanie, which means “black” in ancient Greek. My dream was a white harp, the rental Ravenna I got was black! 😀 But I love her exactly as she is! <3

You have two beautiful options… I can’t wait to hear what you decided and how you feel about it!

Enjoy the harp you choose! <3

– Lily

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