Electric harp info needed please….

[christine-weatherford]

I am seriously considering an electric harp. I have narrowed it down to LH Silhouette or a Camac DHC light. I mainly plan to use the harp for fun at home and hopefully gigs in the future (farmers market, library concerts, etc). I am looking to play mostly blues and pop and contemporary pieces on the electric harp. I would appreciate any comments as this is a big purchase for me!!!

Here are the obvious Pros of the silhouette:
I live 4 hours from Chicago so I could try one before purchasing and take it in for repair if ever needed
It is cheaper than the DHC Light
Guts strings would be easy to order/replace

I do play pedal harp so I like a higher tension. I do not have any experience with LH Performance levers.

Pros of DHC Light;
I have only read great things about the DHC Light
It is light weight
the stand seems to be more sturdy (less movement) than the Silhouette
I love all the videos of harpists playing this harp on You Tube (DHC, Athy, etc)
I am familiar with Camac levers

The cons with the DHC light is that I am not sure where I would send it if it were in need of repair. There aren’t any local Camac dealers therefore I won’t have any idea about the tension, string spacing, etc.

I would appreciate any feedback. I feel like I have read just about everything concerning electric harps so the best thing now is to talk to electric harp owners!

Thank you so much for your time 🙂
Christine~

[Sherj DeSantis]

Just a note about Camacs…I don’t own one. However, I have a girlfriend who was having an issue getting her harp maker to replace her broken Camac levers, and finally, in frustration, she contacted Camac in France. Jakez François personally responded to her directly, and got her what she needed and had been waiting for. I always thought that reflected very favorably, that a company all the way over in France, cared about one little customer in the U.S. and reacted immediately.

However, just so you know, my harp tech has no problems working on Camacs. They say you can do the regulations yourself, but I trust Paul Knoke to work on my harps. I wouldn’t dare touch something worth thousands of dollars without training. Make your harp tech your best friend! Hope this info helps. Sherj

[christine-weatherford]

I wonder if harp techs are comfortable working on the electrical components/pickups ?

[jimmy-h]

4 hours away… I’d go on a road trip just for the experience.

[amy-wilson–2]

Hi Christine,
I have a friend who has owned a Silhouette. The negatives are the weight,(heavy if worn with performance strap) the levers, the upper register (plinky in sound),and the lack of evenness in tone from top to bottom of instrument. The Silhouette’s Performance levers are some of the worst in the business–they gouge the strings, they’re very difficult to regulate and they change the tone of the string somewhat when engaged. One thing that she did like about the Silhouette was the on-board equalizer. I would advise getting the DHC Light (which is considered the gold standard of electric lever harps–great tone and very even throughout the range, light weight, Camac levers) or for price/good quality levers/nice warm tone, the Kortier electric lever harp.

[christine-weatherford]

Does anyone have any comments about the tension on the Camac DHC? Is it comparable to the Silhouette?
Thanks for your comment Amy. You definitely gave me some pointers!

[christine-weatherford]

It is such a difficult decision when I won’t be able to play both, especially side by side. I am appreciating all the feedback and welcome anyone else’s suggestions!!!

[Author]

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