Harp availability dilemma, and L&H Ogden advice

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Hello, I’m new here and have lots of questions. I’m really eager to start learning to play the harp, but I’m having a hard time knowing how to start. I have a very strong music background with experience on several other instruments and feel like I could learn harp on my own with the help of online instruction, but after lots of online searching, I don’t know how to find a harp!

I live in Nebraska and the only website I’ve found for local harp rentals and sales says they only deal with Lyon and Healy. I am interested in trying out the L&H Ogden, but I also hear about lots of issues it has–mostly that its Performance levers wear on the strings leading to frequent replacement, and the tone isn’t as good as other lever harps. How wary of the Ogden should I really be? I’m also interested in the Merlin R-Harp, Camac Hermine, or a Dusty Strings Ravenna 34 or Cresecendo 34 (although I don’t like the looks of the Dusty Strings as much as the Ogden.)

I’m also a bit confused because I’ve read that the Ogden is strung more like a pedal harp than the others, but I don’t really know if that’s a good thing or not. (I have no plans to ever move to pedal harp.) I also don’t know really how important higher quality gut strings are over nylon. If I get a nylon string harp, will I later wish I had one with gut strings? Can any harp be restrung with gut strings later down the road? I want to rent, and ultimately buy, a nice harp with a beautiful tone that I also like the looks of, with the hopes that I wouldn’t feel any buyer’s remorse or like I need to buy a “better” harp later.

How can I possibly see, hear, or play some of these harps in person before deciding what I’d like to rent and ultimately buy? I’m looking for a 34-36 string lever harp around $3000-$3500 or less if possible. Are there any high quality lever harps in that price range? Can you give me any tips on how to get exposure to these different harps?

I’d also love your opinions about the L&H Ogden harp since I think that’s the only one I’ll have access to here locally in my price range. I feel hesitant to go with it considering the issues others have with it, and I don’t want to feel like I’m settling with it just because it’s the only brand available locally. I know I can have a harp shipped to me for me to rent, but the shipping costs add up quickly trying to test out several harps that way! Any advice, please?

[Tacye]

In my opinion the Ogden is a decent harp for its price. Whether you will like it or not is a completely different matter. I have an unfortunate tendency to find I like more expensive harps better than less expensive ones, but there are a large number of very well made harps available in your price range. Are there any recordings you particularly like?

[Gretchen Cover]

Jodi,

The American Harp Society is having its annual conference in New Orleans in June (www.ahsconference.org). I did not see a listing of current vendors on the website. Perhaps you could check last year’s to find out what makers of lever harps exhibited and see if you might want to attend.

You may also want to check on the internet to see what other harp gatherings are taking place that include harp vendors. I’m sure Lyon Healy and other harp makers could help you with this. Harp makers I can think of off the top of my head include Lyon Healy, Salvi, Marini, Thormalen, Dusty Springs, Camac. Then you could try different harps in the same place.

You might also call music vendors such as Melody Folk Harp and Sylvia Woods Harp Center for information on where/how you could try different harps.

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Unfortunately, I don’t have the option of traveling to gatherings so far away. I like the sounds of the Dusty Strings that I’ve heard online, but I haven’t been able to find a really great quality recording of the Ogden. I think my main concerns about deciding between a Dusty Strings (Ravenna or Crescendo) and the Ogden are the differences in string tension (as well as strings breaking on the Ogden). I’ve heard that the Ogden is much tighter with tension like a pedal harp. I don’t want my fingers to be sore! I don’t plan to move to pedal harp. Although I’ve also read that the bass notes in the Dusty Strings tend to sustain longer than desirable. But it sounds like people have fewer issues with the Dusty Strings. I just wish I could play each of them to get a sense of really how different the string tension is and see which one just feels better. I honestly don’t like the look of the Ravenna at all. I don’t like the two-tone color, but I want a wood look–not any of the other colors the Ravenna comes in. That’s why I’m considering the Crescendo!

[Donna O]

Jodi,
I have a L&H Pelude which has concert tension and spacing and performance levers. I love the levers as they do not distort the sound and are very quiet and easy to flip. They are harder on strings, but worth it. The Ogden has the same tension and spacing and also has gut strings. Those harps work best with more classsical
Repetoire. I recently got a Dusty Crescendo also. It has all nylon strings and has medium tension and spacing. Celtic and traditional music sounds better on the Dusty. The Dusty is a little easier on the hands as you don’t need quite as much strength to play. That being said you can play all music on either harp. The Dusty is
much brighter sounding and the L&H has a warmer mellow sound. It really depends on what you prefer and what type of music you want to play. I tried the Ravenna and the Crescedo and much preferred the Crescendo over the Ravenna. I also did not like the two tone finish.I love both of my harps for different reasons. It’s really hard to
choose when you can’t try the harps. Good luck with your search.
DonnaO

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Thank you, Donna. Your insights about the Ogden and Crescendo are much appreciated! And it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t care for the looks of the Ravenna. 🙂

[brook-boddie]

Jodi, Donna’s right on target. I’ve owned or at least played many of the harps you’ve mentioned. The type of music that you want to play can affect your harp choice, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t play any type of lever harp music on either harp. My personal choice is L&H, but I prefer concert tension and spacing. If you end up leaning towards an Ogden, I’d suggest that you also consider a L&H Troubadour. They usually have several on their CPO website, and you can usually get a very good deal on a used Troubadour. Sometimes they are only slightly used. I have a Troubadour VI and love it. I played an Ogden recently at a conference I was attending. While I liked it, the sound was not as big as a Troubadour or Prelude. However, I don’t think you’d be disappointed with an Ogden if you go that route. In short, L&H and Dusty both build great harps. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in either. If you like a brighter sound, consider the Dusty. If you like warm, rich, and more mellow, consider L&H. Let us know what you end up choosing!

[Michael Sommer]

Can you travel to Loveland CO? The Harp Shoppe there and Kolacny Music in Denver both have great service and harps to try out.

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Thank you for all these helpful insights!

Last night I discovered online the Triplett Sierra 34 with camac levers. It looks like a great price for its size and the camac levers. Does anyone have experience with the Sierra 34?

[jennifer-buehler]

Jodi, where in Nebraska are you? I am from Lincoln. Please feel free to private message me. I would say that, yes, most of the harps you are going to see in this area are L & H. However, I know someone in the area with an older Triplett. I have a Thormahlen. I know someone with a Heartland Delight in CF. I’m guessing that Heidi Beran in Lincoln or Mary Bircher in Omaha could direct you to someone with an Ogden. Lou Hurst is our L & H dealer. I don’t think he has any used harps in stock right now but he could probably help you find something to at least ry out in this area.

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Thank you, Jennifer. I’m in Omaha. I’ve left some messages with Mary Bircher since her website says she rents L&Hs, but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get in touch with her. Thank you for those other references!

It sounds like maybe I’ll need to plan to rent an Ogden to get a feel for the harp and learn on since that’s what’s available locally, then later decide what to eventually purchase. I was just hoping to rent locally the harp that I might eventually purchase. I did find a place to rent a Merlin in Kansas City 3 hours away. I wish I could rent a DS Crescendo 34 or Triplett Sierra locally. I was browsing the websites of the stores Talia mentioned in Colorado. It looks like there would be a larger selection there to look at, but I’m not sure they would rent to me from so far away–but it’s worth looking into. Thanks!

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

Jennifer, which Thormahlen do you have?

[brook-boddie]

The Harp Connection rents nationwide, I think. Of course, you have to pay for shipping of the harp both to and back to them if you choose not to purchase it.

[jennifer-buehler]

Jodi, I have a Serenade. It’s a sweet little harp.

[Jodi Ann Tolman]

I was looking at the Serenade earlier today online–it looks great! It has a lot of the traits that I was hoping for, but I can’t find anywhere that would rent one. 🙁 I heard that the string tension is fairly loose on Thormhalens though. Do you feel like it projects well? I know the Ogden is considered to have tight concert tension, but really how different are these other lever harps’ tension compared to the Ogden? I’m worried that the Ogden would hurt my fingers and not be as easy to play.

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