Harp Kits and Levers

[Pangur Ban]

I’m about to order a Voyageur 33-string harp kit from Musicmakers, probably with a full set of their universal levers. Has anyone got an opinion on those? I hear Camac levers are very good, but they aren’t able to supply those, so I’d have to source them separately. Are they worth the extra money I’d be paying for them and the effort of looking for a supplier who’d deliver them to Kuala Lumpur?

[andra-riffle]

Hi – I realize this thread is very old, but I am interested in what anyone might have to say about the Universal levers. I just got a Voyageur harp with full Universal levers, and have been having trouble with strings buzzing. I am wishing I had ordered it with Loveland levers. Music Makers is being very helpful – no complaints about their service! I am going to take the harp to their shop in person and they are going to try to fix it to my satisfaction, and they said they are willing to build me a new harp with Loveland levers if they can’t fix the problem.

Has anyone had problems with Universal levers?

[patricia-jaeger]

A friend in another country ordered a Voyageur Harp from Musicmakers, with the lowest cost levers. The harp was then built for him by a guitar craftsman, very well, but within the first two months of playing, three levers broke. The company replaced them free, and their service was outstanding. However, please get first class levers, more expensive surely, but more reliable.

[Karen Johns]

The lowest cost levers that Musicmakers has are Jordans, and they do have a tendency to break, being made of plastic. I built my Voyageur without levers and ordered Truitts which I installed at a later date. I’ve had Lovelands before and had the plastic break on them as well. Not sure about Universal levers, but if they are buzzing wouldn’t raising or lowering the guide pin fix that? I’ve heard good things about Camac levers too, but they are too bulky looking for my tastes and I’ve heard they’re very hard to install. You can get Truitts at http://www.dragonwhispers.com

They were fairly easy for me to install, and I’m not an expert by any means. Also got the gold-plated eyelets too- I like the fact that they and the levers won’t tarnish over time. Hope this helps!

Karen

[barbara-brundage]

Aside from other considerations, camacs are not a good option in a situation like this, since you also need the camac bridge pins for their system to work properly.

[andra-riffle]

The Universal levers were not the least expensive option; they are made of metal and cost almost as much as Loveland levers. I ordered them on the recommendation

[Pangur Ban]

Ahh, finally a flood of responses.

[Alyson Webber]

Really old thread, sorry…

Pangur, did you end up getting the Voyager harp? If so, how did you like it and what levers did you go with?

I am also thinking of building a voyager, but am stuck on what kind of levers to go with. I could perhaps ask Music Makers to not drill the bridge pin holes (just mark them??) if I go with Camac levers, but don’t know if it is worth all the extra fuss. Dusty Strings has used Universal levers (correct?) for a long time without anyone complaining too much, so perhaps they are fine for a harp put together by someone who doesn’t know what she is doing. 🙂

Any new insight from the last 4 years is appreciated.

[Biagio]

Dusty Strings does NOT use Universals. They have Lovelands as the standard choice with Camacs optional. Personal opinion: I don’t like Universals at all. Lovelands are fine but are a pain to install, need more frequent regulation than Camacs or Truitts and cost almost as much (if you buy them from Music Makers). Camacs need special tools. So my number one choice is always Truitts for my own harps.

Biagio

[Alyson Webber]

Yes, my mistake about the Dusty levers. I will definitely look into Truitts, since I respect your knowledge of strings, engineering and harp manufacturing.

Thank for the input, Biagio!

[Biagio]

Blush! Thank you Alyson and I hope my comment did not come across as snippy. I think levers, like strings and sound boards are pretty much personal choices. Some people feel strongly about one, others strongly about another.

The reasons I don’t like Universals…they pivot on a compression pin which can get sticky, it is really hard to fit them on the shortest strings, and no way will they fit on the RH side for a double strung. On the other hand, for a fairly light kit they’re OK. Jerry would not sell them if they were not, that’s for sure.

Lovelands, Camacs, Truitts, Broughs, Rees (if they ever decide to sell theirs) – they’re all great!

Biagio

[Pangur Ban]

Very old thread yes, but really useful replies for me. I didn’t get anything in the end due to indecision, but I recently got hold of a copy of Marjorie Kennedy-Fraser’s Songs of the Hebrides and I might well get myself that Voyageur harp kit finally. From the recent discussion here, it seems Truitt levers are what I would want to get. Thank you for reviving this thread Alyson.

[balfour-knight]

Well, I also enjoyed reading this “old” thread! Wow, I am always amazed at what one can find on Harp Column!

Both of my lever harps came with Lovelands, and I have played harps with all different types of levers. I believe that Camacs sound the best, followed by Truitts, but my PERSONAL choice will always be the Lovelands. As a concert performer, I like the short throw and feel of them, since I flip levers constantly and quickly as I play. The long throw of the other types is cumbersome and my fingers get “tangled up” in them with fast changes. Now this is just my personal opinion, as I said. Harpists who only set levers before they begin to play and do not change any while they are playing would not be bothered by any type of lever, as long as they are well-regulated.

Another point is that I regulate the Lovelands myself, once or twice a year on both my lever harps. I find them very easy to work with, and Dusty Strings sells a very nice tool kit that every Dusty owner should have. I like the fact that every thing about the Lovelands can be adjusted, including the friction on the handles–I do not like them tight, just firm.

Since I did not have to install them, I do not know the difficulty of doing that, Biagio, my friend. Thanks for your expertise about all this, because I too completely trust your opinion.

Thanks for reviving this thread–very interesting indeed!

Best regards,
Balfour

[Alyson Webber]

Perhaps I’ll just have to make my way to a harp conference one of these years and try out a bunch of levers. It sounds like the only ones that would require me to make changes in the actual BUILDING of the harp would be Camacs because of the different bridge pins. If I don’t use Camacs, it sounds like I could lever it later…

Anyone out there want to share their experience with harp kits of any make or materials (any cardboard harp owners)?

[Biagio]

OK I’ll share (no surprise). There are only a few kit makers out there and only a few models I would buy:

All of these kits with the exception of the Raphael, are heavier than they might be and that is normal for a kit. All of them might be improved with some different strings and that is also normal. Reasons being that a lighter harp with more “refined” string bands take more tools and skill than the average kit builder probably has; better strings means greater expense.

Music Makers: Voyageur, Gothic, Regency, Smartwood
Of them all the Voyageur is my favorite, with the supplied Performance strings. With a spruce soundboard in place of the high density laminate and gut replacing more of the nylon strings takes it to concert quality IMHO. The same can be said of the Regency which is heavier however. All the models listed are easy to build.

Harps of Lorien: Available finished or as kits – the Raphael 26 is superb and a favorite for both therapy and intimate concert.

Stoney End: While I personally don’t like the construction method these are also easy to build, sound very good and consistently very good quality.

Biagio

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