Levers Eating My Troubadour VI Strings!

[Rachel Redman]

I have a L&H Troub VI, with the performance levers. Some of the said levers are shredding my strings when they raised. For example, my fifth octave F string (a wire string), has worn down to the core from repeated lever movement, although it hasn’t popped quite yet.

Is this typical for newer Troub levers? Do I need to have them inspected? My strings themselves are newer, as I have changed them out when needed, and my harp isn’t old at all, maybe three years at the most. I play the harp a good deal, and really enjoy my Troub, but the lever issue is slightly annoying. Any suggestions?

[Olivia G.]

[Sarah Mullen]

How fast are the levers eating through your strings?

[Rachel Redman]

I think faster than the normal wear and tear that comes with playing levers. Some of the levers that are not used quite as frequently sound like the actual string is being pinched more than normal when I raise a lever, sort of like a slicing sound. But that’s not the case with every lever.

[barbara-brundage]

Rachel, do you have a teacher who can look at the harp for you, or are you in an area where there’s anyone who regulates lever harps who can look it over?

Yes, the performance levers are string eaters but there’s often something that can be done to mitigate it a bit.

[Rachel Redman]

Barbara – I am just a hop and a skip from the Atlanta Harp Center and someone’s coming to regulate harps this week, I think. I could have him take a look at it.

In your own opinion, what are the best levers for a harp to have? Is is worthwhile to have a harp’s levers changed, or is it really not that big of a deal, in the long run, to keep the performance levers?

[barbara-brundage]

I would keep what you have, but have someone take a look to see if anything can be done. The performance levers aren’t bad levers, but they’re often badly installed. It could also be partly something simple like the way the string is wound around the pin, etc. Regulating a lever harp isn’t a huge expense.

[Rachel Redman]

Thanks for the advice! I will look into getting it regulated.

[Donna O]

Rachel,
I have a 2 yr old Prelude with the same levers.

[Rachel Redman]

Thanks for the advice, Donna! I think I will be taking it in soon to get it regulated.

On another note (no pun intended), how do you like your Prelude?

[Donna O]

Rachel.
I love my Prelude.

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