Levers/Sharoing – Your Opinions?

[Biagio]

There’s been another thread recently that stimulated some thought in my hyper-active midnight brain, so I would be grateful for everybody’s ideas. To whit: the preferred sharping mechanisms aside from pedal or the Douglas single action and why?

I’ll start off and be grateful for wherever this thread leads. So…what do I personally want as a maker and player?

Minimal sound distortion
Ease of installation
Easy to throw
Will not break the bank
Robust
Reliable source

For me, the only design that fully met ALL the above except the last were those by Peter Brough, who has retired’. Darnit!

But best wishes to Peter.

If frequent chromatics, I might go with Caamcs for the smoothest throw probably, especially if the bass strings are metal wound (but expect more expense. -}

OTOH if I play a lots of chromatic music and don’t want a pedal harp, why not buy Arsalaan’s Douglas or (gasp) a cross strung)?

If you don’t want to get locked in with the Camac very specific design (ie specific for each dameter) go with Truitts within reason; if thinnish handles are a problem, well heck coat them with heat shrink tape. But my bia maybe showing here!!

(Side note: I hate metal windings and will use bronze core fibre bed nylon wrap if I can).

If just change the key, once in awhile. well heck, transpose, use a peg key with open tuning or if you insist, a simple reliable lever like Robinsons

If I want to save time and money and do not flip levers much but go a little more robust, Lovelands or better design for installing, Rees.

Choices:

How many levers to I want on my first or later harps? Do I really need a full set right away? Am I wiling to learn how to regulate lefves and install them?

I do realize that the choices are not that simple.

OK them’s me thoughts. What do you guys think?

• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Biagio.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Biagio.

[Veronika]

I really wanted Delacour levers for my FH34, but Dusty would no longer install them. So I went with Camacs and they work fine.

Re the number of levers, I am firmly in the fully levered from the beginning camp. Simply because I would find not having all levers extremely limiting when playing, even as a beginner, plus it’d be a hassle to get them installed afterwards. (The additional cost in time and money would have been far greater than could be offset by delaying part of the overall cost.)

Also, if you get the additional holes drilled and levers added a year or two later, won’t they always behave ever so slightly differently, because they will have been added to a harp that will have been aging for a while? Won’t it affect the harp overall? (I have no idea!)

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Veronika.

[Biagio]

Hi Veronika,

I’ve often wondered what happened with those Delacours – do you (or anyone else) know?

Thank you for replying! In answer to your question at the end…

“Also, if you get the additional holes drilled and levers added a year or two later, won’t they always behave ever so slightly differently, because they will have been added to a harp that will have been aging for a while? Won’t it affect the harp overall? (I have no idea!)”

No, in a nutshell. Over time the neck will flex and strings stretch and the SB belly, which is why have to regulate our levers occasionally. But that is true for all of them. In fact, we only mount levers on a new harp after it has been strung and is holding tune for several weeks. Same goes for adding more later.

Thanks again!

Biagio

[leisesturm]

I used to fix bicycles for a living. I still work on my own bikes. I like mechanical things. I have an intuitive feel for torques and mechanical advantages. With nothing more than that to go on i.e. I have never actually seen a sharping lever up close let alone actually manipulated one … with that said. Loveland levers look impossibly short to me. There doesn’t seem to be enough leverage there to make for a smooth low resistance throw.

Rees and Camac levers look about the same length. Rees levers seem mainly available on their own instruments. Camacs are available more widely. I wasn’t aware Camacs were fussy as to string diameter. Lovelands are that way too I believe. Truitts appear to be in-between Loveland’s and Rees/Camacs in lever length. And, as noted, they look rather thin (and uncomfortable). Wrapping a 24K gold plated sharping lever (24K plated anything) in shrink wrap is surely against some sort of moral injunction. I wouldn’t do it.

Also count me in as for full levers from go. Great thread idea by the way.

[Biagio]

Hi Howard,

Thanks for your insights! A few comments:

Loveland’s most recent levers have a longer throw than earlier ones and accept a fairly wide range of diameters for a given lever cam size. My personal objections to them are 1) they are a real pain to mount: the cam pushes DOWN on the string so they pull UP before fastened to the neck. That makes it more difficult to position accurately (consider that the string pressure may be from 20 to 70 lbs or more) and 2) They tend to grate on metal wound strings.

Most harpers want to color code Cs and Fs in some way. There are ready made colored “sleeves” for Camacs and Lovelands. With Truitts some people just order the heart shaped handle for those, others paint the handle end with enamel or use the heat shrink tape method. That’s my preferred approach. A more elegant way is to glue small red or blue “crystals” on the end. Same with Rees although all the handles are the same shape; or at least were on one of their harps that I owned.

Rees levers may be ordered from Robinson’s Harp Shop (where I buy my strings btw) or from Musicmakers. They are of the “one size fits all” variety which means one should add a stop above the fret for larger string diameters. I’m not to keen on how they do it – the stop is a separate component screwed to the neck. Stops are built into the lever itself for other makes.

[wil-weten]

As to Delacours levers, you may like to know some background as highlighted in the article André Glémin: Le magicien du demi-ton at http://harpomania.free.fr/HARPESMAG8.pdf (in French, but Google Translate may be of help).

And here how these levers came to their end: http://alan-stivell.discuforum.info/t1927-HARPMAG-n-7.htm?start=15 (also in French).

Hier noch was Fotos from the German Harp Forum: https://www.harfenforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=543&start=30

I seem to remember from the German Harp Forum that someone told that Glémin had a conflict with Camac about his levers as they had a lot of technical similarities with the Camac levers, but I haven’t been able to find that information. Anyway, in the article in Harpmania above it was mentioned that both André Glémin and Murielle Schreder, who invented the delacours levers, had both worked at Camac.

[wil-weten]

One kind of levers that have not been mentioned, are the Performance Levers of L&H. Yes, they are said to eat strings, and yes, I can understand why this happens, especially when the levers are mounted a bit shoddy. They work smoothly and quietly, probably because of the teflon coating. And they are rather forgiving when one wants strings with another diameter. But, they are rubbing the strings when operated.
I have the Performance Levers on my L&H Prelude and in almost a whole year I just lost 3 gut strings, all shortly after the purchase of the harp. So, the loss of strings by rubbing is not dramatical. Yet, the Camacs don’t rub the strings at all and there is hardly any difference in sound between strings with or without the levers ‘on’. They are not cheap, though: https://www.harp.com/product/performance-lever/
Camac levers are much cheaper, anyway in Europe. I was shocked to hear the hight prices in the US. Here in Europe, they come at about 15 euro a piece, mouting them on the harp included…

Then there are also the cheap Chinese levers that Salvi now has adapted a bit sells them as ‘plug-and-play’-levers. See the German harp forum at: https://www.harfenforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4566

[Tacye]

Peter Brough’s levers are elegant engineering, aren’t they, I am sorry no-one licensed the design and carried it on. Other high-tech levers that deserve a mention are those by Mark Norris, Telynau Teifi and Frank Sievert.

I also have a lot of time for older and simpler technology – often price is a significant issue for harp buyers and I personally would incline towards a full set of levers or more strings rather than fewer high-tech ones. For instance Pilgrim’s plastic levers do a perfectly good job, especially on lighter tension instruments. I also have a harp with blades and have not felt any need to ‘upgrade’ them. The limiting feature in my musical results is almost invariably my playing rather than the levers.

[Biagio]

I’m with you Tacye – I’d go for simple over complicated (unless they are really shabby like those on Pakistani harps). Yep, Broughs were the best.

I always go with a full set on my own harps. Just the needed (Bs As and Es or Cs Fs and Bs) would be a savings if a beginner is unsure about whether a harp is really for them.

Even Robinsons are OK for me on an inexpensive harp if I just have them as a convenient way to change keys – ie don’t expect to play chromatics. I did put blades on my wire strung but had to get them cast by a jeweler.

Wil, I suspect that Camacs would cost less in the US than the $20 I quoted from MM if ordered directly from the company. MM charges more than I’d pay for Lovelands too ($14) since I buy them directly from Bob Bunker for $6 each (last I checked).

Thank you all for the comments – keep them coming!
Biagio

[wil-weten]

Hi Howard, about levers being suitable for certain diameters of strings. Most kinds of levers, including those modern Camac levers, come with several dimensions. The only really important thing is to know the diameter you need for each string. Some levers have a relatively broad ‘band with’, others a very small ‘band with’. Camac levers a precision levers.

In Europe, Camac levers are sold to small harp manufacturers and harp repairers (and the latter sell them usually including the price of mounting them on one’s harp). I haven’t got a clue how things work in the US, but I guess this may be the same.

[Biagio]

Hi Wil,

Here in the US it is the same. Those who use Camacs know the sizes they need for their models and only order those – in bulk, presumably.

Truitts are also ordered directly from Betty Truitt. She provides the needed tools to first time builders free of charge. She will ask a first timer for details (vibrating lengths, compositions etc) and provide what they need as well as an extensive guide to how she suggests mounting them. Most if not all I know have found faster ways than Betty suggests.

Lovelands Rees and Robinsons are widely available from several places. If you ask for a professional luthier to mount levers on a harp (either from a kit, or changing from on type to another) the cost will depend on how long it takes them. On average that will run around $15 each or perhaps more, assuming they are willing to do the job.

Thormahlen has an excellent discussion on Lovelands, Truitts, and Camacs on their webpage:
http://www.thorharp.com/pages/levers.htm

Howard, I left a message asking whether Dave would mount Camacs if you decide on the Cheyenne kit. I can do Truitts for you or at least get you started (no charge, maybe a Big Mac).

[talfryn]

Hello all,
I started using Mikel levers from Pakistan a few years back, actually they work really well, not like the reputation some others manufacturers from Pakistan have. The ones I used were not expensive but the delivery cost to Europe negates any savings.
I now use Camac they are the Rolls Royce for me, not only do they function correctly, they are really tactile, I often say if you spend 150 hours building an instrument at home you deserve the best levers.
I tried to order some teifi levers some months back but they needed all their stock for their own production, so fitted Camac instead.
As for the Delacour levers, I came across the following website where there are composite versions of Delacour levers, they also seem to be a reasonable cost, at least here in France. I haven’t tried them or even seen them. I am considering ordering some on an upcoming project.

http://www.sakemcompositelevers.com/

If anyone has used them it would be good to have some feedback.
Talfryn

[Biagio]

Wow, those look very nice. I have no objection to these composites over metal; mounting appears similar to Camacs but without the hassle of double drilling mounting holes and different sized bridge pins.

Weight should not be a problem with sound distortion if they are placed accurately.

I’d guess they would be cost competitive also in the US if one bought a full set (26-36). If I ever build another harp (doubtful but who knows?) I would definitely take a closer look.

In fact, between this discussion and that about Howard’s harp I’ve been bitten by the harp building bug. Do they make a patch for that? Anyhow I sent Sakem the string specs and asked about installation details and approximate shipping cost to the US.

Woo hoo here we (maybe) go again.

Biagio

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Biagio.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Biagio.

[Veronika]

Biagio, many thanks for the clear explanations about adding levers later.

I have no information about the Delacour levers, I’m afraid. I just saw them on an FH36 and liked the look of them.

[Charles]

Why the gasp about cross strung harps LOL!
Triple strung is also an option for chromatic freedom.
All kidding aside I’m in favor of the most simple designed lever too.
I used the Music Makers Universal levers on a couple of harps I made. It’s a one size fits all strings easy install. My only negative about the lever was the length of the handles. I felt the could have been longer.

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