L&H prelude or Salvi Ana deluxe

[wil-weten]

Hi Gregg, I had a look too and I saw that the Salvi Ana’s 40 strung with lever gut, were also strung with lever wire (as I expected).

I also saw to my surprise, that the Salvi Ana’s 40 strung with pedal gut, were also strung with pedal wire. I didn’t expect that, as my old Salvi Heather, which was originally strung with pedal gut, did have lever wire strings, which was quite to be expected, as a short length of string in combination of very thick and heavy tension tends to give a rather dull sound.

My old predecessor of the Camac Mademoiselle, which came originally strung with pedal gut, had lever wire. Also the Camac Korrigans, which are also strung with pedal gut, have lever wire.

[Gregg Bailey]

Wow, that’s very interesting, Wil! Thanks for supplying all that info!

[wil-weten]

Yes, Greg, I did mean to say above that the lowest 2 wire strings, so the A and the B on my Prelude 40 don’t have levers. Also, the 2 highest nylon strings don’t have levers.
I never missed those levers and I’m very happy that they function smoothly and almost silently.

[balfour-knight]

Good to see all your posts, my friends! On a lever harp, I would need to have either all lever harp strings, or all pedal harp strings. In addition, I would require levers on all the strings. My Dusty FH36S meets these requirements beautifully, with all lever harp strings and complete Camac levers. Camac levers would avoid the problems you would have with other types of levers buzzing when used for very low strings. There is plenty of string clearance in these ingenius levers.

Harp Hugs,
Balfour

[wil-weten]

Hi Balfour, the Dusty FH36S has 36 strings with the C 2 octaves below middle C being the lowest. And I completely understand you want all strings levered, as so would I!

But, the Prelude has 40 strings with two strings below the lowest C of your Dusty and 2 strings above the highest of your Dusty. And these 4 strings that are not on your Dusty don’t have levers.

Am I right that you seldom or never miss the 4 strings that a 40 string harp has and your Dusty doesn’t?

[balfour-knight]

Hello, Wil,

Glad to see all your posts! That is a worthwhile question, ha, ha! Since I own the most beautiful 47-string concert grand pedal harp, I play that harp when I want or need the full range of the harp. Yes, I always miss those extra 11 notes when I play my Cherie 36-string lever harp, but I adapt quickly, “pull in,” and realize the 11 strings just are not available. With any size harp, you just play the strings that are there. Oh well, I guess I just cannot have a 47-string lever harp!

My best wishes to you and everyone here,
Balfour

[Lisa Blythe]

Just an update my fellow harpers,
I bought the Salvi Ana Deluxe. It arrived yesterday and is beautiful. The sound is gorgeous and not at all plinky in the upper registers. I do have it strung in pedal gut, but I know that it also comes in lever gut, so best to check prior to buying. I love the gold levers. They look a little different to the Lyon and Healy levers, but as I am no expert I cannot explain how. Yes there is a very small sound with the levers, but I don’t think it will be loud enough for anyone watching me play to hear. I am extremely happy with my purchase which was quite terrifying in that I bought it sight unseen in Australia and the only video recordings I could find were on websites selling the lever gut strung models. The sound is rich and full. I have not heard a prelude in person, but have been playing the L&H Troubador which is fabulous. So in comparison the sound is equally pleasing. I am delighted with it. The colour is natural and similar to the troubadour. I am just saying that because in pictures it looks white washed but it is not. Next challenge is to find a stool that matches which in Australia is difficult. Many thanks to the lovely people who answered my previous posts. Best wishes
Lisa 🙂

[balfour-knight]

Congratulations, Lisa! It is so exciting that you purchased such a wonderful harp that pleases you so much. The natural finish is my favorite, and maybe it won’t be too hard to find a Salvi matching bench or stool. I wish you many happy hours playing and practicing on Ana.

Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)

[Gregg Bailey]

Hi, Lisa,

Thank you so much for posting the update! I’m so glad you mentioned that the Salvi natural finish looks better with more color than on the website. I never liked that “white-washed” look in that photo, either! I’m so jealous of your pretty gold levers! As I previously mentioned, I got a Prelude earlier this year, and I just don’t understand why L&H continues to put gunmetal gray levers on an otherwise pretty harp!

[wil-weten]

Hi Lisa, congratulations with your beautiful Salvi Anna Deluxe. I wish you many happy years of playing this wonderful harp.

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