I am looking at getting a pedal harp for my 13 year old. I am not a harp player. So this research is a little daunting so apologies in advance for the newbie questions. First a little background on us:
1. Three families are going to be joining forces to buy a pedal harp [us (the parents) and 2 sets of grandparents]
2. I do not yet know the exact budget we are working with. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we near a price point where we are suddenly debating the pros and cons of buying new (at the LH 85E or CG level) or buying used.
So here are my questions.
(A) I have heard if you buy a new harp you do not know the sound you are getting because harps have to break in. How long does it take for a harp to find its voice? As a new harpist will that be less enjoyable to play during that break in period? Is it not worth the hassle?
(B) What is the difference between an LH 85E and CG besides seeing that the CG is $2k more and the sound board width is bigger? (Is that the same thing as “extended soundboard” is it something else? Why does that extra soundboard width matter to a harpist?)
(C) Any other considerations we should be thinking about as we get closer to figuring out what we want and can afford?
Thanks.