Manly Harps

[m-l-mcneel]

Mimi,

The harp at the bottom left of Howard Bryan’s website is mine.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Yes, that is interesting, and makes sense of the design. The overall harmony must come from the single creator of it. And it is a tour-de-force.

As for Salzedos, for the record, Lucile Lawrence never approved of any alteration of the design of the Salzedo model, design maven that she was, and I have to say that as interesting as the variations may be, they don’t make the statement the original does and was designed to do. What would be nice is to have them made in the original specifications, with an extra-wide sounding board and wide-spaced strings.

[unknown-user]

M.L.,
if you don’t mind disclosing, how much did you pay for the harp itself and how much extra for the decoration? Is the price for the harp comparable to that of a normal Camac Clio? Does it mean the parts are originally Camac?

I’m feeling really envious…wishing you much joy in your beauty…I know what flowers I would have if I have the dough to do it!

Mimi 2

[Charles]

Saul,

I agree the design of the Salzedo should not have been messed with.

[m-l-mcneel]

My Clio is seven years old, so the prices have changed since then.

[unknown-user]

Mimi, I’ve changed my nick so you can stay the real Mimi! I’m Pippin now!

I’m hoping to buy a second-hand Camac Athena one day. I’m not sure I can afford to pay the price of a new Athena plus whatever price is needed for a customized soundboard. But it’s nice to dream…

If I had the money, I’ll have traditional Asian floral motifs trailing up the sides of the soundboard in gold in imitation of the usual vines, only when you look close, you’ll realize those are not Western roses etc! I thought it would be interesting to have a Western harp that has a little of the player (I’m Asian.) I’m not sure I want to be a soundboard ornament myself like on the black and gold harp shown on the Howard Bryan website, pretty though it is…it feels a little weird thinking of human Asians being decorations for someone’s harp (sweats)….it would be like having Victorian ladies on a Japanese koto…

I’m an aficionado of traditional Asian craft items(acquired as gifts, abroad as souvenirs etc.) though I don’t have much of a collection due to my poverty but I’m always looking at books, antique websites and salivating so I have plenty of neat ideas etc.

But if I get a Clio, I suppose I might have a little room in the budget for customization. I am little (Pippin-sized) so it might be more comfortable for me to play and move. While I’m not gonna be a concert soloist either at my age, part of me would like 47 strings so that I can play anything that comes along…

As you know the Athena comes with standard spruce soundboards unlike their top of the range Atlantide (which have specially planed soundboards made of top quality spruce) so it may be nice to pay a little bit more for a specially planed one to improve the sound but the $$…I see their special wood harp is based on a Camac Atlantide prestige….I like natural finishes/blond harps best because it’s the closest I can get to gold and I like seeing the natural grain…

What a blessing it must have been to receive your special harp as a very adult person! You must have been very thrilled! Do upload some photos so that we can see the crown and the rest of the harp! I wish you a long life and a happy journey with your baby…

I know that when I get my harp I would hope that we can be partners for life….it’s like selecting a spouse lol…

[unknown-user]

Hi Pippin,

Love your choice of pseudonym. I almost chose Peregrine Took at my pseudo nym so just laughed when I saw yours!

Sent you a photo of my lever harp, let me know it went through. Its a Webby from NZ and might be right for you in the interim (size, design and the dollar rate is better for us with the NZ) tell me what you think.

Yes, the Asian motiff harp..there is a

[unknown-user]

Hi, well I hope this will be my permanent nick coz name changes are making me dizzy. I think of myself as a sort of backup character/hobbit lol

I received your email but my email is not listed on my profile so I’m puzzled how you did it. I deliberately left it off to prevent spammers etc. How much was the harp in NZ dollars?

Re: retro orientalism…well harps are Western instruments and it’s not strange to hark back to classical Greece, lyres etc But I don’t come here to debate Edward Said or gender theory(attributing masculinity and femininity to inanimate objects,

[unknown-user]

Hi Pippin,

The harp is about $6,500 NZ – which I have no idea what it is in your money. The freight was a packet less too, and there was less duties etc. as we have trade links with NZ.

I call my harp Oscar, he is a red head and it boyish I think! It’s been the most reliable instrument I have ever owned, and I’m sure will last me out my lifetime!

Sorry to hear you tried to block your email……I have my mysterious ways!

[unknown-user]

No mystery, it just wasn’t blocked….must have been a computer problem…

[unknown-user]

Ro, it’s about the same price as a Cygnet which has 2 more strings *big sigh* And I’m in love with thorharps and love is irrational….BTW Aoyama pedals are really cheap(for pedals that is) in my country, we have an agent here…cheaper than Camacs! I can’t think of a cheaper brand for pedals…Their 47 string Aoyama Orpheus is quite reasonably priced. The Athena costs quite a bit more…

Thanks for the info anyway.

Ok, got to get back to work.

[unknown-user]

The Thor harps certaninly are striking. I have not heard any myself, but so many people speak so well of them, I think they must be wonderful! They have a strength and a medieval quality that makes them very attractive and versatile. And yes, the american dollar is somewhat weak at the moment so it makes harps more affordable for us at the moment.

It’s interesting about Aoyama being well priced in your part of the world, they should be very reasonable here too due to the yen being weak, but they are still quite expensive for us. You know, they may be a good one for you as they are small to sit at. I had an Aoyama Vega (46 string semi grand) and it was very well priced and was a terrific gigging harp. And very reliable. They seemed to work well in our climate. If you have an agent there that is terrific. They also have a 40

[unknown-user]

Playing hooky from work….
The Aoyama agent told me prices have fallen a lot recently due to weak yen. She plays a custom Musa herself. Japan is near=cheap shipping and easy to pop over. They have a showroom in Tokyo and the factory is in Nagoya if I remember right. I have no idea what they sound like but I think the bulgy column design of the Athena is prettier than the Orpheus which is the equivalent model.

The Aoyama model with the curly gold vine is called the Apollon.It’s their top-range model and quite striking I agree.Here it costs around US$41,600(old price).

http://www.aoyama-harp.co.jp/lineup/pedal1.html

Sharon says there’s a cherry swan owner where I am. Will pay her a visit one day when I’m rich. I dream of being a second cherry swan owner…Their latest inlay the blue heron is sooo pretty. I own quite a lot of paua shell jewellery from a trip to NZ and I have a weakness for abalone inlay. Arghhh must get off my behind and work…

[unknown-user]

Translation of the hype on the Japanese site for the Apollon(their most expensive model), just for my own amusement:
“Not based on existing models/production, it is a gem worthy of pride in the world grounded in unique invention and plan.

The experience and the essence of accumulated skills of our company’s tradition of instrument making which crosses over to the 21st century shines here.
Instrument body: handmade wide and deep body
Soundboard: using compound spruce according to the register
Carving:

[unknown-user]

One last comment, I like the Scolpita actually, it’s very organic looking, like a living thing that would come to life and strangle you. Quite suitable for a on and off Neo-pagan like myself! I prefer it to some of the original sculpture models I have seen. If only I’m not so poor!

I don’t really like harps that look like architectural columns myself, too “manly” for me!

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