Meghan harp reputation?

[william-weber]

A Meghan with all “hard nylon” strings won’t live up to its potential, modest as that already is. There’s so much you need to do with a Mid-East or EMS to turn it into a musical instrument, they are really meant for people who would have kit-built their harp but had not the work space.

My Caitlin introduced me to X-strungs, and Mid-East replaced it when the soundboard cracked. The replacement needed restringing right out of the box, and a properly scaled set of strings from Markwood added 25% to the total cost of the harp. How many musicians would feel at ease with a soundboard slowly failing and occasionally needing to be brushed with wood glue?

The EMSs are sturdy and robustly constructed, but at the cost of volume of sound. After restringing my Hailey to raise the tension 12% I finally get acceptable sound out of it.

But if the harp is what you want to study, you’ll tire of all that fiddling. Play a real harp, like those recommended here, and there won’t be that change of mind about it mentioned in message 10.

[c-k]

I bought a small Mid East harp about 15 years ago, mail order. I think I paid about $250 for it. The thing is a dog, unplayable, and the levers are useless. The only redeeming value is that is is quite pretty with the dark wood and carving on the side of the sound box. For this reason I still keep it in my teaching studio– as a decoration.

Carol

[Zen Sojourner]

In point of fact I HAVE played a MidEast harp-shaped object.

[william-weber]

Remember, Zen, that all the major makers of lever harps have a model that bottoms at Tenor C. It’s not uncommon to self teach harp and invest cautiously in an instrument to play around on, just in case.

[Zen Sojourner]

Check my posting history.

[Jerusha Amado]

Zen,

I believe that Shelby ended up with a Dusty Strings Ravenna.

[Zen Sojourner]

I’m glad she got something she liked.

[shelby-m]

Yep, I got a Dusty Strings Ravenna 34.

[Author]

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