purchase Camac Lever

[barbara-dixon]

Does anyone know where I can purchase just one Camac lever? I have a broken one and my harp maker is not in business anymore. Musicmakers doesn’t sell them, and I can’t seem to find anyone who does. thanks.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by barbara-dixon.

[wil-weten]

I would contact the addresses mentioned at: https://www.camac-harps.com/en/general-distribution/#usa

[talfryn]

Hello Barbara
For making harps I purchase my levers directly from Camac. For sharping levers you will find their contact info on the following link.

http://www.harp-levers.com/

I am in France so it’s easy to phone them and discuss but you can send them an email as they are an international organisation..

[andy-b]

Where are you located? If you’re in the USA, you could try calling one of the harpmakers who does use Camac levers and see if they’d sell you one. I don’t know if they would, but it doesn’t hurt to ask! Thormahlen, Triplett, and Dusty Strings all use Camac levers.

[Anonymous]

Hi Barbara-dixon,

I actually purchased my concert melusine lever harp through Virginia Harp Center in New Jersey, if you are in the area. They ordered it for me from Camac. It took about a month.

All the best,
Elizabeth

[barbara-dixon]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will certainly try them. Since I live in Canada, I will try the closest ones first. I had already emailed Dusty Strings who are relatively close by, but they have not responded, hence my post. When I ‘Googled’ Camac levers, I didn’t get any good links except Camac themselves, so thank you all for your alternate suggestions. I will let you know where I finally get one!

[savingart]

Hi! I’m from Canada and I have the same question 🙂 were you ever able to find a place to sell you Camac levers here in Canada?

Thanks!

[Biagio]

First question would be: what part of the lever is broken? If just the cam, try Kolacny Music.

I noticed that Musicmakers has started to use Camac levers. They are usually pretty helpful, although they may not wish to sell just one lever. If they did, you will also have to purchase the appropriate tools.

I’m aware that many excellent players these days prefer Camacs but if you intend to maintain your harp yourself either buy a maintenance kit for Camacs (Thormahlen Harps sells one such) or choose a lever type that is easier to adjust without special, hard to find tools.

Going off topic: if one is looking to begin the harp I think there are a few questions one should ask before trying to decide on what to get:

-Will they learn from a teacher or on their own?
-How much are they willing to spend?
-Have they researched the options and cost of components (strings, levers etc.)?
-Do they understand what goes into making a good harp?

If the answer to any of these questions is “No” they have some research and thinking to do before plunking down a couple of thousand dollars.

Biagio

[Jap]

I have the old Peter Kempster of Australia. I need to change the 40 over levers.
Do you think I could use Camac Lever or other brands?

[Biagio]

Jap, I don’t see why not, there is certainly enough wood.

I would first ask whether you intend to do the work yourself? If you do, read Rick Kemper’s remarks on levers under “building the lever harp” on his website http://www.sligoharps.com/

You will note that Camacs require special tools and techniques to mount them as compared to Lovelands and Truitts. Rick does not discuss Rees but those are mounted in the same way as Truitts.

Camacs have become quite popular, but I question whether the effort is justified for someone who will do the installation themselves. I do not hear any less distortion compared with Truitts, nor much less compared to Lovelands, if those are installed correctly.

[balfour-knight]

Hello Jap and Biagio,

Just my “two cents” here, ha, ha! I favor the Camac levers, as you know. The beauty of them, other than they sound great, is that they do not rub the strings as they smoothly engage. They are engineered to press the string directly against the little posts or stops, in a manner not unlike how the forks do on a pedal harp. The first time I saw Camac levers, I could not believe the ingenuity in their design. They are all-metal, which gives a very pure tone when engaged. The only tool required to install them to the neck of the harp is a Torx screwdriver, mine is a 267/T8 x 40, available at Dusty Strings and other harp tool suppliers. Read what harp makers think of them on many websites.

I hope this helps.

Best to all of you,
Balfour

[Biagio]

Balfour my friend, I won’t debate the merits of different levers as IMO all those currently on the market have both pros and cons and I do know that you and many others really like Camacs when playing. I’d just point out that installing them yourself is more exacting than for instance Truitts or Rees. For instance, the bridge pin holes require two sizes of metric bits.

If Jap or another has never installed levers of any sort though I would urge him to have it done by a professional harp maker. I mean, if I’m going to invest around $1,000 to fully lever a 40 string harp I would be happy to pay a professional a bit more to be sure the job is done correctly.

Truitts and Rees are undoubtedly the easiest to install but to be honest I made a few boo-boos the first time and that was a real pain to fix LOL

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