Repairs and modifications to 33 string Denmar Killarney harp- soft wood!

[HBrock25]

Hi folks- new to the forums and requesting knowledgeable help/opinions on a project. I recently acquired a ‘project’ 33-string Denmar Killarney floor harp. About 8-10 years old; made in Australia of fairly soft Australian Red Cedar. Has been strung only with original strings as supplied by maker, kept in relative tune but not used much.

The harp needs rework as follows: many if not most of the 1/8″ brass bridge pins in the upper octaves have become bent/skewed from string forces, and even a few in the lower octaves where he used 3/32 pins. I believe the pins were not of sufficient length and, ‘cantilevered’ outboard of adequate support, bent and deflected

Additionally these ‘stretched’ or deformed their holes in this soft wood (online research shows it to be about as soft as mahogany, and nowhere near as hard as cherry, walnut, or maple, etc. ) Many holes are no longer true, centered or of parallel dimension as they go back, and present an oval cross section. You can wiggle the pins like loose teeth.

[Tacye]

If you are putting in larger bridge pins do you really need to plug the holes before redrilling them?

[Gillian Bradford]

Sadly, this makers harps are known for their poor base. They are lovely in the upper registers but terrible in the lower strings. I have played one that was brand new and was astounded at how spongey the strings felt in the base and how poor the output was.

[Author]

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