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Strings on L&H Ogden

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Home Forums Forum Archives Amateur Harpists Strings on L&H Ogden

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #159381
    unknown-user
    Participant

    Do the strings on the Ogden ever get easier to pull? I played my teacher’s concert harp and the difference was astounding, so fluid and easy to play. My harp was new last May.

    #159382
    andy-b
    Participant

    I don’t think tension is something that will change on a harp, unless something drastically bad is happening to the instrument. The Ogden I had was also very tight, but I think it’s just the design of that model. I’ve wondered if that’s why I’ve heard of several Ogdens being bad about breaking strings.

    If you’re not playing with others, you could always tune the strings down a step or two and see if that makes it easier to play. I’m not sure how much lower you’d have to go before seeing a difference.

    #159383

    I think that is the difference between new and old strings. The tension is the same on an Ogden as on a pedal harp. I highly doubt Ogdens do anything by themselves to break strings. Maybe the harp elves do it at night.

    #159384
    dawn-penland
    Participant

    I play on my friend’s Ogden when we play duets together.

    #159385
    unknown-user
    Participant

    Dawn, what a beautiful person you are. I like your way of thinking about the problem. You’re right. I constantly compare it with the sounds in my head of a pedal harp, and it doesn’t have those sounds.

    #159386
    galen-reed
    Participant

    I like my Ogden a lot, but have had

    #159387
    harp guy
    Participant

    This is also a problem with my LH Prelude 38. Even though it has “Concert” tension, it is considerably tighter than any pedal harp I’ve ever played. In comparison, pedal harps feel like “folk/lever/light” tension, and folk strung instruments feel like spaghetti.

    So even though my Prelude has extremely high tension (and for some reason it only breaks strings at the soundboard, and never at the levers), I love the tone. Even for a Prelude it has an extraordinary sound. It has all of the volume and tone of many of the 40-44 string pedal harps out there. So maybe the string tension being so tight has something to do with it. Maybe, maybe not. I just know that when I bought it at Vanderbilt Music, the shop owner was somewhat reluctant to sell it because she liked it so much (and it was so different than the other Prelude 38 models she had played). I know I personally will never part with it!!!

    #159388
    HBrock25
    Keymaster

    My wife’s Ogden is a lovely instrument . She just had to have it, but plays it very little. She prefers the greater volume of some of her bigger harps (she’s spoiled).

    I am the one that has to keep replacing the gut strings cause they break all on their own just sitting there. Perhaps playing it more would keep the strings oiled and more supple. I was considering changing over to all nylon, but was wondering

    #159389
    dawn-penland
    Participant

    Galen, I asked my friend if her Ogden gets broken strings often and she said, not anymore.

    #159390
    harp guy
    Participant

    “Weather changes affect my harp.”

    Ditto! Every time a storm is about to get here, or the atmosphere changes suddenly, I hear a loud PING! And when the storm leaves, I almost always here another string go PING.

    Where can I buy that abrasive cord at? I’d like to give that a try so I can see if it will help any. (I’m in the U.S.).

    #159391
    Donna O
    Participant

    harpguy,
    This is the link for where I purchased the cord.

    #159392
    dawn-penland
    Participant

    http://www.kolacnymusic.com/

    I called Kolacny’s and ordered the abrasive cord.

    #159393
    harp guy
    Participant

    Thanks!

    #159394
    galen-reed
    Participant

    Thanks!

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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