Style 100 column protection

[Elizabeth Huston]

I just bought a L&H 100. Before it even came I was concerned about protecting the column from wear and tear loading it into my car (I have a station wagon and load flat). I do have a 3 piece cover, but with the spikeyness of the column I felt like it would be easier to damage. I had my first gig with this harp last saturday and I loaded it with extra pillows for padding, but it still came out with a teeny-tiny ding on one of the spikes. It it almost impossible to notice now, but I know after loading it 50 times it will be a big dent. Does anyone have any advice for padding 100s so this doesn’t happen? Almost every 100 I’ve seen has a messed up spike from loading.

[jimmy-h]

I have a 2000 on order (same column) and now I’m gonna worry over the same thing.

I wonder if you can make a cover for the crown that will protect it inside the cover. Maybe a football helmet for our harps needs to be developed, haha.

[brian-noel]

I would go to the craft/fabric store and get some foam padding, and either Velcro or sew it in to the top of the column cover for some extra padding. Then when you load in to the back of your car, load it on to thick foam (3″ or more) glued on to plywood with wheels, which will roll as you push the harp to load in. That’s how I do it, and have never gotten my 23’s gold column dinged up.

[kreig-kitts]

Since a lot of soft foam will flatten out, especially with the pointed edges concentrating the column’s weight on a smaller area, I wonder if something like a gel pad, like a computer wrist pad, would work as extra protection for the crown. The pointed edge will sink in, but the pad will keep to the carving’s shape more and hold it up evenly, and protect better against shock and the pressure from gravity. Maybe you could make a sleeve of a soft fabric of even a sock of appropriate material, sew it shut along the pad’s edges so it doesn’t move, then tie the sleeve around with the pad on the bottom side of the crown, underneath your transport cover.

[Tacye]

I would want a thick pad not at the very top of the harp, but a few inches down so that the points aren’t taking the harp’s weight, even through padding.

[Li Shan Tan]

I recently flew to the harp showroom in London and saw that their Style 100 had quite a big dent right at the front! Perhaps you would have to sew in extra padding for the column guard? And also throw in as many pillows in your car as possible!

[eliza-morrison]

Lots of good suggestions here! I think the 100 column is just gorgeous. They are beautiful harps! Congratulations on your new harp—enjoy!!!

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