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What are your opinions on this harp? (Avalon 36)
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Home › Forums › Harps and Accessories › What are your opinions on this harp? (Avalon 36)

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • July 31, 2012 at 4:38 pm #69448
    bella-bella
    Participant

    Hello!

    I’m going to go looking for my first harp soon. A harpist will be coming with me to help me decide. We are going to a harp shop that also sells second hand.

    This has caught my eye:

    http://shop.morleyharps.co.uk/acatalog/M623808.html

    What do you think? I think it’s a good price for a beginner and it’s gut strung. However, the string tension is ‘light’ and I heard this affects the sound quality?

    But then wouldn’t the sound quality be good because it’s gut?

    There is also the Revelon, which I’ve heard heard good things about. However, it’s nylon.

    I don’t want to spend much on my first harp because I don’t yet have a full time job. I plan to save up for when I’m more experienced, then decide whether I will move to a pedal or get a better lever harp.

    July 31, 2012 at 5:53 pm #69449
    sherry-lenox
    Participant

    Why do you have a problem with nylon strings?

    July 31, 2012 at 6:10 pm #69450
    tony-morosco
    Participant

    Sound quality is mostly subjective, not an objective truth.

    Gut isn’t objectively a better sound than nylon, and concert tension doesn’t objectively produce a better tone than folk tension.

    Some people simply like the sound of one over another. Some music generally sounds better when played on the one or the other.

    Also far more than the strings go into producing the tone of the instrument. The construction methods, the woods used, the way the soundboard is shaped… there is no one element that can be pointed at on a harp to say “this harp uses X and that harp doesn’t, therefore this harp will sound better”.

    You need to go listen to the sound of the actual harp itself and decide if you, personally, like the sound of the harp when playing the kind of music you want to play on it.

    That is the only determination.

    July 31, 2012 at 6:13 pm #69451
    bella-bella
    Participant

    I was told by a couple of people that they don’t sound as nice as gut strings, but I’ll try out the nylon ones.

    July 31, 2012 at 6:15 pm #69452
    bella-bella
    Participant

    Thank you for your reply!

    I’ll try out all of the ones available then. I really can’t wait. I want a harp NOW!! lol.

    July 31, 2012 at 9:00 pm #69453
    deb-l
    Participant

    have fun exploring all your options before committing to buying a harp.

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