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Hi, Faye!
I have nylon strings and wound metal bass strings. Once the metal strings tarnish, I don’t think there’s a way to get them shiny again that doesn’t do damage (maybe someone else can correct me if I’m wrong). I think the easiest way to take care of discolored strings is prevention–wiping them down with a clean cloth (I’ve used ones designed for wiping metal guitar strings) after playing can help prolong the shiny surface. My strings are due for a change soon, and I’m sticking with nylon. I like how they sound, but to be fair I’ve never played anything *but* nylon…
About the pins slipping, it should be an easy fix. Loosen the peg a few turns. Then, while bringing the string back to pitch, push the peg into the neck.
I hope that’s helpful! Maybe someone else can weigh in on their string preferences with the Delight.In case anyone was wondering, Dave Woodworth sent out a newsletter yesterday, and the Starlight harp is going into production.
They also have an amazing new wood-look finish they can do on any harp. (Part of me wishes that was an option a few years ago!) 🙂
Here is the Starlight website:
http://www.starlightharps.comI’ve played a Mark Norris harp! It is quite old, but I really like it. A great size, nice rounded back, easy reach for all strings, good sound. I’m looking forward to trying some newer ones at the harp festival in a few weeks! (SO EXCITED FOR EDINBURGH!)
Don’t worry about having complex arrangements, people will be captivated by your playing no matter what you play. As I said before, I’ve never busked, but I have played publicly and people are always just gushing their praise (even when I know I made mistakes, or dropped out the left hand for a little bit, or played the “easy version” of a tune because I couldn’t work up the hard version in time). Harp is magical, and people will respond to that even if you’re just plucking out nursery tunes. 😉
I say give it a try! I bet people will love it, since the harp is pretty much a magical instrument. I’m sorry I don’t have any actual advice or personal experience with busking, but I hope to try it someday.
Congrats on getting a new harp! I like Stoney End, and think you will be happy with one. 🙂
If I were choosing for myself, I would go with the G-G. Unless you plan on playing a majority of your tunes in F, Bb, or D minor and would really want the low F, that is. I think most folk tunes will easily fit in the 4 octaves either way (F-F or G-G) but if you don’t really need that low F, the Gs will serve you better for most celtic music.We are in the same boat, Rachael! I love my Heartland harp, but it is too tall for me on a normal height chair. Good idea, Barbara–I will definitely be looking into that option!
I live in east Scotland right now, and I’m LOVING the wind and rain (and relative warmth) here, compared to what my home in Iowa is getting right now… Below zero with dangerously cold windchills. Yuck!
Glad I could help some. 🙂 There are some other threads in the forum about the carbon fiber harps that may be helpful, if you haven’t already seen them.
In regards to the soundboard: Luckily, the Legend is their model with a straight soundboard, so the curve wouldn’t be an issue! 🙂 I do find that my Delight is just a couple inches too big for me to be comfortable in some chairs, but I find ways to compensate for it.
I have had a Heartland Delight for 2 years now, and I really love it. It is exactly what I need in a full-size celtic harp.
Pros: light weight, durable (I do a lot of outdoor playing so I need it to be impervious to weather), holds tune very well, sweet tone overall, clear bass, elegant black look, Truitt levers are great (easy to see, smooth action, no strain on strings)
Cons: sometimes you do have to stabilize it with your knees because of the light weight, slightly different tone than a wooden harp
(Those are not really cons to me, but are things that some people do consider to be negative)The tuning pins are through pins, so they are held in place by friction. I personally like them better than threaded pins. I feel like they are easier to fine-tune with than threaded, but that may be my imagination.
I have nylon strings, and am satisfied with them. I’ve never tried fluorocarbon though, so I have no comparison.
OK, I just now realized you probably want someone who actually has the *Legend* model, and not just a carbon fiber harp. Sorry if this isn’t helpful to you.
If you have any chance to play one for yourself, that would obviously help you choose. Something that Dave Woodworth has done in the past (at least once, with me) is to connect potential buyers with previous customers who live nearish to each other. He emailed me once, saying there was someone a few hours from me who wanted to try out a Delight before deciding to buy, and asked if he could give her my email. I said yes, and a few weeks later she brought her harp to my house and we both spent time playing both harps to compare. She played an FH36 in walnut, which she loved, but I think she decided to buy a carbon fiber because of the clarity in the bass (we both thought the mid-range and treble were very similar between the two harps), and the portability. Maybe he can facilitate something like that for you if there are any carbon fiber owners in your area.
Here is the address to the Affairs of the Harp page.
http://www.affairsoftheharp.com
It looks like Geraldine is the contact person for buying or renting harps.
