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Hi, Jennifer: I agree completely with the gold against walnut…my Thormahlen Serenade is walnut with the Lovelands that have the longer gold handles, and it is very nice looking. And a friend is getting an ebony Serenade with Camac levers, and I can’t wait to see some close ups of the silver color against the black!
Andy
I could be wrong, but I believe with the Chicago that the only difference between it and the 85P model that Lyon & Healy has discontinued is the carving of the column itself. The differences all seem to be cosmetic. They already had all of the working action designed and manufactured for several years. I had an 85P for a couple of years and it was a very nice harp. But as Saul pointed out, if you’re planning on playing orchestral repertoire, you’ll need a full-sized harp. I found the 40-string size adequate for many gigging venues, and it was easier to haul around due to the smaller size.
Hope this helps,
Andy
Maria, I recently had that same experience with the Truitts. Very pretty, look great, but because the handles are flat and horizontal, they were hard for me to see and grab when sitting behind the harp. The harp I was considering had Loveland, and I found there was very little damping of the sound. Once I got it home, I did take modeler’s paint and make the red and blue dots on the handles for the C and F strings a little bigger, though.
Hi, Carol: All three of those have great reputations; I have a Thormahlen Serenade myself. But one thing to bear in mind is that with those three makers is that once you’ve decided which you want, you’ll probably have to wait for your harp to be built, as they are smaller operations than Dusty Strings or Lyon & Healy for example, where you have a good chance of finding one in the finish you want already available either directly from them or from a dealer. The good side of this is that
Hi, Janet:
I’ve emailed Camac from their website with questions and was answered back in English, so it’s not a problem. They are extremely nice to work with.
Andy
I think the 85 looks like it’s leaning in for a kiss…see, the McFall looks like she’s already puckered up…
Hi, Sylvia:
I’m the grantwriter for a large homeless shelter that also provides meals, clothing, case management, employment assistance, and primary health and dental care for homeless individuals and families. The harp definitely helps keep me sane, lol!
Andy
Regarding pain and injury, one thing that’s very important to remember is that while it can occur in the lower back, it can also occur to the upper back, neck and shoulders. It’s vitally important that new players let a teacher see them sitting at their harp with the stool or chair they will be practicing on. Sitting too high can lead to hunching over and twisting of the neck, upper back and shoulders. This happened to me many years ago, and I had to go to a chiropracter for months.
I use this harp bench I got from the Harp Connection. I’ve used the drum stools with smaller lever harps, but this has just as much cushion and I like the wider seat. This is the most expensive of a couple of similar models at about $116.
Andy
I agree with those who have suggested starting with a lever harp. You then also have the option of going with something more like a folk harp in sound and appearance, or a harp like the Salvi Ana,
Thanks for the info, Barbara. That had never occured to me, and I have to admit I’m guilty of comb-binding a book. I had mainly been thinking of keeping costs manageable and being able to assemble it myself. Live and learn!
Andy
Barbara; do you know why dealers don’t like comb-binding? I’ve got a couple of books I’ve purchased that are spiral-bound, and the spiral wire always seems to start inching its way up so that I have to
