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From what I understand, Chris had some problems with the parts last year. He also tweaked the design to prevent the neck from warping. You can see the new design here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2914159105530&set=a.1918334890547.103744.1607251544&type=1
To quote him: “We’re running them through the shop as fast as we can to catch up on the backlog, and they’re going together great.”
When I contacted him in January this year to order my Sweetharp, I was informed the current wait time for the Sweetharps is around 3 months. So that means his production should run smoothly from here on out. You might want to contact him to get an update on your order. Seeing the other person ordered theirs one month before you did, yours might not be that far down the line.
Thank you for sharing that. His words alone almost moved me to tears. I especially like these two quotes:
“Someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.”
“Being a musician isn’t about dispensing a product.”
I don’t want to hijack the thread, but after reading that, I want to say I’m glad he put things in such a perspective. I often think music could be quite obscure to explain to others, despite they themselves might already enjoy listening to music. Since I was little, I’ve always had some trouble convincing my parents and grandparents that I want to grow up and do art and music for a living. Ironically my parents were the ones who initiated my piano studies, yet they don’t see playing music as much more than “shaping one’s personality”. On the other hand, people are always so glad to have me play background music during family/friend gatherings.
I find music to be a very direct mood changer/enhancer. It really is something that helps one look inward on themselves and “make internal things fit together”, as the author put it. As a musician, it always brightens my day when someone tells me they enjoy listening to my playing. It’s almost like making the world a better place one note at a time.
Could you please post the link to that Youtube video? I’ve been searching for videos and music clips of Klangschiff harps forever to no avail (besides the three sample tracks on the official website).
I don’t have first-hand information on the Klangschiff harps, but I’ll share what little information I have. Most of the following information are in German. I could barely read them through Google translations. If you know German or someone who does, it might be your best bet to directly contact the people below for their opinions.
There’s an old webpage regarding an interview with the harp maker Lutz Bönisch. The page seems to be down at the moment though…
http://www.peloponnissos.net/d/Lakonia/Mavrovouni/Klangschiff/index.htm
The story teller Brigitta Wortmann plays an Athanasos harp by Klangschiff.
http://www.die-maerchentruhe.de/
On the German harp forum (http://www.harfenforum.de) Alithe posted about testing several Klangschiff harps. She now owns an Athanasos model. In the same thread, another poster, Frenja, owns a Barden model (the “neo-Gothic” that you’re interested in). Both are happy owners.
http://www.harfenforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1942
Karstilo from the same forum posted about purchasing a used Matia Mou model from a private seller. The harp was made in the 90’s but held up well. Sadly the shipping process ruined the harp and the harp broke even further when the shipping company took the harp back to their warehouse to “inspect the damage” for the insurance claim. Karstilo once posted photos of the damages, but he has since taken them down. From the detailed photos (as an amateur) I could tell the harp was well constructed and finished.
Oh, what fun! The videos on Youtube are also most enlightening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCgT94A7WgI
The actual playing starts at 3:49.
Regarding colours:
http://www.heartlandharps.com/colorsAndArtwork.html
On their website they state the carbon fiber they use is naturally black. (I read this somewhere on their site back before they changed the layout.) That’s why the “natural” finish is high gloss finish with the black carbon fiber patterns showing through.
For the painted harps, as with any car paint, if you’re not careful, you can scratch the paint — but then again, I don’t think many people are prone to banging sharp/rough objects on their harps or generally banging their harps around. Since the carbon fiber material is so tough, if the painted harp gets scratched, all you need to do is touch up on the paint. (Think of it like a car.)
Regarding sound:
http://www.heartlandharps.com/harptasting1.html
I love their harp tasting test. I went to the answers page and kept replaying the clips over and over for the unpainted carbon fiber harp and the painted carbon fiber harp. The painted harp sounds more “contained” and mellow, whereas the unpainted harp sounds more “open” and twinkly. Personally I prefer the more “open” sound, but I would want my harp painted… So really, it all comes down to personal preference and whether you are willing to compromise.
