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Steph, we will hope along with you, for that cold front! How exciting to be anticipating that beautiful new harp. She will definitely be worth the wait. Too bad you can’t just rent a car like a Subaru Outback and go get the harp yourself. With an air-conditioned ride, the harp and you would be very comfortable. We have a 2024 Outback, and it makes the perfect harp-cart!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)I do hope you get this thing resolved with Dave! That sort of thing is not good for his reputation, I fear.
This just surfaced today from Heartland Harps–hope it helps!
Heartland Harps is going to be vending at this year’s Harp Gathering in Black Mountain, NC at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly. Join us for lots of great workshops, breathtaking concerts and a wonderful vendor hall filled with plenty of opportunities to talk with vendors and shop.This is the Harp Gathering’s first year at this location so don’t miss out. Early Bird registration deadline has been extended to August 15, 2024 (postmarked) so you can still save $100 off the Full Harpist Registration!!I loved the Ravenna 34 that I owned for about five years before I found my FH36S. I wished for Camac levers on the Ravenna back then, instead of the usual Lovelands, and now they can install Camacs for you on a Ravenna. They are well worth the cost, in my opinion! Thanks, Gregg!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourTara, there is supposed to be a Harp Gathering in Black Mountain, NC on Sept. 27–29. Check their website for more information. Also, since you live in the Washington, D. C. area, you could easily go to the Virginia Harp Center. Check their website to see what new and used harps they have, and make sure you have an appointment before you go!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourGreat posts here, Gregg! I only have my Dusty FH36S now, along with my pedal harp, so I can’t really contribute much here to help Tara. I am old, too, with arthritis problems, but I still prefer medium to high tension, since I am used to it. My two harps have such loud projection and resonance, even when just using a light touch, it doesn’t really bother my hands. Playing piano is harder on my fingers, from the impact when striking the keys. Hope you can try some harps before you buy, though. Every harp is different, played by different harpists, all of whom have various opinions, ha, ha!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourAlexandra, that is wonderful that you can fit the LH23 and all your accessories into the Crosstrek! How exactly do you place the harp, and are you short enough to drive with the seat close to the steering wheel? That is how my wife and I made the concert grand Atlantide Prestige fit into the Forester. I am 5′ 6″ and she is 5′ 2″, so we have the front seats pretty close to the front when we drive. A tall person would immediately slide them back, like when we are having the car serviced, ha, ha! So glad this is working out for you–the Crosstrek is a great car!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Steph, I should have said that it is better to try out the harps in person before making your final decision. A brand new Salvi might have a different weight or feel to it than an older model did. I love the look of the new Salvi Iris in maple with the blue accents added to the beautiful soundboard art. But I personally have never played a Salvi that made me want to purchase one. I played many Atlantides over the years before I finally got one for myself. Before that, I was a Lyon & Healy “nut,” ha, ha!
Best wishes,
BalfourYou’re welcome, Gregg! Now if Bow Brand will just provide good strings at a fair price, they should regain their great reputation.
I am thrilled that these New Nylgut NGH strings are proving to be more durable than real gut up in the high octaves of the harp! It is too bad that more harpists aren’t trying them. I am not affiliated with Aquila except that I am a loyal customer, if that matters to anyone. I am not getting paid to promote their strings. I just know what I like and what works well on my harps.
Happy Harping everyone,
BalfourThat is correct about the nice color of these New Nylgut strings, Gregg! It makes the treble strings of the harp so much easier to see, and I miss that now when I play another harp without that “heavy whipping cream” color distinction! Too bad that nylon is not made for harps in this more visible color. Thanks for your post!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourThat’s too funny, Steph! I played a very nice Apollo at the Atlanta Harp Center in GA, USA. That was several years ago, but it did indeed have the “new concept” soundboard. The tone was a very nice blend of traditional and dark, but a little “too dark” for me. I prefer the clearer, brighter sound of the Camac harps, since they require not as much effort to produce a nice, ringing tone. I cannot pluck as hard as I used to because of arthritis in my hands and fingers. I can get a “darker” tone by playing softly, and my Atlantide can “purr like a kitten,” or really sound out loudly with a more aggressive technique, when my fingers feel up to it, ha, ha! It is a 2017 model, built with Camac’s new, larger, redesigned soundboard and soundbox, so the tone is very rich and full and the harp gives you that wonderful French sound. It is capable of playing anything I can think of to play on it, all styles and periods of music. I use Premier gut strings on it, along with the New Nylgut NGH strings by Aquila in the top two octaves (2F up through 0G). I have Bow Brand bass wires, so England, France and Italy are all very well represented on this harp!
Good luck deciding!
Balfour (western NC harpist)Steph, the Salvi’s I have seen and played did indeed seem heavy, both to move AND to play. I am used to my Camac Atlantide Prestige concert grand, which is lighter in weight, 77 lbs., and also perfectly balanced so that you can experience virtually no weight on your shoulder or knees. Lynn Aspnes had a video about balancing a Prestige so that there was no discomfort from playing it. The shoulder end on Camac concert grands is made a little lower than other brands of harps, so that also helps, and there is more room in the high treble for your right hand because of the ergonomic “fanning out” of the strings. Have you considered a Camac? I am an independent harpist, not affiliated with Camac, but I know what I prefer!
Happy looking,
Balfour
