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The difference between pedal gut and lever gut is a 4th. In other words, a C string on a pedal harp would be the G string below that C on a lever harp, the interval of a 4th lower. (count c b a g to get 4). 4th octave C (.055) on pedal harp is the same gauge as 4th octave G on lever harp.
This thinner gauge for lever harp stringing does indeed feel different, especially if the harpist is more used to one or the other, and has to change! Gregg experiences this first-hand on his Ravenna and Boulevard, but the bass wire strings are evidently the same on both models.
Jaydg, have you made a decision yet about which of these might be the right harp for you?
Harp Hugs,
BalfourThanks, Stephanie! Harp builders are like car makers, always changing to keep up with the times, ha, ha!
Charles, thanks for putting into words exactly why I do not care for these threaded harp pins! It is far more trouble to restring my Dusty FH36S with 36 strings and these threaded pins than it is to restring my concert pedal harp with 47 strings and standard, tapered pins. The tapered harp tuning pins have been around a LONG time, and have proven themselves. All other pins are just inferior to them, period.
Have a great day, my harp friends!
BalfourIn response to the above two posts, my dear harp friends, Lily desires a pedal harp, white, low-tension, and she has been drooling over a Salvi Daphne. She also says that she needs a “quiet harp” so as not to disturb her neighbors. This could be neatly achieved by stringing the Salvi Daphne with lever gauge strings, which on a normal standard pedal harp are softer, both in sound volume and how they feel to the hands. I bet Salvi themselves would even do this custom lighter stringing for the customer. I have heard of this done by pedal harpists who desire a lighter tension, softer sounding harp, and with success!
Charles, an antique pedal harp, even a single-action one, would nicely “fit” for Lily, too, with light-gauge stringing. Howard Bryan used to rebuild these and advertise them as “easy on the hands.”
Blindharper–One of the reasons that the Heartland Harps are made in the curved body shape is so that the harpist does not have to pull the harp back on the shoulder in order to play it. Dave Woodworth, the builder, has advertised that his curved-back harps are excellent for someone in a wheelchair. He makes these harps right here in North Carolina not far from where we live, so we know him and his harps well. But like I said earlier, carbon-fibre does not resonate like wood, and these harps are just not my “cup of tea.” I fully understand that there is a need for them, however, and Dave has very nicely accommodated to that need, and even had an influence on Camac using the carbon-fibre.
Thanks to everyone for all these great posts! Keep them coming.
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Lily, from reading much about the Ulysse model, I don’t think that it would be the best choice for you. It is obviously too short, with you being tall. It also only has 34 strings, and I feel you would want more. It is in large part carbon-fibre, and I have read that you like real wood, as do I. Carbon-fibre is alright when it is used to strengthen parts of the harp, like the neck and column, but it absolutely does not resonate like real wood!
In summary, you need a tall harp with 36 or more strings, with medium to light tension, and in WHITE if at all possible. I will add that I think it should be a pedal harp with light tension. I hope you find this dream harp, and I believe you will, but it will just take some time. I have played the harp since before I was 8 years old, and only in 2015 and then in 2017 did I finally find my two dream harps. (I am 68 years old.) So, good luck, sweet lady!
Harp Hugs from both of us,
Balfour and Carol LynnThank you, Charles and Talfryn! You supplied so much good information and advice for Gaffanon. At times like this, I really miss my dad, because he could literally fix anything. I learned a lot from him, but I am primarily a musician, with my attempts at woodworking and instrument building, on the side.
One thing to note is that Dusty Strings and Musicmakers use non-tapered, threaded tuning pins similar to piano tuning pins, except that they are actually harp pins. I would not recommend these, but rather concert harp tapered tuning pins, like Charles and Talfryn describe.
Good luck, Gaffanon! At least we now know a whole lot more than we did when you began this thread!
Best wishes,
BalfourLily, I wish I could help you here, but I do not know very much about Camac lever harps. I only know that my Dusty Cherie (FH36S) has Camac levers, and that they are the best. I hope others here will see this thread and contribute to it!
Huge Harp Hugs back to you,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Lily, thanks for your kind words and your friendship! Sorry for the skipping, unprofessional recording on those little videos. Someone at the concert made those recordings with a smartphone and posted them. At least you can see Cherie and how she fits me, ha, ha! Since she sounds good even on those videos, you can imagine what she sounds like in person–just unbelievable! I don’t play any other harps than the two I own now, because other harps can’t “hold a candle” to them, ha, ha!
Have a good night,
Balfour and Carol LynnWell, that file was too big, ha, ha! On-line, you can search “Balfour Knight Harpist” and find some little informal video clips of me actually playing Cherie at our local Community Center, after one of our fun pot-luck dinners–Yum!
Lily, I saw where you asked me if the DS FH36S is louder than the Ravenna 34. Let me just say that indeed it is capable of very much more volume! It also has a dreamy long sustain, which I love. The soundboard and harp body are longer and larger than Ravenna, since it sits on the floor without needing a stand. I am 5′ 6″ and the harp is at exactly the right height for me when sitting in a normal chair or on the stool I made for the harp. I am like Gregg in preferring a taller harp!
I will try to attach a photo of me playing Cherie, so you can see the relative height.
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)These are much better pictures–thanks for all your efforts! If you carefully remove all the remaining strings, and other hardware, see what just naturally “falls apart.” In most other old furniture repair, they literally pull or knock the pieces apart that are coming unglued, so that proper glue can be put in the joints and then carefully clamped back.
This is a beautiful harp–I would rather take it to an expert to have it rebuilt, but I know that may not be the best option for you. With careful work and the right glue, you may be able to repair it very successfully yourself. I am a “modern” harpist who has never had to deal with the little string “pegs” where the strings enter the soundboard. You may be able to find information on those on-line or from a harp tech who actually will respond. (I hate it when I get no response!)
The good folks at Musicmakers Harps (harpkit.com) may be able to help you. They sell instrument building kits to do-it-yourselfers and offer nice advice by phone and on-line. Where are you located? I am in North Carolina, USA.
Hoping to be able to help here,
BalfourHello Gwen!
Your post wasn’t too long, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, ha, ha!
How neat that your husband is learning to play the organ. Yes, both Gregg and I are professional organists, with college degrees in organ. (My degrees and proficiency are in all 3 instruments, including harp and piano.) My sweet wife knows all about having a grand piano and a pipe organ instead of a dining table, ha, ha!
You do have a difficult decision ahead of you concerning which harp to purchase! My Cherie was built in 2015 and if it is possible, she is now even better than when I first discovered her. At that time, she was the best sounding, most responsive harp I had ever encountered, lever or pedal harp. In 2017 I had the opportunity to acquire Angelica, the best pedal harp ever for me, to go along with Cherie. I had two other pedal harps before that, and lever harps, but these two current harps are the “ultimate.”
You have to play an instrument over a long period of time to develop your tastes and preferences, and so no harp is “forever.” With these last two harps, I have never found one to surpass either of them, so I have found complete happiness with them and my other instruments here–bliss!
I hope your quest is enjoyable, and we look forward to what you decide!
Harp Hugs and best wishes,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Is there a harp tech or harp builder who could examine this in person for you? I agree with Charles, I cannot tell anything from your photos. Harps can be really tricky to repair!
Thanks Gregg–that was all very good, and I know that when my hands and fingers are especially bothering me from the arthritis, or playing too much, I can play on Cherie much more comfortably than on Angelica. (lever harp with medium high tension as opposed to pedal harp with standard “high” tension)
I agree with Gregg about the C tuning. It is a personal choice. I used to teach a few harp students along with my usual piano and organ students, and I always started them out with the C tuning. It was so much easier to do, and to understand. When they progressed to a piece with B flats in it, I showed them how to retune those notes, only as they were needed. With the C tuning, you can play in ALL the sharp keys, of course, and I personally would rather have it that way than half and half with something like the E flat or A flat tuning. The pedal harp being able to play in all keys is of course THE BEST!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour
