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Thanks Tacye. Your comments support everything I had thought about this. Indeed, there is a great difference between harps and violins, including the heftiness of the pedal harp’s soundboard compared to the violin’s. An “ailing” harp has its entire soundboard replaced with a new one, but who would think of doing that to a fine violin?
My best wishes to you,
BalfourHello Tacye!
I have always wondered if the gold “gilding” has any affect on the actual sound or tone of a harp, compared to the same model without the gold. As a physicist, what could you tell us to enlighten us about this? I know harps are very personal to their owners, but what do the actual physics indicate? I wonder if these two models, one in natural and the other gilded, were played behind a curtain in a “blind tasting experiment,” could most musicians tell the difference between them?
So good to see your post here.
Happy Holidays,
BalfourThat’s quite okay, Saul. I feel like I should add here that for much of my career, I was all for Lyon & Healy. But when I experienced what some of the other great harp makers were doing, I changed over time. It did not help L&H when harpists like me saw some of their sub-standard quality work, and that they refused to do anything about it. So far, I have never experienced this with Camac. Many great harpists throughout the world champion Camac, such as Isabelle Moretti and Isabelle Perrin, and the head of Camac is Jakez Francois, a great pop/jazz harpist himself. The company’s attention to quality and detail is amazing, and the great harps they are building in the Erard/French tradition, like my Atlantide, won me over. Their customer service is exceptional, and the harps have a 10-year warranty. There are plenty of wonderful recordings of these great harps on the Camac website, and on Youtube. My Atlantide responds perfectly well to sudden changes in dynamics, with great warmth, clarity, and projection of the sound. And being able to regulate the harp myself is a great bonus!
Wishing everyone a happy holiday season, with plenty of harping,
BalfourSaul, this could be a good thread! We own a “ton” of music, even though we have given much of it to students and fellow musicians as we have gradually retired. We have a built-in cabinet six feet wide, floor to ceiling, that is crammed full of music. In addition, every spare shelf in the house has music on it! There are piano, harp, organ and vocal scores in every room of the house. Music on shelves does indeed make good insulation against the cold Winter temps, I say! I hope that answers “how much music do you own?”
This is fun–post your comments here, fellow musicians!
Winter Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Saul, I do not understand what you meant by “you contradict yourself in your opening sentence.” Gregg’s opening sentence was “I’m curious about something.”
I agree with Biagio–the Ravenna 34, fully levered, would be a very good option for you, if it is available in Spain. Like he said earlier, harpists favor certain makes of levers, my favorite being the Camac levers, which can now be installed by Dusty Strings on their Ravenna 34 harps. These harps are very fine quality and very accessible here in the USA, so I hope they may be possible for you in Spain.
Best wishes in whatever you decide, Andibear!
Balfour
Hi, Gregg,
I hope some L&H #23 harp owners will respond to this thread. I have seen and played many good ones, and of course, some not-so-good ones! One problem I have seen pretty regularly, is warped necks after just a few years of use, including the Gold ones. My opinion is that since they are so expensive, I would expect great longevity, without the need for major rebuilding after just a short time.
In response to your question “do any new harps sound as good as ones a few years old of the same model” I would have to say, my beautiful Camac Atlantide Prestige sounded as wonderful on the day I acquired her as she does now, more than four years later. I do not have to work as hard to get a big, full sound out of this harp as I have to do when playing any L&H 23. Also, the lower shoulder end, the extra space for the RH in the treble, and the fanning out of those treble strings, all make for a much more comfortable, rewarding experience when I play this harp for hours and hours. I also have never experienced the gorgeous resonance of this Atlantide on any L&H harp, in my entire career. I guess this is a good “commercial” for the Atlantide, ha, ha!
I hope you hear from plenty of others regarding this. I want to know, too!
Harp Hugs,
BalfourHi Sara,
I play a Camac Atlantide Prestige, 47 string harp, and the “Blue” series are almost identical to the Prestige, (and the 44-string Clios) except that the Blue harps have the electric pickups added. I have had experience playing the Mini Blue 44 as well as the other Blues, and they all are fabulous harps. The ones with straight soundboards do not have quite the “presence” of the ones with extended soundboards, when just played accoustically. But once you are “plugged in,” I cannot tell much of a difference. Back to your question, the Camac Mini Blue 44 had much more presence to me than the Salvi Daphne 40 had, playing accoustically. You would have to have a pickup system installed in the Daphne to compare it to the Mini Blue, when amplified.
I hope this is of some help to you. I would prefer the Mini Blue over the Daphne 40, especially with four more strings on the Blue!
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Congratulations, Lisa! It is so exciting that you purchased such a wonderful harp that pleases you so much. The natural finish is my favorite, and maybe it won’t be too hard to find a Salvi matching bench or stool. I wish you many happy hours playing and practicing on Ana.
Harp Hugs,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Thanks, Paul, for this very interesting article! I have never seen this subject covered so well.
Best wishes to you,
BalfourThis reminds me of having an 8th pedal to operate the former “swell” mechanism on old harps like Erards!
Cheers, everyone!
BalfourDavid, that is very nice of you to do this for other harpists. If I ever need to play that, I will contact you. Thanks!
Best,
BalfourIs that a L&H 23, Saul? Also, what do you do for a harp since you are not moving that one around anymore? I assume you are still performing in public.
That is Steve Moss. I heartily recommend him for servicing your harp. Thanks, Rachel!
Have a great day,
BalfourI agree, Saul, I always fall back on my original tuning forks when tuning any of my instruments. They never waver, fail, run down, etc. like electronic tuners. However, I have a Korg professional one for setting the temperament much more quickly than I can with the tuning forks and by ear.
Cheers,
Balfour
