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I actually like the Yaris a lot more than the Matrix, and I seriously considered getting one and just renting a van on the few occasions when I need to haul the 11, but since that’s usually times like Christmas Eve and running away from hurricanes, I decided against going that route. The Yaris would be fine for a smaller harp and it feels a lot less GM-ish inside and gets close to 40 on the highway. And you can’t get anything cheaper than that.
The matrix is pretty cheap, Leigh, and my escort was about as cheap as you could get. I can’t think of any larger car that has a lower base price than the Matrix/vibe, and there are plenty of used ones available. The Prius, on the on the other hand…
The Yaris is cheaper, and it would haul a semigrand, I think. It was just barely too small for my 11.
Just saw the article in today’s paper about $4 a gallon gas by May. All us Matrix folks can feel smug about that, anyway.
Hmm. Well Tammy, as someone who’s had floridaharp.com for years I can’t say I’m thrilled by your URL, but good luck anyway.
Oh, the last two years of the Escort wagon were great harp cars (in 1998 they lengthened the wheel base 4 in and that made all the difference in the world). It was actually more commodious than the Matrix–narrower, but longer. Of course the Matrix has much more headroom.
But yeah, it’s that first “Wait a minute–this holds almost as much as my huge old (name of car)” moment that makes you fall in love with your first small harpmobile. 🙂
See, Janet, I think that’s the difference between our takes on this car. It’s your first little-economical=holds-a-lot car, isn’t it, while I had an Escort wagon for many years before the Matrix–I went through the “miracle” stage already with that car. 🙂
Congrats, Kirsten. I’m sure you will love your Matrix, especially if it’s your first experience with how much really fits into a small car. (The vibe and the matrix are basically the same car, incidentally–it was a joint venture between pontiac and Toyota. Only the trim is different, but I think you were wise to get the Toyota version.)
Hi, Sheery. Yes, you can play harmonics at the 12th, but they don’t carry so well. Salzedo’s Poem of the LIttle Stars is all about harmonics at the the 12th. It’s in Sam Pratt’s ‘Wedding Cake’ collection.
Thanks, Sherry. I don’t really notice that so much, although I find it extremely irritating that the Matrix has manual controls on the side view mirrors, so there’s nothing to do but keep squinching back and forth to the driver’s seat until you get them adjusted (I think the sport model had regular electric mirrors, and I know they’re standard on the 2009).
I would just point out that there is a pretty big difference between painting a folk harp and painting a pedal harp. I would encourage anyone considering painting a pedal harp to consider the possible implications for resale (i.e, you’re taking a much, much, bigger economic risk if you aren’t absolutely certain of what you are doing.)
Natalie from L&H once told me that they occasionally get requests to send out soundboards before the harp is assembled. The artist paints it and then they put the harp together. That’s the best way to ensure a consistent finish all over.
However, I did paint the soundboard of my prelude after I got the harp from L&H (that was before the decal was standard). I removed the finish from the board, painted it in situ (that is *VERY* hard to do, incidentally), and then carefully wrapped and masked the entire harp so I could spray the lacquer. Masking the harp and strings took longer than painting it did. In those days they used Deft lacquer, which requires arms of steel to rub out to a ripple-free finish once it’s applied. It would probably be easier if you had access to a proper spray booth and compressor. I had to use the canned stuff.
This would be a big, tricky job to do on a completed harp, especially for working up at the top of the board where there isn’t clearance for the shortest brush–I had to cut one down.
