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I’m sure the Venus Paragon is still serving our country in being played.

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He was born in Mexico City.

http://portal.sre.gob.mx/irlanda/pdf/pdf_eng.pdf

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You’re welcome.

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Here’s a recent acquisition at the National Gallery of Art:

David Triumphant, sculpture by Thomas Crawford

for more info: http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=140260

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Well, that didn’t work too well. If you click the link, remove the brackets and letters after .jpg and the image will appear.

Here’s another try. I think this will work.

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I love that portrait. (Let’s see if I can post it here.) Thomas Sully painted it in 1818, I think.

[IMG]http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr237/barb0306/ThomasSully-055.jpg%5B/IMG]

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Those top strings probably are .022 or .025, but getting a dial or digital caliper that reads in inches, as Michael suggests, really is a good idea. Digital is nice; you don’t have to think so hard learning how to read the dial.

I don’t burn the tips – there’s no reason to that I can think of.

If you do have a Minstrel 29, Robinson Strings might have a string chart. Give them a call – they are very nice people. Here’s a link to their string page:

http://www.robinsonharp.com/strings.html

Barbara in CA

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You can purchase either the nylon or the Burgundy gut for 3rd-5th octaves, but you might really notice a change in sound using nylon in the 5th and at least the lower half of the 4th octave. You won’t be damaging your harp if you use the correct string gauges, so you don’t have to worry about that aspect.

Back in the olden days the two L&H 23 university harps we played were strung from middle C on up with nylon. I think it was to save money when purchasing replacement strings since the music department didn’t allot much money for strings and regulations. Our instructor did what she had to do to make ends meet.

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Actually, a .028 inch nylon classical guitar string MIGHT be okay until you buy the right string, but before you use that guitar string, what harp do you have and what string broke? Does the envelope you got your string from give you any clues as to the size of the string?

You do have to be careful about the ball though. It could get stuck in the eyelet and that would not be at all good. I’d probably not use the ball end for that reason.

I hope this will be helpful. This is how I tie the 3rd octave strings on up:
Before you tie the knot, place the string through the soundboard. I don’t cut the length till a few days later. The clothespin idea is a good one, especially if the string is on the short side to begin with. Tie an overhand knot:
http://www.ehow.com/video_4971030_tie-overhand-knot.html

and before closing up the knot, stick your string tie into it. Tighten knot.
Then do a couple of half hitches with the string end closer to the board: (The technique is correct even though it’s a spinning demo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1l3tAMFu3c

Tighten your knot, pull the string snug against the soundboard, thread the whole length of string through the tuning pin, secure it, and bring it up to pitch.

Reward yourself with chocolate and wine.

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Norah, I don’t have any strings to sell, but can offer a few suggestions that will allow you to have extra strings on hand that won’t cost quite as much.

Vanderbilt Classic Gut, sold by Vanderbilt Music, is a quality string that has a warmer tone compared to Bow Brand Gut. They are a good value for your money.

You can get by with a skeleton set of strings, F, A, C, and E, of each octave from 4th to the top. In the 5th octave, you’d need A, C and E. If you need to replace a G or B, use the A. To replace a D, use the E. This works pretty well as A and E are very close in diameter to their neighboring strings.

You might also consider stringing your 2nd octave with nylon. Some harps, and harpists, don’t mind and actually prefer to have nylon in the upper 2 octaves.

You could live dangerously by only keeping the top 3 octaves on hand as backups. A bit less dangerously if you add the 4th octave.

Hope this helps. Strings are expensive; no two ways about it.

(P.S. I have no affiliation with Vanderbilt Music.)

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When you’re moving the harp on the cart and come to stairs, keeping the wheel axle parallel to the edge of the stair will help to keep the weight of the harp from shifting. Same principle applies to slopes and ramps.

Also, watch out for people helping lift the base of the harp, while it’s on the cart, and pulling the harp off the cart by accident. This happens especially when you are trying to roll the harp/cart up the stairs, over ledges, or up onto curbs.

Oh, I just remembered; my DH wrote this:

http://www.harptech.com/Articles/Hauling/Hauling.html

You’ll be fine. Reward yourself with chocolate afterwards.

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Vanderbilt Classic Gut – best bang for the buck, as the saying goes. They have a warmer tone than Bow Brands. Vanderbilt Music sells both the Classic, Burgundy and Bow Brand gut strings, which makes it easier to compare prices.

I’d get an extra tuning key. The ergonomic ones are very nice and they work if you hold them correctly. Use the handle like a lever; like you’re drawing beer on tap.

Congratulations and enjoy your new harp.

Barbara in CA

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Uh, well seeing that no one else is replying to your question, I’ll say a few words.

The harp on eBay has cracks due to the relative humidity being lower than the ideal 40%-60%. The picture also shows separation at the side seam which means the glue joint has given way. Not good. Bad news.

But, your student’s harp, even though the cracks are in the same place, may not be cracking for the same reason. He/she really needs to bring the cracks to the attention of the harp maker or a repair person. Seeing the instrument in person is the best way to diagnose any problems, if they exist, and make repairs before they become worse. It’ll bring peace of mind.

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You can always take it to a harp shop and let them sell it for you. It will have the greatest exposure that way and no headaches for you. Or you can list it yourself on HarpColumn, Craigslist or eBay, and contact local harp teachers and the AHS chapter in your area.

If you decide to sell yourself, check out the price of L&H’s 85 GP’s or their equivalent, and set your price accordingly.

HTH

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If they are tarnished you might want to use fresh ones, otherwise I can’t advise.

For instructions on how to change wires you can take a look at my husband’s (Mike Lewis) article here:

http://www.harptech.com/Articles/Strings/Strings.html

As Carl recommends, it is important to leave enough slack in the string before you wind them up to pitch.

Reward yourself afterwards with chocolate

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