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Rachael, Don’t forget that this won’t be your last harp, either! If you find one you love or for a good price, you know there will be many uses for having more than 1 harp–and different voices for different purposes. I bought a used L&H Prelude from Va. Harp Ctr at a conference, used the heck out of it for 10 years, and sold it to a student who loved it, too. Have a great time harp-seeking! Look forward to hearing what you find…
I am a performer/teacher who used a Merlin for a few years, too, but when you hear a Cunningham (great full sound, light-tension gut & only 20 pounds), Thormalen (very nice), Dusty’s (always good), and others, you will notice how thin the Merlin sounds; it also falls over easily & mine has broken badly. Other harps don’t need special braces, & feel much more stable when playing. It is all about the sound, and other harps have so much more warmth, strength and resonance, that I say be open to “falling in love” :-)–go with one that “fits”, feels good, and really makes your heart sing! (and there are good prices in used harps from private owners or experienced sellers like Virginia Harp Ctr, etc.) You will find a wonderful new harp, I’m sure!
To “Unknown,” I’m coming into this discussion rather late, but as a teacher and professional harpist I get these questions all the time with students. Bottom line, if you are a performer with a musician’s ear, forget the “Popsicles” or any little lap harp of less than 30 or 33 strings; there is a reason everyone is trying to dump them online. You do not get any real resonance, or proper balance of bass with treble. And to amplify a toy-type harp only sounds like a loud toy. I’d save up for the Camac or L&H electroharps you mentioned. Or, Roger Muma Harps in London, ON makes a reasonably priced floor harp with a good resonance and there are some other very good harpmakers in Canada. You will never be sorry for holding out for quality sound–that’s what makes the harp worth the all the challenges of learning! Best of luck in your search.
