[Djan]

Thanks for the clarification Wil, much appreciated. Think you misunderstood my comparison. I meant to say, to my ear the Isolde came across as more folksy and warmer than the Excalibur in the middle octave. However both are great sounding harps.

[Djan]

I was mostly drawn to Camac Isolde and Korrigan.
Korrigan had a deep and rich tone but was a bit heavy to my liking, similar to the L&H harps. Telenn sounded a bit different to Korrigan even though it was gut strung.
The carbon strings on the Isolde felt and sounded very nice.
With DS Ravenna 34, the sound was bright but was not sure of the feel of the harp and tension. However interesting to know from your post that the tension is not far off from Isolde!

I tried the Excalibur once, liked the guitar like sound of the lower and middle registers but can’t remember the upper register. As it has a larger soundbox was wondering if the topmost octave is harder to play?

Also in one of your previous posts you mentioned Excalibur has a warmer tone with Kurschner strings but Isolde came across as more warm in the middle octaves. Been a while so I could be wrong.

[Djan]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I loved trying the discussed harps, all unique in their own ways. I found the tension of Ravenna and Hermine too low to what I’m used to though. So went for a Camac Isolde Celtic. Camac have stopped Isolde Classic in the UK. Wil, you mentioned that you have played both Celtic Isolde and Excalibur. Do you prefer one over the other for a specific music type? Also how is the highest octave and bass between the two? I have a potential option to acquire one soon but not sure what I need to consider to make it worth upgrading as I don’t have a chance to try one. Thank you!

[Djan]

Wow, thank you all for the detailed responses. My apologies for not clarifying that I have been borrowing a friend’s Clarsach thus far and yes it has been strung with bow brand light gut. The lever stiffness and response to humidity have been a bit challenging and while I like the sound of this harp, I loved listening to Camac Excalibur. Hence my curiosity on fluorocarbon strings.

I also appreciate your feedback on the sounboard type. The only reason I was looking into the Ravenna 34 was because of its bright sound, damping response and longevity of nylon strings.

While the possibilities are endless with cross harps and change of strings, I prefer sticking to the original harp style and strings as I’m not experienced and would like to keep the options open to trade in future or even contribute to a pedal harp upgrade.

Agree that for jazz music, higher tension works better. So are gut strung harps naturally better with damping? Also from your suggestions how are the tensions of Camac Hermine, Telenn and Celtic Isolde in comparison? Is one better suited?

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