Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hello Molly. It has certainly been annoying. I didn’t expect a cheap harp to last anyway, my idea being to learn on it and save up for a Ravenna.
I’m in the UK and secondhand Ravennas are few and far between. Morley Harps did have one about 2 years ago and it was only about £300 less than the cost of a new one so just as well to buy new.
They have got a secondhand Ravenna 34 for £1200 in at the moment but it has been water damaged. Speaking to them yesterday on the phone, it sounds perfectly playable but they advised me to come and see it for myself which I will be doing on Thursday. If you look back my previous posts, I put a link to it. If it is in reasonable condition I will be very tempted to buy it. If not, it will be a nice day out and I will be like a little kid in a candy shop!
That’s a good tip Biagio and one I will keep in mind. I haven’t played the harp today. Woke this morning with a bit of a headache that’s been with me all day. Came close to cancelling my piano lesson but went anyway. Think it’s the weather – it’s a bit thundery here today and is forecast.
Tomorrow (or at least later on today) I intend to have a musical day. I wonder if the harp will still be in tune.
Hello Balfour. The pins are the standard push type. I have noticed that some of the pins seem to be further into the wood than others suggesting that some of the holes have been drilled a fraction too wide.
These harps were supposed to be out of stock until just before Christmas and I’m wondering if the manufacturing company in Pakistan rushed the order and quality control went by the wayside.
Wil. That is horrendous damage and I feel sorry for the OP of that thread. Reading through the thread the OP says it is a G4M harp but from a different seller. Amazon have started selling them again I noticed yesterday. Whoever sold it, the OP should demand a refund.
My harp arrived very well packaged. It was inside a plywood and wood box, then a thick cardboard box, inside that wrapped with swathes of bubble wrap and finally the harp bag which is thick and well padded.
If my harp had arrived like that, I would have gone ballistic.
I also wonder if this is the same 29 string harp G4M had on their website a few weeks before I bought my harp. They had it on a reduced price as it had been returned for some reason. I did contemplate it but decided to hold out for the 36 string model.
Spoke with a lady at Morley Harps this afternoon. I got the impression they are “covering all their bases”. They don’t seem to know either exactly how the harp came to be water damaged but she did say the stand and the carrybag were also missing. She invited me to come and see the harp for myself so I’m going there on Thursday afternoon. It’ll be a nice drive out through some really beautiful scenery. Trees here are gorgeous shades of russet, browns and golds at the moment.
I did tell her about my own harp and she said they’d be more than happy to have their expert look at it and tell me what’s wrong. Their Luthier isn’t there all the time so I’d have to make an appointment when he is there.
Ironically, after I’d finished practicing my piano last night I plucked each string to the piano and the harp, with the exception of 2 strings – the E6 and D4 were out of tune. The D4 was only slightly out. Took the two strings up to pitch and had a nice hour’s practice.
I also tried putting the harp into G major and D major. The levers, although stiff do actually work.
We will see what Thursday brings.
Wil and Biagio. Thank you both for your replies.
I wonder just what did happen to that poor Ravenna. I’m not an expert on wood but I would have thought to get damage like that it would have had to be left standing in water for some time then was probably put near a heat source to dry it out quickly which, I think would warp the wood, plus the amount of rust underneath it. I also noticed it does not come with a carry bag so I wonder what happened to that. The Ravenna is only 2 years old. I know when Morley rent out harps, the renter has to take out insurance for it so surprised it hasn’t been replaced/repaired by the insurers.
I will phone and enquire about it tomorrow and maybe go and see it but with your input and my instinct, hard though it might be to pass up the chance of a Ravenna, I think I’ll give that one a miss.
Maybe I should give my own harp a bit longer to settle. I haven’t played it today yet but I did run my fingers over the strings and it sounded in tune apart from the E6 which is still stretching.
Maybe I should just keep the G4M and save up for a Ravenna at a later date if I get more advanced. I’m trying to get my son interested in the harp so he might get it someday. He was learning the violin and doing quite well at it but he’s a kidney transplantee and when he was on dialysis they had to put a subcutaneous tube for the dialysis (known as a Herograph) which runs from inside his left elbow, up his arm, along his shoulder, up over the collarbone and stops about 1/2 inch from his heart. Needless to say, it is in the position where the violin rests on and even with a violin rest, it caused him a lot of discomfort so he’s given up. He’s also deaf and wears hearing aids in both ears but that doesn’t stop him. In fact, nothing’s ever stopped him but then I never wrapped him in cottonwool either when he was younger.
Who knows. We could be playing duets in the future.
Had a look at the Ballad. Looks quite a nice harp. Problem with importing anything from America is the import duty and having to add on VAT (Value Added Tax which is 20% of the cost).
I looked at Dusty Strings site earlier in the year and by the time import duty, VAT and often a lengthy wait for Customs clearance, the price was more or less the same as Morley Harps.
Good suggestion though and my son is very good at putting things together.
Either way, I intend to drive out to Morley Harps sometime this week. I will be like a kid in a candy shop. Also a good excuse to stop in for a meal in the nearby village. There’s a new seafood restaurant opened there. Quite fancy some fresh sea bass.
Just a quick add on to my previous post. Just had another look at the damaged Ravenna. If you expand the pics, the soundboard does look very warped when looked at from a certain angle. Not sure if I’m allowed to put a link on so will understand if the moderators remove this post.
https://www.morleyharps.co.uk/second-hand-ravenna-34-2020-with-slight-damage-c2x38617949
Hello Wil-Weten and thank you for your reply. The price of the Ravenna 34 was £2,200 at the beginning of this year. In June the price had gone up to £3,300. I noticed when I looked at Clive Morley Harps yesterday the price had gone down to £3,000 but still way out of my price range.
The damaged Ravenna is in my price range but it depends on how badly damaged it is. Morley Harps have a very good reputation so I can’t see them selling something that’s unplayable.
I know you pay for what you get and buy cheap, buy dear but the G4M harp was actually an early Christmas present from my lovely son.
I watched a few reviews of this harp on YouTube. Caroline Stapleton has one identical to mine and I have spoken to her about the problems I’ve been having. She advised to let the strings settle for a few weeks and if that didn’t work, return it. I think after 7 weeks the strings should have settled by now and the fact the E6 broke when I wasn’t even playing that string shows something isn’t quite right.
Another thing I’ve noticed this past week is the harp has developed a rocking motion when on a flat floor, suggesting the frame itself is warping.
Some of the strings hold their tune well, others don’t so I do think the pins are slipping. The thing that intrigues me is when I put the tuning key on the pin and take the string up to pitch, as soon as I take the key off – and I’ve made a point of taking the key off without disturbing the pin, the pitch immediately goes flat and in some cases sharp. I have two tuners – a Snark and a Korg. Both register the same pitch.
Looks like I’m going to have a busy day on Monday. Piano lesson and two phone calls to make.
Wish me luck.
I hope so too, Biagio. As I said, I will see what G4M has to say on Monday.
I know if I went for a 26 string, I would not be happy with it. I like the bass strings. I will see if my harp holds the tune better over the weekend. The E6 I put on I expect to still be stretching. At least I now know how to replace a string. I think I made a good job of it and was quite pleased with myself. I followed Sylvia Wood’s YouTube instructions.
I also play guitar (not very well) and have restrung both my guitars. I always used good quality strings but the last ones I put on – D’Arrios (not sure of the spelling) took a long time to settle. For the guitar I preferred Black Diamond but couldn’t get them. I don’t play the guitar now. I took lessons for a couple of years but could never hold down a bar chord and I have very small hands. My guitar teacher was retiring so I gave up lessons.
Over the past few years I’ve been concentrating on my piano and passed Grade 7 with Distinction last year. I’m doing Grade 8 in the spring then looking to do my Diploma after that, proving you’re never too old. I have a wonderful piano teacher.
I do wish I’d thought about learning the harp when I was younger as I love the resonance of the harp and even though I’m only a beginner I am enjoying learning.
If I could get my harp to stay in tune better, I would really enjoy it because it does have a really sweet sound and for a cheap harp, an amazing resonance. Just a shame it seems to have been poorly made.
I’ll let you know what G4M has to say once I’ve spoken to them on Monday.
Thank you Biaggio. Believe me, I am on the verge of sending it back. I’m going to phone them on Monday and see what they have to say. You are correct. It is made in Pakistan. It did come with a 3 year warranty.
There are a couple of harpists on YouTube that have these harps (as well as other, better makes) and they don’t seem to have any problems with them. I think I might have got a bad one.
I do have a second harp. It’s a 22 string Pakistani made harp I bought some 15 years ago from eBay. It cost me £80 at the time so was cheap for someone who’d never touched a harp before, let alone play one. The soundboard on it is cracked and it also has cracks in the frame so I don’t play it. Ironically, despite this, the strings stay in tune. The levers on that definitely don’t work. I did take lessons for about 3 months then but the teacher gave up so she could play at more weddings and functions. The nearest teacher to me now is over 100 miles away in London, hence I’m learning online. I like Anne Crosby Gaudet and have bought some of her beginner music. I am making sure I use the correct technique. I don’t think I’ll be playing at any weddings, just for my own enjoyment and that of family and friends (hopefully).
The little harp really whetted my interest and I visited Clive Morley harps years ago and had the pleasure of trying a Ravenna 34. I fell in love with it but circumstances took a downturn when there was serious illness in my family and my husband passed away.
Clive Morley Harps is about 20 miles from where I live and they do have a secondhand Dusty Strings Ravenna 34 they’ve just got in but…and here’s the but…it is an ex-rental from a school and somehow it got water damaged. The lower part of the soundboard has warped so they are advising anyone interested in buying it to come and see it first. The price is £1200. I may enquire about it next week depending on what G4M have to say and maybe go and see it. At the very least it will be a day out for my adult son (who is also musical) and me and give me the chance to try some good quality harps.
As for G4M, I bought my digital baby grand piano from them 6 years ago and was delighted with it and still am. However, reading recent reviews on Trustpilot, it would seem their standards have slipped and a lot of people are having problems with instruments and accessories they’ve bought and they’re saying customer service is poor.
We shall see on Monday.
