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Thank you Balfour for the safety reminder! I will definitely be cautious.
Biagio, thank you for all the helpful information! I think I will try to start out with the Waldorf design with those modifications to make it a bit simpler and see where I will go from there. I already have so many ideas of harps I’d like to make in the future! First I have to get the basics down though. Thank you again!
Thank you for the advice! I would love to start with a MusicMakers kit but the least expensive now is over 1000 🙁 I’d rather spend the money getting a few necessary tools like a table saw, as I know I will probably want to make more as time goes on!
I wonder as well! I haven’t found much more info and the website for the store is defunct, though Google says it is still open. Maybe one day I will be in the area and will check it out!
I found some info, and a great article! They sound like quite the family 😀
Port Hadlock clan travels region as performance troupe Lobo del Mar
Just to throw another contender into the ring, my dulcimer is a 16/15 made by Songbird and I quite love it. It’s a quality instrument. They sell for around $500 new, but you can sometimes find a used one in some facebook groups.
Molly, just wondering how you are doing on your beautiful Ravenna. Were you able to adjust your levers to your satisfaction?
Very well! I actually just had a baby and had to set aside my Ravenna for the last month or 2 as it was a bit heavy for me to lift myself. I’ve been playing on a Grand Harpsicle, which is more manageable but the tone is not as nice. I’m very much looking forward to a couple weeks from now when I can carry my Ravenna around again!
I definitely appreciate the advice on the levers – I find I still prefer the Rees, but the Loveland aren’t too bad.
Thank you all so much for your input! I am very hesitant to get anything less than 29 strings – I appreciate the doubles capabilities, but I do love those low notes. It does make me less worried about a 29 string though 🙂
Biagio, I am inclined to agree, I love Rees harps. I will probably end up going that direction. I would love to have the less expensive of the used Mariposas, but I have sent an email a while back and have yet to get a response. I have been used harp hunting the past couple weeks and have unfortunately had a lot of non-responses! It would be great as I have the thought of waiting several months, haha!
Hi Linda,
I have a custom-made double-strung Brittany for sale if you might be interested. It has levers on the B’s, C’s, and F’s, along with the third-octave G on the right side. It’s a superb harp in every regard, but just a bit too small for my 6’4″ frame and large hands. I’ll try to include a picture. The harp has a very nice sound for its size. Contact me if you’d like more info.Hello! I’m not Linda, but if she isn’t interested and the harp is still available, I am very interested :). I’ll shoot you an email!
Another try at uploading the picture, haha. My partner took the photograph and I feel he chose the wrong focal point, but you can still see the harp!
My Ravenna 34 has arrived! It is absolutely gorgeous, as expected. The ash has some beautiful dark streaking that I love, and it sounds just amazing. Like a bell.
The one thing I would do differently if I was ordering again, would be getting the camac levers installed instead of Lovelands. I’d never seen either in person, and I don’t like the way the Lovelands operate or feel. I’m used to the Rees levers on my harpsicle which feel much gentler on the strings.
I’m sure I will get used to the Loveland levers with time, and overall I absolutely adore the Ravenna. Thank you for your advice 🙂
As a beginner to harp, I must say I appreciate the nature of laminate. Less expensive, it sounds beautiful to my (inexperienced) ears, and I don’t worry overmuch about the environment the harp is kept in. I keep a decent humidity in my home, but I no longer own a solid wood acoustic guitar for the same reason. I’m afraid to damage them, and several humidifiers in several different cases is too much maintenance for me!
“Get something good and keep it” – exactly! I have taken the plunge and ordered the Ravenna, yay! Currently waiting to hear if it’s in stock and will ship soon or if I’ll have to wait for a bit. And a teacher will have to wait for next month with all the money I’m spending on shipping it!
I love your car analogy Biagio because I think it highlights a difference in mindsets. I’ve been mostly driving the same van since 2005; it suits my needs, and the devil you know being better than the devil you don’t, haha. Whatever harp I do end up purchasing is unlikely to ever be sold, I grow attached to my instruments. So I continue to waver over what I’d like to settle on. I’m leaning more and more towards the Ravenna, but I’m waiting to hear back from a shop that can help me finance it.
Oh and to answer the teacher question – I’ve only been able to find one local to me, and she is full on students at the moment. I’m considering contacting some teachers in the bigger city an hour away; my parents live up there and would probably appreciate the visit if I could arrange a once-a-month weekend lesson. Lots to think about and meanwhile the rest of life must be attended to, haha.
