Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I think they feel smooth enough, but they may also feel thinner than what you’re used to with the Prelude and the Dusty.
Kristy, you’re confusing the Ceili with the Ceili-Mor. The Ceilis are all made from mahogany laminate called okume, while the Ceili Mors are made from various hardwoods and are a good bit more expensive. I ordered a Ceili Mor, but found I preferred the sound of the Ceili. The Mor I had was made from koa and had a very nice tone, although I found the Ceili’s sound a little more…robust somehow. The same reason people like the Serenades so much.
You need to get your hands on the various models, and try a Ceili with folk gut strings as well as one with fluoro strings. Some people prefer one or the other. I know they have a Ceili Mor there for sale now, so you should try that also before you settle on the Ceili. You’re lucky to live so close to the shop. And don’t wait too long, their wait list is getting long.
I’m sure Carl is right about the string tension, but I find my Ceilis with the fluoro strings much easier to play and get a big sound out of than my pedal harp. The string spacing on the Ceili is very nice, very easy to reach an octave or a tenth. Good luck!
Good choice, Kristy-you’ll really like your Ceili. I have two of them myself and just ordered my third. Ain’t it awful? Talk about conspicuous yuppie consumption…
Kristy, in your case I’d say around four years, give or take a year. If you like the sound and feel of these strings (not everybody does, it’s personal taste)-they’re wonderful. And on my harps they just never break, so maybe you’ll be saving on replacements. Will you share with us what kind of harp you’re talking about?
Not to worry, Karen. I think if one hasn’t been to an actual harp tasting it would be logical to assume there would be a “winner”. Descriptions of it make it sound like a competition, I guess.
Karen, I hope you’re not speaking of the harp tasting at Southeastern Festival this past weekend!! I was one of the players. We played 17 lap harps and 16 larger lever harps for a large audience of festival attendees, at least 70 or 80 people, there were certainly no “judges”. The point is for each person to write down their comments on their own sheet, form their own opinions as to which harps they liked and draw their own conclusions. Each person will have a different “favorite”. There are certainly no “winners” announced.
Yes, the Pratt Chamber harp was one of the 17 large harps. With all due respect to John Pratt, he comes from the pedal harp world, and they have NO idea what a harp tasting is, since these are verboten at pedal harp conferences. Perhaps he wasn’t speaking of the tasting this past weekend, but I think he can be forgiven for being clueless as to the purpose of a harp tasting.
Please don’t promote the idea that one harp “wins” and that a harp maker has the right to claim so. That would probably put a quick end to all harp tastings.
Sherry, are you talking about the Swan on the Southeastern Festival site? That one they built a few years ago, they just put that picture up cause they didn’t finish my Swan till like five minutes ago. It’s pineapple koa (that’s Dave’s term for the light colored koa) with yellow rose vine inlay. I was afraid it would be too girly, but Dave says it’s not. I get to meet it in person one week from Friday at SE. Hope it’s love at first sight for both of us!
Michaela, I can’t get away with anything with you! Sharon is bringing my new Swan to the Southeastern festival in two weeks. I ordered it at Harpcon in St. Louis two months ago (they had one just like it there and it sold quickly) and Dave built it in like four weeks so it would be ready for SE. There will also be a walnut Ceili Mor and three Ceilis for us to chew on. The exhibit hall there is going to be killer.
Helen, you might have trouble finding sound samples of the wenge and rosewood. I think Dave has only made a couple wenge harps, and a handful of rosewood ones. I’ve played a couple rosewood Swans, and I found those a bit thin sounding. I owned a wenge Dusty once, and it had a deep rich sound but with a bit of an edge to it, I liked the bubingas better. Plus the wenge is REALLY heavy.
I’m about to get my eighth Swan, pineapple koa this time. I’ve sold all the other ones, I like to try different woods. If you want a warm and rich sound I think you would like the cherry Swans and the mahogany ones-I had a premium mahogany a couple of years ago that was the best of all. I wish I could direct you to sound samples, but these are rare creatures. Your Serenade is made from mahogany, as are my two Ceilis (one of which is indigo like your Serenade, isn’t that a beautiful color?), so I think you’d really like a mahogany Swan. I also had two walnut Swans, but I liked the mahogany better. Gosh, I sound like a flake, don’t I-can’t make up my mind.
You could try a Google search for Ellen Tepper, I think she plays a walnut Swan.
This new model you’re asking about, the Neoclassic, is very different from his previous models. It’s true, no soundboard holes in the back. The strings kind of are twisted around a little knob on the soundboard, very different from what we’re all used to. But I imagine you could get used to this, just a new skill. I did not care for the blade levers, but that’s just me. I thought It was strung with fluorocarbon since it reminds me of my Sandpiper Nova, bit I’m pretty sure it has nylon strings. I think he’s going for a historical reproduction feel with this harp.
Saul, I have a L&H fiberglass case from the late 70s that came with my 23. I just sold my pedal harp, so you’re welcome to the case. I live in the DC area-Kathy Chanik.
I just heard at the Somerset Festival that there may be an issue with availability on the Delacours.
