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I’m totally off grid on a super remote tiny Caribbean island so I can’t just pop to a hardware store, order things online or leave the air conditioning running (we have frequent power outages). I have kept my harp indoors and in its case but the weather just blows through the houses here so the humidity has messed it up despite that unfortunately. I should be able to find WD-40 on the island though so I will look for that. I was just uncertain if it was safe for the instrument.
Thanks for the list Rachel, that gives me a lot to look into!
I can’t believe I didn’t think to check out Jakez Francois as I’ve played some of his jazz arrangements on the pedal harp in the past.Fishman make great pickups but the main issue I have with using those types of pickups whether they fishman, schertler, whatever.. is that to get a decent sound from the pedal harp with them you really need more than one as you’re never going to find a placement for it where the bass, mids and treble can all be heard clearly.
I have the DS pickup installed in my LH 30 and while it certainly is a great pickup and has facilitated my gigging life significantly, I do wish I had shopped around a bit more.
Out of all the pickups I’ve tried, I have to admit that it’s one of the few that can cope with the range of the harp and it does this very well. The treble and the bass both ring out clearly. However, as Marco stated above, the sound can often be too midrange especially if you’re using a guitar amp (I’d opt for a bass amp or PA). I also make extensive use of effects pedals and the DS copes pretty well with this. It’s also fantastic that I can just plug in as simply as I would an electric guitar. Overall the sound of the pick up is good but the main issue I have is the actually practicalities of gigging with it. It’s been a bit of a nightmare.
If you’re performing solo the DS is perfect. For playing with a band however, it has an entire host of problems. The main one being is that you have to be incredibly careful as to where you position the harp in relation to monitors/amps and other band members, as any sound coming directly at it will be detected by the pickups and cause the sound to distort and feedback. For playing with a jazz band, this is a complete nightmare. Particularly on a small stage. It also cannot be turned up to a very high volume as it will start to feedback, when you’re trying to compete with drums, electric guitars, sax and brass, this is a huge impediment. I also sing while playing and the DS of course picks up my voice as well, which especially annoying when I’m trying to use a loop pedal on my harping and the voice gets stuck with it.
Actually installing the DS is quite easy, ignore the instruction booklet that comes with it. I don’t know why they make it so complicated, common sense should get you there. Once it’s in, don’t glue the pickups down right away, use blue tack/putty instead as you’ll probably have to play around a bit to find the best placement for your harp. You’re likely going to encounter some problems once it’s in though, mostly because how the pickup is designed means the bar holding it in place will rattle around a lot. You’ll have to put some rags between it and the soundboard to prevent this. The other issue I had while gigging is that I played a festival over the summer and it was seriously hot and humid. Half the pickup came unstuck in the middle of a set and no one could hear me.
I know this all sounds very negative but when the DS works, it really is fantastic, it picks up every nuance of what I play and I love that it’s just installed in my harp and I don’t have to carry around any extra bits and pieces. However, having a pickup on every string is definitely the best way to go, if you can afford it. If you’re performing mostly solo or in small ensembles, I would definitely go for the DS over the Fishman. For playing in louder situations, I’d suggest taking your harp to a music store and shopping around a bit more.
Sorry this became a mammoth of a post, I hope you can follow my rambling and that it’s helpful.
Awesome, thanks! The last thing I want is yet another piece of jewellery I have to take off every time I play.
I think it’s a combination of personal preference and what you use it for.
If you need to frequently be amplified, investing in a pick up can save a lot of time & faffing with mic stands and positioning before each gig. You simply plug in and go. As someone who plays primarily rock and jazz, a pickup is absolutely essential; particularly when crammed on small stages with lots of band members. It’s less likely a pickup will amplify the noise from other instruments and takes up significantly less space.
You should also take into account whether you want to use effects; I realise I’m somewhat of an anomaly in doing so but attempting it with freestanding mics just won’t work very well.
However, if you are mainly playing solo and don’t mind taking a little more time setting up there’s nothing wrong with using free standing mics. Exact mic placement will vary depending on the acoustics of the room you’re performing in. In this way your can be more flexible than with a pickup. I feel two mics are needed to give a really big resonant sound but that’s not to say you can’t manage with just one. Assuming you’re playing places that already have a PA, it also means you have to carry around less gear. But if there’s no PA the opposite is true and good PAs are a lot more expensive than good amps.
I sing while I play so the mic set up just isn’t an option for me. My voice is always picked up by the microphone. However, I know plenty of people for whom a mic setup works great for, for things like solo wedding and church gigs. So it’s really just about finding what’s appropriate for you.
I’ve used a Roland Cube and while it’s fantastic for the guitar, I have to agree that the standard Cube it isn’t appropriate for the harp and seriously muddies the sound. Particularly as you’re using a pedal harp, I’d avoid guitar amps as they tend to be far too midrange. Although I haven’t used it on the harp, I have put synths and a double bass through both the 100 and 30watt Roland Bass Cubes and they pack a pretty good punch and will handle the dynamic range and resonance of the harp far better.
I’m also curious as to why you chose to use a mic over a pickup? Particularly as you intend to go through an amp rather than a PA, getting a pickup would be the more logical choice. You’re likely to get a lot of feedback and excess noise with a mic. I play a pedal harp & find that using a pick up made my life ever so much easier, not having to deal with mic positioning, stands etc.
Thanks for all your advice. I’ve officially played my first festival with the harp & it was amazing but also a complete and utter nightmare. I’ll write a blog about the experience & post it on here shortly. I definitely have a lot of considerations to make for next summer.
I have it installed in my LH30. It’s by far the best pickup I’ve tried in that the sound of both the bass and the treble really come through with the same aggression or subtleties that you play them, rather than one vastly overpowering the other. When working in popular music, sound engineers are rarely going to know what to do with a harp & while this pickup won’t resolve this, it does leave significantly less room for error due to the fact that the pickup does most of the work. By having four appropriately sized mics down the soundboard all going through one jack, it takes away the fiddly & complicated nature of having to amplify the harp through many different mics, often creating a patchy but boomy sound. The instructions seriously overcomplicate the installation process; it’s really just a matter of removing the adhesive backing & sticking it in place. I’d advise not glueing the contact mics in at first but using some putty or blue tack until you find the sweet spots on your harp; it may not be exactly where recommended in the instructions & it won’t be until you play in a live situation that you know for sure. A big issue I have with it is that the construction of the pickup (not the mics themselves, they do a fantastic job) creates a huge about of buzzing sounds. This can be sorted with a few rags, however it is a bit of a pain as they often fall out wall transporting the harp. Also, the last gig I played with it I also had an issue with the glue melting & pickups becoming detached from the soundboard which made for a interesting set. There is also the problem with feedback. It really doesn’t cope well if there are any loud instruments or speakers nearby which face towards the pickups. For the kind of gigs I play, this can be a bit of a nightmare as often there are many musicians on a cramped stage. Monitors facing towards the soundboard or amps directly behind cause all sorts of problems with staging & is perhaps the biggest drawback with this pickup. Even using a practice amp at home, it took me a while before I found a set up that worked without being dangerously close to blowing a speaker. Despite this, I’ve tried a lot of mics and none of them deliver a sound that so closely amplifies every nuance of what I play. Moreover, it has really facilitated gigging for me. I used to never be able to get anything close to the sound I wanted & now I have gigs where I come away quite overjoyed and pleasantly surprised with how good it was. However, in the future I do hope to purchase a Salvi Rainbow, due to the fact that there will always be problems using any pick up for the very electric sound I need from the music I play.
Hope this was helpful & you found my ramblings somewhat coherent!
Very delayed response here as I haven’t been on HC in ages. The shipping of the Kortier or LH would end up with a price matching the Camac or higher and with far more hassle to get it this side of the pond. Whereas to pick up the Camac I just have to tube it to Denmark Street. I’ve had enough nightmares with installing & using pickups on acoustic harps that I personally would far prefer a solid body instrument. The tone I want would be more achievable & I have all sorts of equipment that facilitate playing electric instruments out & about. I’m still lusting after the carbon fibre harps but if I ever purchase one it won’t be for some time. The weight is a big factor however so ultimately the Camac DHC makes far more sense. The LH is just that tiny bit too heavy I think so I’ve decided on the Camac. Hopefully I should be getting it sometime in the next couple months!
Thanks for the information Tacye! I’ll definitely be sending an email to Pilgrim to get some more information. The Clarsach seems to be quite an attractive option.
What kind of strings do the Kortier electrics take? I did actually look at the Kortier harps, mostly because I work a lot with electronics and the MIDI harp really jumped out at me. It’s not something I’d acquire right now but it is definitely something on the future wishlist. As for the 31, as attractive as the price is, I’d have to put my friends/family through quite some hassle to get it over. All for an instrument I wouldn’t be able to try out first. In the UK Camac is actually cheaper than LH, likely because Camac is european while LH is american. A DHC light would probably make the most sense for what I’d use it for.
I’m obsessed with pinterest! I’m going with the same crisis with finding harp appropriate gear. You might want to look at bass amps because they can handle the range of the harp better. Though I play an LH 30 so I can imagine it’s less of an issue for smaller harps. In terms of effects pedals, drum machines, looping etc. I use the ipad for all of it. Which saves having to carry around, not to mention spend money on, a ton of gear.
I wouldn’t be importing it as such. I have friends or family who would be willing to bring it over as hand luggage for me but if it had to be checked ergo crated that would be too much hassle and likely cost just as much as ordering it from Morley but with far more effort entailed.
That’s promising that a harp that size can be portable enough for bussing. It gives me a lot more options. How are the electrics on the Clarsach? Does is have a pickup on each string or is it some kind of fitted contact mic?
I didn’t realise Morley sold Heartland harps now. The Infinity looks absolutely perfect for what I need it for but unfortunately the price is basically £ for $ which makes it about 2 grand more expensive than in the states. It’s really frustrating because of everything I’ve looked at it’s the most ideal. I’d get someone to bring it over but I have a feeling it’s little too big to try & get away with as hand baggage? Which is another reason a lap harp might be more sensible, if less desirable.
Has anyone tried the Spectrum Electric Harp that Pilgrim harps sell? An electric lap harp wasn’t really something I had considered & I’d be interested to know of others experiences.
That’s occlution that occurs when you block off the ear canal, which is the booming I was talking about, the vibrations of the cartilage inside the head can’t escape so it echoes around. I know this can be avoided if ear plugs go deep enough or are vented so your own voice isn’t vibrating the cartilage but instead passes through/is absorbed by the ear plug. With the earplugs I’ve tried in the past it’s pretty headache inducing but milder occlution I could probably deal with if they functioned well in other aspects.
External monitoring does help to an extent but I’ve blown all but one amp by singing through them so I think until I can afford a decent pa or in ear monitoring, I’ll just search for ear plugs that are least objectionable.
Thanks for all your suggestions. I have used Hearos in the past as a vocalist when rehearsing with a very loud rock band in small spaces. In that case everything just needed to be muffled so we didn’t leave with ringing ears but clarity was definitely lacking. Since I’ve been ill, I find solo acoustic harp practice at home loud enough to warrant ear plugs & for that I need to hear details. The Alpine ones seem promising though.
On the subject Kreig brought up of your own voice sounding distorted, I probably should have mentioned I sing & play simultaneously (often amplified with drums & electronics) and with all ear plugs I’ve used in the past there’s been the problem of my voice booming around inside my head, making it incredibly difficult to judge volume. To the people who are happy with their ear plugs, how does your own voice sound? Does it boom around? Can you hear it at all?
Adding to what Kreig said, if you can’t always get the same driver, in London we have a taxi company that through word of mouth, practically the entire harp community uses. You can call them up & say ‘I need car for one passenger & a harp’ & they know exactly which cars they can send. All the drivers also know how to get the harp in the back & are well practiced at doing so. Given that Boston has so many music colleges, I’m sure a similar firm exists. Once you get there, just ask around.
