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Thanks for bringing up humidity. I am not sure the level in my harp studio but I am in Virginia and it is humid here, especially right now. I did have the same thought that managing humidity would help to keep the body in good condition.
Lyon & Healy West helped me figure out that it is from the mid- to late-70’s, based on the serial number. I think the whole production from approximately 1961-1979 became known as Troubador I, probably when they introduced the Troubador II model? The harp is ebony and has a nice resonant sound. I recently acquired it and am trying to bring it back to life.
Thanks Carl, that is helpful. I would like to use this instrument for teaching and will try to manage this. Do you think using gut strings would be better than nylon? My understanding is that nylon strings are a stronger material and can create more pressure on the soundboard. I am planning to re-string it using the same Bow Brand strings I use for my Style 30.
Thank you all for the helpful information. I spent some time checking out the soundboard and have attached a photo of the wood on the inside of the body. The wood grain looks very different. Also I measured the thickness of the soundboard by using the depth of the string hole. It is about 1/2 inch thick and sounds like there is hollow space between the layers of wood. Not sure if this is useful information but in any case I will need to think carefully about how to proceed.
Hi Samantha, I have the same problem. I boil hot water and fill a metal thermos which I take with me to almost every gig. (I started doing this for holiday orchestra concerts in cold churches, or for cold outdoor gigs.) I really hate playing with cold hands and this has worked great – I feel much more relaxed and I sound better. Filling the thermos with hot water is one of the last things I do before I leave the house, it stays hot/warm for a good 90 minutes. I have also used a metal water bottle but you have to be careful with this because it can be way too hot at first and burn you. I usually bungee-cord the bottle and hang it from my harp cart as I wheel into the gig. If there’s catering at the event I sometimes ask for a refill. =) Good luck!
I was 15 or 16 years old and playing principal bassoon in the all-state orchestra in Boulder, Colorado.
If the strings are breaking at the tuning pin then probably the edges of the pin are too sharp and are cutting the string.
Here are a few I like to play:
Tournier – Deux Preludes Romantiques
Faure – Berceuse
Faure – Sicilienne
Saint-Saens – Le Cygne (Salzedo arrangement)
Satie – Gymnopedies-Michael
i don’t have the music in front of me but probably it is “position ordinaire” – probably after a passage of pdlt?
-michael
bridge pin is the tuning pin? it might have sharp edges in the string hole – I have seen this before. you could ask them for replacements and also a sanding wire.
