Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi, Biagio,
I’m with you! I’m interested in eventually getting a Boulevard as a lightweight pedal-tension harp, but I believe they use the exact same bass wires as in the Ravenna, which makes me wonder if there’s more of a bump in tension in one or the other where the wires start.
Thanks, Balfour! What is “Special Nylon for gut-strung harp”? Is it analogous to Artist Nylon? By the way, I really wish there would be a real standard for referring to harp string notes. Numbering the strings from the top creates confusion since there’s so much variation in harp compasses, and it sounds like Camac doesn’t even start counting up from string “1” until the 1E string, which somewhat makes sense. But why are harp octaves defined as E down to F? Why not B down to C, or C up to B? I would prefer that harp strings be named by the more conventional musical octave number where C4 is middle-C, and the bottom C of a concert grand would be C1. I suppose it’s somewhat coincidental that 4C on the harp = C4! I was so confused back when I initially researched what the usual concert grand harp range is, because the information I found cited something like 0G to C7. Coming from my organist background (which I know you are one, as well), I thought that was low-to-high, which made me think that concert grands went down to 32′ G in the bass, especially since in the rest of the music world, G0 would be 32′ G!! Haha! 🙂
Thanks for the info, Charles! I didn’t realize that pedal gut is actually thinner than Artist nylon, but I suppose it makes sense! Somehow I thought gut would be thicker, but I suppose I’m confusing that with being more dense. I also didn’t realize that Nylgut isn’t Nylon. In a way, calling it “NylGut” is almost false advertising on 2 counts! Hah!
Wil,
It would be interesting to compare the sound of Artist Nylon vs. Camac Nylgut, even in the top notes!
Thanks, Wil! By the way, (and I’m sure you get this a lot), your username always makes me think of the actor Wil Wheaton; is that intentional?
Hi, drkatt,
Forgive me for being nearly 6 years late to this thread, but, did you end up getting a harp, and, if so, what make/model/string type? At present, my only harp experience is with my 2nd-hand L&H Troubadour V, which is strung mostly in pedal-tension nylon with only 5 pedal gut strings (5th octave) per the original factory string diagram. I’m wanting to purchase a much lighter weight harp that still has pedal tension. I’m therefore seriously considering the Boulevard, but I have the same reservations as you cited in your post here in 2015 about not wanting the headache of constantly replacing gut strings. I live in West Texas with chronically-low humidity, and there’s no harp store of which I’m aware in a radius of thousands of miles! I’m curious to know what you ended up getting and how you like it.
Hi, Saul,
Thank you so much for the information! According to the L&H website, the 85 CG and 23 both weigh 81 lbs, but, for whatever reason, the Chicago CG apparently weighs 83 lbs.
Is there any way to keep the natural wood from yellowing over the years? It seems like many harps in natural wood that aren’t brand-new look more yellow-ochre than blonde, including 23’s and Salzedos. I like the blonde/peach/cream look, not the darker ochre/goldenrod look.
I know someone who owns a natural 23 with gold crown, and it looks very classy to me. I’ve wondered how a bronze 23 would look with a gold crown.
Thanks, Karen! Quick question regarding this forum, since I’m new to it. Assuming you’ve selected the follow-up email notifications, do you receive an email every time I edit one of my posts? I sure hope not. Sometimes I edit several times, and I think YouTube is bad about sending an email with every edit.
Balfour,
I recently got a copy of the L&H 1899 catalog facsimile; is it just me, or do the 21 and 22 look considerably more like the modern 23 than the 1899 model 23 does, including the carving (esp the bottom of the column) and crown? It begs the question, what has made a 23 a 23 through the years? In other words, what is still the same in the modern 23 as in the original? If the number of strings, dimensions, soundboard, color, and even carving of the 23 has changed so much over time, can the modern 23 even be considered to be the same harp as the original 23?
Hi, Karen,
Thank you for your replies! I wondered if somehow more went into the 23 beyond the less expensive models than just the ornate carving! And Chiara’s video makes a lot of sense about different harps working better for different periods of repertoire; similarly, as an organist, I don’t care for rendering Baroque organ works on a primarily romantic-style organ, or worse, trying to play romantic works on a very lean Neo-baroque organ, even though it’s often possible, though we organists have to adapt/make do with what we have in any given venue (and maybe avoid certain literature altogether on certain organs)!
Hi, Bill,
Very interesting. I do see on the L&H website that the Style 30 has the same soundboard width as the Salzedo, and I understand that those 2 styles are designed with more power in mind for orchestral use. I’m trying to figure out why the 23 has become so much more popular than the other L&H models. Is it just the look?
