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Best of luck, Maria! 🙂 Please do let us know how it turns out for you. It may be your experience is totally different to mine.
Kind regards,
Stardust (OP)Hi guys, I feel divided about giving this thread another boost, but thought I’d write and let you know that I received my refund today.
In the end, I was the one to pay for the shipping, but otherwise the process went quite smoothly.
Thanks to Dave, though, not Aine who proved impossible to get in touch with…I get the impression they are quite inexperienced and maybe don’t know too much about harps… but with the right intentions, maybe they’ll improve in time.
Now I’ll leave it up to the admins, I think, to decide whether this thread should stay up or be taken down.
Thanks again for everything. I’m saving all your responses so I can make more informed choices in the future.
Best wishes,
StardustThanks, Biagio. It is not spelled out in my warranty, which is why I wondered. But that’s good to hear. The case has hardly been resolved yet, but it’s good that they at least agreed to let me have the refund!
Thanks guys, I do see that I myself have not handled this perfectly from the beginning, but I have very little experience with twists like this one.
Muzikkon has offered to refund the harp now…but not before I have sent the harp back to them and they have received it. Does this seem reasonable to you? It makes me feel queasy.
(I’ve been unable to find any information on the EU websites about how this is normally done.)Hi Wil-weten,
I’ve been briefly in touch with both Aine and Dave, and have to say I’m disappointed so far. They grudgingly responded to my first query a week ago, after I wrote them another email to remind them of it; but answered none of my questions and gave no proper explanations for the harp being what it is. Instead they gave me information that contradicted some of their earlier statements about the harp! (Earlier they both said it was right and proper that the harp begin on a C, because it was a new, more expensive model which wasn’t even out on their website yet. NOW Dave says (quoting the actual email):
” we’ve noticed that strings are the gauges on your harp are different than the harp we made changes on. That might be the issue to string breaking. I’ve attached a picture of new 27 string Ard Ri Harp ( with right string notes and gauges ). The one you have Starts from A and ends on C . Whereas the right notes for this particular harp are from F to A ”
The picture he attached shows the same harp that was already up on the website when I received mine……
I wrote back to ask for a clarification. I haven’t received an answer yet, though it’s now five working days since I sent it.They also refused to admit there’s a problem with the levers (actual quote by Dave: “There is no problem with semi tone levers.”), and Dave offered me nothing but a refund of 30 euro and a new string set, which surely won’t solve anything, as the varying tension in the harp is the main problem. Neither Dave nor Aine had any comment whatsoever to offer about that.
All Aine would say was that she could speak to Sally about modifying the harp.. which I suppose is an option.. but she seemed to mean that I should pay the fee for those modifications myself? as she didn’t mention with a word that Muzikkon would pay the expense.I have shown the emails to Sally, and she was outraged. She suspects that the harps are really assembled in Pakistan, and even judged the emails to be so poorly written that they may in fact be copy-pasted rather than written in actual response to my queries.
So… that’s that, so far. I haven’t updated you guys before, as I wanted to give Muzikkon a chance to explain themselves, but I’m beginning to give that up as a likely outcome…..
Stardust
PS. I’m grateful for being able to vent here about all this. Your help, and Biagio’s, has been invaluable to me. I read all your posts carefully and have learned a lot. Without your input, I might have been stuck with a harp that would surely have discouraged me from making much progress with the instrument.
PPS. I know you suggested making a phone call, but I prefer to have everything documented.
EDIT: Sorry about the double post!
Hi Wil-weten,
I’ve been briefly in touch with both Aine and Dave, and have to say I’m disappointed so far. They grudgingly responded to my first query a week ago, after I wrote them another email to remind them of it; but answered none of my questions and gave no proper explanations for the harp being what it is. Instead they gave me information that contradicted some of their earlier statements about the harp! (Earlier they both said it was right and proper that the harp begin on a C, because it was a new, more expensive model which wasn’t even out on their website yet. NOW Dave says (quoting the actual email):
“we’ve noticed that strings are the gauges on your harp are different than the harp we made changes on. That might be the issue to string breaking. I’ve attached a picture of new 27 string Ard Ri Harp ( with right string notes and gauges ). The one you have Starts from A and ends on C . Whereas the right notes for this particular harp are from F to A”
The picture he attached shows the same harp that was already up on the website when I received mine……
I wrote back to ask for a clarification. I haven’t received an answer yet, though it’s now five working days since I sent it.They also refused to admit there’s a problem with the levers (actual quote by Dave: “There is no problem with semi tone levers.”), and Dave offered me nothing but a refund of 30 euro and a new string set, which surely won’t solve anything, as the varying tension in the harp is the main problem. Neither Dave nor Aine had any comment whatsoever to offer about that.
All Aine would say was that she could speak to Sally about modifying the harp.. which I suppose is an option.. but she seemed to mean that I should pay the fee for those modifications myself? as she didn’t mention with a word that Muzikkon would pay the expense.I have shown the emails to Sally, and she was outraged. She suspects that the harps are really assembled in Pakistan, and even judged the emails to be so poorly written that they may in fact be copy-pasted rather than written in actual response to my queries.
So… that’s that, so far. I haven’t updated you guys before, as I wanted to give Muzikkon a chance to explain themselves, but I’m beginning to give that up as a likely outcome…..
Stardust
PS. I’m grateful for being able to vent here about all this. Your help, and Biagio’s, has been invaluable to me. I read all your posts carefully and have learned a lot. Without your input, I might have been stuck with a harp that would surely have discouraged me from making much progress with the instrument.
PPS. I know you suggested making a phone call, but I prefer to have everything documented.
Biagio,
Sally’s price calculation for the Balder, with a full set of Universal levers, is (I assume you live in the US, so I put it in dollars) 3500 USD. That includes everything; materials (including one of MusicMakers’ gigbags) shipping, customs, sales tax, building and lacquering.
Funny thing is, I found it listed, available for ready-built purchase, on the harpkits website, for 3800! They must charge a lot more for their work than Sally does… That, anyhow, makes me feel less reluctant about the shipping costs.
(Oops: I see you mentioned this in your updated answer.)As to the warranty, she says she gives no formal one (normally). But the harp is welcome to her anytime for the rest of its life for repairs and adjustments. She says no one has needed any major repairs to date, only small adjustments to the levers and replacements of strings. She leaves a note with the harp, detailing how it must be taken care of; if damages that are due to trauma or extreme circumstances occur to the harp, I’ll have to pay for the repairs. She also says the natural ageing processes of the harp are not covered by her, but none of her harps have exploded to date…
Perhaps I might also get an insurance for the harp, or check if the house insurance might cover it.Good idea to compare the warranties. 🙂
Wil-weten, that’s a sensible point you’re making too. I suppose though I’m slightly biased in Sally’s favour by now…. She’s such a super nice, friendly person and I like the idea of making a purchase off of somebody I’ve actually met and spoken to personally. I like supporting local businesses as well. But I take your precautions to heart.
Gut is out of the question because (don’t shoot me!) I’m a vegetarian 🙂 And after that, because I’ve heard they break more easily and are the most expensive kind.
I hadn’t heard of nylgut before, or if I did, I probably assumed it was some kind of mix between real gut and nylon! I’ll have to do some research on it and see if I can find out how it compares to nylon, price-wise.Thanks both,
Stardust
Cheers, wil! Looks like I’ve got a lot of options 🙂
Gut strings are out of the question for me, though I agree the tone in them is lovely. I want carbon or nylon anyhow.
Sally orders her kits from the States. Then builds them. So yes, I must pay for the import. She has given me a price estimate and it was higher than I expected. Not insurmountable though, if the harp is worth it!
Wil-weten: Maybe. Which models would you recommend? I’m thinking about the Hermine; same amount of strings as the Voyageur and about the same weight. But I need to do more research. I’m not sure about the sound yet.
Biagio: I think she knows this, but if I do get it I’ll be sure to make sure!
Would you say the Voyageur is of high enough quality to last me several decades? Or would I have to replace it or upgrade it sooner rather than later?
Ideally I’d like to get a harp that could last for life, now.
Also worth noting is that the shipping costs (with customs etc) add a lot to the price for me. Does this mean I could get a higher quality European harp for the same price, or would you say the Voyageur is still good for the money, even with the additional shipping costs? (I’d ask Sally this – but am afraid it might come across the wrong way.)
Thanks,
StardustThanks wil-weten, I did write to Aine 9 days ago. But that event hopefully explains her delay.
I’ll ask Sally about the strings. I admit though, I am already considering other harps and, since Sally still receives orders until January, I’m tempted to buy one of hers. Particularly the Balder (Musicmakers Voyageur). It’s a tall step up from the budget I’d initially laid out for this though…
Hi Biagio 🙂
Sally did an analysis for me. To replace the lower strings with nylon wound over nylon, we’d have to drill the holes in the soundbox bigger first… Of course, it can be done… Just annoying to have to spend time and money fixing something that should have been thought of by the harp maker. Sigh.
I don’t want to say too much, but I must say that, when I look through Muzikkon’s website now, I definitely see what you mean.
They sell SO many types of instruments! – it’s odd to me, how they can manage to keep track of them all, and make sure all of them are as good as they can be – it begs the question how many employees they’ve got..?
I can’t help but feel cheated and increasingly suspicious of the whole deal. After over a week, they still haven’t answered my email; though they were certainly quick to write BEFORE I placed my purchase (going so far as to respond late at night even).
However, I suppose it’s best to give them the benefit of the doubt, for now..wil-weten:
Requesting a partial refund and letting them keep what might be considered the cost of rental is a great idea. Thanks for suggesting it.
I have emailed Muzikkon, but if this presents difficulties I may indeed call a consumer protection agency for some further guidance in the matter.Biagio:
You and Charles were both right, indeed – this is what Sally told me as well. However, she seems to be of the opinion that dropping the range would not remedy the problem, as the tension in the lowest strings is way too low (the tension varies considerably throughout the harp). I won’t get into the particulars, but she isn’t enthusiastic about it at all and says she feels quite defeated… 🙁
Thanks for your input about the levers too! I’ll keep it in mind and write that down as well!
It’s true, I could always get a better harp later on, when I am a better player and better capable of making the right choice.
We’ll see what Muzikkon has to offer, and take it from there.Thanks both and all for taking the time to offer your knowledge and views – I’m much obliged to you.
Hi all! Thought I’d drop by with another update.
Since my last post, I’ve been in touch with Sally, the harp builder mentioned earlier in the thread. She has had a thorough look at my harp, and the results are, unfortunately, as we feared. The harp is of higher quality than most Pakistani harps… but the strings are poorly fitted and the levers likewise. (Some of the levers are so hard to use they can nearly be considered as stuck)
Sally texted me this morning writing she’s tried what she could, but there’s just nothing she can do to fix it, unless I get some different levers which she would be willing to replace for me. About the strings, there’s nothing to be done that wouldn’t cost more than I’m willing to spend on this harp.Sadly, since it’s over a month now since I placed my order, I doubt a refund is still an option. :/
I assume Aine meant it’s normal for smaller brands?? Dusty is one of the giants, isn’t it? Or do you think I’ve been misinformed somehow?
To clarify, I was not referring to the lack of a logo like the ones shown in the picture (off topic: those harps look marvellous!), but how there didn’t appear to be anything inside the soundbox.
I’ll need to peer inside the soundbox again to double-check this; maybe there is a serial number I’ve overlooked. Don’t think so, though…I’ll keep the thread updated if there’s anything to mention – might be helpful if anybody else is considering buying a harp from them. There are not many reviews up yet.
The harp stays well in tune now. I’ve had a couple of strings break, but I understand that’s to be expected? Quickly changed anyhow 🙂
I’m practicing loads! About 3-4 hours a day these past few days.EDIT: Didn’t see your modified post at first.
Update!
Everything seems to be in order now. I have received my warranty and string chart, and both Aine and the guy who handled my order have communicated well and provided me with the information I requested.
Turns out I was lucky enough to receive one of their newer harp models – which aren’t out on the website yet! It will be shortly; and the bottom string is indeed supposed to be a C.
Furthermore, Aine tells me it’s usual for Celtic harps not to be branded. So I’m not worried about that anymore either.
I feel somewhat guilty about starting this thread now… but in a way I don’t regret it, as you all have been so helpful!! Special thanks to Tanya for giving me Aine’s email address! But really, heartfelt thanks to everyone.I just hope nobody will be discouraged from buying Muzikkon harps if this thread stays on the web. All in all I’ve had a very positive experience, and would recommend Muzikkon to anyone on a budget; as already mentioned, the harp is very comfortable to play and hold – and has a sweet tone.
Though I will likely upgrade it eventually, I’m more than happy for now.Biagio: It’s a shame Nordic Harps aren’t producing harps anymore. Scandinavia needs more harps!
