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This may be worth exploring.
http://goo.gl/1cjbL
plus this
http://goo.gl/gWwPTDo not buy unless you get to demo/use it in a gig setting
probably the 1S is a good fit – expandable in many different ways etc
the Compact does not upgrade well.loud will no longer be an issue
nor feedback – the bain of all harpists
works for solo gigging harpists
you do not necessarily need a gig partnerWhole different way of doing things
Suits those that actually actually “get” that amplification is important.
Provides good overall sound
Very versatile
StephenDepends….. they can be a sh*tt*e experience.
Our most frequent request for a rental is for a friend coming to a wedding.
After several near disasters we chose a simple formula.
We treat it as a gig.
We charge full fee.
Arrive, prepare, setup etc.
The friend plays.
We take the harp home.
Zero risk and we do not lose $ and sleep..
The friend can practise prior at our house.
Filters out those unwilling to pay your normal gig fee and lowballing by using a “friend”.Ditto stage performances.
We treat it as a gig in the same way.With true professional hi calibre musicians we will deliver to and from performances etc on a cost recovery basis. plus a small extra.
The problem is in the post wedding / performance period all the promises break down and some distant relative is “volunteered” to deliver the harp back (complete change of plans) or the harp sits on stage for several hours while the elated performers unwind and the stage crew starts bumping into things etc.
Rental by the week or month is only in exceptional circumstances if they are not a student.
And only to advanced players.
We still deliver.The common equation is they do not have a vehicle.
Otherwise they would have bought their own harp.Talk to Brian
He would be a good place to start.
He is a Salvi dealer in Edmonton.
http://www.gramophone.ca/Hi Lily – One important piece of advice – slow down … slow way down. This could very well be the purchase of a lifetime. Harplust is a known disease and in you are in some peril until you kind of “get” the difference between a long held desire and what works for you at this point.. Elizabeth is right. Find a way to try some harps and hear some harps.. In the process you may find a used one but more importantly you will start acquiring a feel for what you like if going towards a new one.
Hi Lily
Competition is pretty fierce for used pedal harps up here in Canada.
They are few and far between – literally.
Shipping from inside Canada is very difficult to do on your own.
IF (yes, very much IF) you can get shipping insurance expect it to be around 4%.
Any used pedal under $15k sells pretty quickly if it is a good one.Disclaimer:
We sell new folk harps.
And ship commercially across Canada.We get many enquiries for used pedals.
We refer them all to our sister site here:
http://www.usedharpmart.ca
Join the opt-in email list.
I send out an email to all list members whenever a secondhand harp is listed.
Harpists from all over Canada list their harps – for free.
Including pedal harps.We have recently sold a consigned pedal harp thru the UHM.
I listed it and sent the email out at 1am. (after midnight).
It sold at 1:05am.So take your time.
Research carefully.
There are several pedal dealers in Canada.
New may be the way to go.
Dealers really work hard for a very low markup.
This is a definite advantage for you.Stephen Vardy
http://www.westcoastharps.comA wedding planner and an agent are not the same beast.
A wedding planner is hired by a bride to manage her wedding.
An agent is hired by you to manage YOU.
An agent goes out and finds work for you for a fee.
Some agent contracts as musician managers are both onerous and airtight.
Do not go there.
Nothing beats managing yourself.Wedding planners on the other hand can give you a lot of work.
Your contract is with the bride possibly thru the planner.
The wedding planner/manager collects her management fee from the bride.
Much different scenario.If the wedding planner is asking you to sign up with her as a preferred supplier then she is actually being an agent – not a planner.
Legally she could claim a % of all your wedding fees thereafter wherever as your agent unless the contract is tightly worded in your favour (as opposed to hers).
Murky.
No go area in my opinion.S
I am not a lawyer.
caveat subscriptor
Just seen to many harpist/musicians burned.Hi Jessica
As a harp seller we constantly get asked about these harps and I have tried to use a little humour to explain the situation.
http://www.usedharpmart.ca/info/pakistani-harps.htmYou can spend many hours and $ trying to upgrade your mid-eastern harp but in the end it is simply not a performer in the sense of your original desires and expectations. Call it a sub entry-level experience. The ones we see are just too fragile to have much longevity. There appears to be so much variability and fragility in assembly that at the end of the day it is very much like a lottery with very few winners and the payouts are very small and relatively short lived.
It is important to understand that the majority of Pakistani/mid-east harp owners are first timers.
This gets tricky as people really strongly bond with their first harps and the result is a very emotional attachment that is not particularly “logical”.
Logic says cut your losses now.
The emotions desperately want this new relationship to work as the pain is very real to stop and part with it.
One should say “start over” but that seems emotionally impossible.So it becomes a money pit.
The harp is “saved” over and over.
It is a “first born” and is loved hugely.
But unlike a real first born it does not reciprocate – it is permanently requiring money and energy to function somewhat poorly.Buying a first harp is a huge leap.
First timers are vulnerable emotionally.
It is a relatively complex process to buy a harp.
Especially in Canada.
So many factors leading to what in the end is a compromise.
All harps are a compromise.First-timers look for shortcuts to mitigate the risk they feel when extending into what is a long held, intimate dream.
Spend a little less etc.My advice is start fresh.
Build on the experience.
There are many options available to North Americans from within NA.
Save your moneys, do your homework., be patient, very very patient.All harps are a compromise which means that one harp can never match all desires.
Understand that one harp is not enough.
That is important and must be realised.
You will have several at some point. to fit your range of desired uses etc.
So your first harp need not be perfect – just playable and enjoyable.
If your harp does not bring joy move on…Read about orphans – harps with somewhat variable joy
http://www.usedharpmart.ca/info/orphan-harps.htmThe people in the harping community are great people.
They bring an inner integrity with them that seems to be a prerequisite to become a harpist.
This reflects in their endeavours.
When you buy on eBay you are usually buying from someone that can have quite different motivations.
There is no good or bad in this – it is just how the world works.
Accept and move on.Go….
And take as many friends as you can.
These performances are superb.
They are nuanced as an elegant pageant – not just a harp concert.
Lori devotes a whole year of planning to each season.
You will have never seen anything as lovely as this.
Winterharp has a huge following and tickets usually sell fast.I have been using computer glasses for 2x weeks now
Elizabeth, I suspect that you will have very few difficulties with them after a week’s play
When in tight with the iMac the top half of the lenses give me about arms length focal.
The bottom half graduates down to reading.
The mind very quickly adjusts to the graduation.
Not noticeable.
With regular progressives I was constantly tilting my head back to get the right focus.
Now i do not.
If I need “progressives” when using computer glasses I just slide the computer glasses down my nose and look over top for distance.
Bit blurry out far but stil pretty good.
The mind accepts this as normal with no eye strain.
Walmart Canada has excellent lenses from the same providers that high end optometrists use.
Save 30-50% for effectively the same glasses & they will give you your PD for online glasses.
(not recommended except for casual use glasses)
Walmart USA is a different beast
Neither will service the other’s glasses.
Cheers
Stephen
Victoria BC
Anne Roos has wrote the definitive book on the topic.
http://goo.gl/lyhF3Any wedding harpist needs to read this one – includes contract hints
We use a different format as we do not use contracts.
But you can get ideas.
http://www.alisonvardy.com/terms-of-service.htmStephen
Go to your hardware store and get some small turned generic table legs.
Gently check the thread fit while turning without forcing into the Aoyama.
If you have an original leg find a bolt that fits then try it on a table leg.
On our 36 string Aoyama rentals we have many sizes of table legs that are exact thread fits.
We are in Canada
Stephen
West Coast Harps
many tips
question is what works for you?
many different ways to do the same thing
I use limo amps in a 100 ways
for about 10 years
I can be reached by phone wed thurs fri this week
afternoon evenings
thanks
Stephen Vardy
