String & Such

Strings

I offer a choice of two different strings for all but the lowest octave on the Spiorad 34 harp:

Savarez Alliance KF fluorocarbon (sometimes referred to as “carbon”, or “carbon-fibre”) have become well-known in the harp community for their prompt attack, and clear voice.  It will last longer, and have a clearer voice than a gut or nylon string. 

•      For some time, I have become aware the Savarez strings less than 0.77mm in diameter suffer from inconsistent quality, and are more prone to breakage.  For this reason, I now use the Aquila Biocarbon for the strings C13 through A1 on the Spiorad 34 harp, unless full fluorocarbon strings are requested.  In that upper register, the tone difference is not noticeable, and the small diameter Biocarbon strings have greater longevity.

Aquila Biocarbon "sugar" strings are now available on my harps.

From the Aquila website:

"With a transparent look that resembles crystal glass, SHN strings are made using a blend of a recently discovered Italian bio-plastic derived from sugar-cane, that we call ‘Sugar’. 

The sound of these strings is clearly brilliant, clean and prompt, and provide great acoustic power. 

These strings have both the sweetness and sing-ability of gut, and, at the same time, the clearness and promptness of attack typical of Fluorocarbon. 

Even though the surface is extremely smooth, the grip on the fingers is remarkable; in other words, they will never feel slippery." 

The strings (other than C or F) have a light, translucent color.  The C strings are a bright red, and the F strings are a pure blue.  I have customers who prefer the Aquila strings for double harps because they are more opaque than fluorocarbon, making the second rank of strings easier to see.

For the lowest octave on all 34 string harps, I use either Savarez Celtic Harp wire-wound strings, or custom wound strings from North Shore Strings in Massachusetts.

In the U.S. and Canada, replacement Savarez fluorocarbon strings can be ordered from Vanderbilt Strings through their website, or by calling (812) 333-5255.  The correct sizes are shown in the chart below.  In a pinch, a string one size up, or one size down can be used.  In some cases, a string part number may have an "A" suffix.  This is the same string, but a longer piece, usually twice the length of the non-A string.  When ordering "C" or "F" strings, make sure the part number has the "R" or "B" suffix indicating the correct color for the string.  There are one or two where a particular size can be red, black, or uncolored.  For a Savarez distributor outside the U.S. or Canada, please see the Savarez website.

For Biocarbon strings, I now keep a supply of Aquila strings on hand for those who don't want the overseas shipping wait.  If you desire, you may order directly from Aquila.  Using their menus, navigate Early Music Strings> Choose by Instrument> Historical Harp.  The non-colored strings are the SHN series.  The C/red strings are SHR, and the F/blue strings are SHB.  In their part number, e.g.73SHR180, the "73" is the string diameter (in this case 0.73mm), and the 180 is the length in millimeters.

Levers

I now offer two different styles of levers on my harps

Camac levers are high-quality, precision levers, with a very smooth action, and minimal displacement of the string. The C and F levers have a color band corresponding to the colored strings. When I began designing my harp, the overwhelming answer I received to “what lever would you recommend I use?” was Camac.  As standard, I use Camac’s bright nickel-plated lever. For an additional charge of $100, I can install either their gold-plated, or dark nickel plated levers.

Argent Fox Forte levers are an improved take on an older lever style.  Made of anodized 7075 Aluminium, brass and stainless steel, they are very light weight, and have a smooth, consistent operation.  Available in silver or gold anodized aluminmum.. They may be ordered with colored bands on the levers for C and F, or with red and blue anodized levers for C and F.  On the 34 string Spiorad, they save over a pound of weight, and on the double 24 Planxty Susan, they save over two pounds on a fully levered harp.

Tuning Pins

I use Argent Fox tuning and bridge pins.  Argent Fox produces a consistently high quality pin.  These can be provided in nickel plated finish (standard),or dark oxide (a matte black look).

           Spiorad 34 String Chart