Re: [Harp-L] Golden Melodies

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Charles wrote:
> I'd love to hear from some of the Golden Melody players out there
> - what am I missing?

I would hesitate to make a judgement on a model of harp based on a 
sampling of one.  Harps rarely come from the factory adjusted well 
for an individual's playing style.  You need to look more closely at 
the things that are inherent in the design.  

I love the full-length covers on the Golden Melody, which make 
puckering up and down the full length of the harp more comfortable, 
in my opinion.  There's less to snag the facial hair.  Roudned 
bosies are easier on the hands.  I also prefer Hohner handmades, 
since their easier to make overblow-friendly. 

I agree that overhanging reedplates can be uncomfortable.  I polish 
the front edges of mine with 0000 steel wool to make them smooth and 
round.  The Special 20 and Lee Oskar both avoid this problem with 
full recessed reedplates.  

I can't imagine that a bend on a GM is any easier or harder than on 
a Special 20, aside from just the random way the factory has 
adjusted the action.  Another sampling of two randomly chosen harps 
might swing things the other way, or have both be exceptional -- or 
unacceptable.  At least with the Golden Melody, like the Lee Oskar 
and the Special 20, you can remove the covers and easily access the 
reeds for adjustment.  

-tim

Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/