[Harp-L] Why Custom Harps

["Bill Kumpe" <bkumpe@xxxxxxx>]

I just had my first custom harp made.  Mike Peace, a wonderful Tulsa harp
player and technician re-tuned a SP20 to Melody Maker tuning for me and I
have to say it is the best harp I have ever played.  Period.  It is really
several cuts above a perfect out of the box LO, SP20 or Suzuki BM.  As time
and budget permits, I hope to have him "hot rod" several more for me.

But, and perhaps the more experienced folks on the list can correct me on
this if I am wrong, the in-between solution for a lot of us who can't
justify a box full of custom harps is to (1) learn to select a good out of
the box harp to start with (they are not all alike and some harps of the
same model and even the same shipment play a lot better than others)  and
(2) learn to work on the harps a little yourself.  Nothing major but enough
to make them play to your liking.  I'm not talking about the level of tune
up that a master craftsman gives a custom harp, just curling the reeds a
little, etc. 

Again, this is my opinion only and I am certainly open to correction, a GOOD
out of the box LO, SP20 or Suzuki BM is a better harp than nine tenths of
the people who buy them are players.  But, having said that, just like a
guitar, a properly set up harp is MUCH easier to play and a harp set up by a
pro is an absolute delight.

Bill Kumpe
Tulsa, Oklahoma