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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Autoharps for beginning players | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19th, 2008 07:24 pm |
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1st Post |
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Will Approved 
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Along with the ukulele, the autoharp may be one of the easiest (perhaps easier) instrument to learn how to play. Just press a chord button and strum perfect chords in up to 3 octaves. The chord buttons are already arranged in patterns for easy accompaniment. Woodwind & Brasswind carries over 10 models of autoharps, made by Oscar Schmidt (Autoharp) and Rhythm Band (ChromaHarp). The Rhythm Band models sell for as low as $130 for a 15-chord model and $158 for a 21-chord model.  The 21-chord electric Chromaharp is just $235. The best value Oscar Schmidt autoharp is the black, 1930s-reissue style because it has a solid spruce top for sharper, crisper tone. The 21-chord model OS73C sells for $280.  http://www.wwbw.com/Autoharp-c61+4294902432.music
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19th, 2008 08:54 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Charlie Approved 
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Thanks Will for pointing this out, I have been wanting one of the OS73C for a long time and didn't want to pay for a used one and all I have found was to high when you add freight to it. This included both, So I just ordered it. Charlie
____________________ Yesterdays Tomorrow is Today http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/charlesculbertson |
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19th, 2008 09:22 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Will Approved
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Charlie: The OS73C is an excellent-sounding autoharp, which I bought in 1999 from Elderly Instruments while on a business trip to Lansing, MI. Oscar Schmidt also makes an add-on magnetic pick-up, which is a bar magnet that installs under all of the strings, and a tone and volume control that you can mount to the plastic chord bar cover. (About $75.00) http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/AP442.htm  You can also tweak (lower) the action of the autoharp chord bars by mounting strips of Velcro wool on the underside of plastic chord bar cover. Unlike other string instruments which require weeks or months of practice on technique, the autoharp can be played well almost immediately. As long as the chord bars are pressed with sufficient pressure so that the strings don't buzz, a perfect chord can be strummed easily. Good luck and have fun with your new autoharp. Last edited on Thu Mar 20th, 2008 12:07 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19th, 2008 09:32 pm |
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4th Post |
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Charlie Approved
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Will I had bought one of these 7 years ago for my wife and she never did play it ,so I sold it and a couple of yours passed and I bought a used harp that did not sound good at all, I remembered how good the OS73C sounded and wanted to get another for myself some times and you pointed it out for me, Thanks Charlie
____________________ Yesterdays Tomorrow is Today http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/charlesculbertson |
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20th, 2008 12:10 am |
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5th Post |
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Will Approved
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Old autoharps do not age well, and they often cost more to fix and make playable than they are really worth. For that reason, you're much better off with a new instrument. Just a set of new autoharp strings (36) can cost you close to $100. You will need a good chromatic tuner to keep it in tune. The fancier models of Oscar Schmidt autoharps have fine tuners which make the string adjustments less severe.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12th, 2008 05:08 pm |
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6th Post |
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jill c Approved
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Hi everyone! I've been considering picking up an autoharp from ebay. I don't play but am really interested in giving it a shot. I hope someone may be able to get back to me before the bidding ends on this item: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120241991466&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002 I'm having slight second thoughts after reading some of the posts here advising against older autoharps. I have no idea of the age of this one, but it looks in really good condition, and besides, it's really pretty! And one of my favourite artists (P J Harvey) has the exact same one! I guess the price would be around $80 or so. I would appreciate if anyone has any comments or advice about this instrument. Should I bid? Many thanks, Jill
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12th, 2008 09:53 pm |
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7th Post |
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Will Approved
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jill c wrote: Hi everyone! That's a good price, but here are some things to consider... 1. It may be very heavy, as noted by the seller, perhaps 10 pounds or more. 2. It only has 12 chords, which means are at most, only 4 to 5 major chords you could play songs in, and these chords may not fit your vocal range. But, if you are already familiar with the instrument because a local artist plays it, maybe that's not an issue. With a modern 21 chord autoharp, you would have at least 7 major chords to work with. I don't play any autoharps with fewer than 21 chords. 3. Vintage instruments are expensive to maintain and repair, especially ancient brands made by long defunct companies. Parts for different autoharps brands were notoriously non-interchangeable, and it may be difficult to find parts for this instrument today.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13th, 2008 05:47 pm |
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8th Post |
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jill c Approved
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Hi Will, thank you for the speedy reply - much appreciated. Well, I decided to buy the autoharp. As you said, it seemed like a good price, and as I've never played before I would hesitate to spend any more than that really. At the moment my main interest is learning the ukulele. I just happened upon that autoharp after looking at this board, and seeing some video of it being played, and thought it was lovely. So I'm just looking at it as something to play around with, rather than to delve into too much at the moment. I'm not all that musical, and so it's more for my own pleasure than anything, so I'm ok with it having fewer chords. If I really enjoy it I'll look into getting a 21 chord autoharp in time. And as I don't intend to travel with it weight isn't so much an issue for me. My biggest concern is the quality of the instrument and the sound, and as you said, it would probably be expensive to fix up if it's not in good order at the moment, so it's a bit of a gamble. I guess I'll just have to wait and see when it arrives. If it sounds awful, well it's a nice object anyway, I'm a sucker for aesthetics. Thanks again for your help. I'm sure I'll have many more questions to come very soon! Jill
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14th, 2008 01:34 pm |
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9th Post |
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Will Approved
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jill c wrote: Hi Will, thank you for the speedy reply - much appreciated. Well, I decided to buy the autoharp. As you said, it seemed like a good price, and as I've never played before I would hesitate to spend any more than that really. Hi, Jill: Good luck with your purchase. Because of the large number of strings, an autoharp has to be kept in tune to sound good. Any autoharp that has not been played for years will almost certainly be out of tune. You will need to purchase a chromatic tuner to tune your autoharp; there are many electronic tuners to choose from, most of them are in the $20-30 range. To tune the autoharp strings, you will be using a wrench that turns the metal tuning posts around which each string is wound; the key of each string should be labelled on the body of the autoharp, next to each string post. The autoharp was supposed to have the tuning wrench included; if it's missing, take the autoharp to a local music store that specializes in stringed instruments and see if you can buy another tuning wrench. Last edited on Mon Apr 14th, 2008 01:35 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2008 05:27 am |
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10th Post |
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dmatic Approved
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Will, I'm seriously considering buying an OS73C, but I'm concerned about the lack of fine tuners. My current autoharp has fine tuners and I've become pretty dependent upon them to get my harp in tune. Is it possible to have fine tuners added to the OS73C? Would it be worth the expense? How do you feel about tuning the OS73C the "old fashioned" way? I just love the way this harp sounds, but I'm nervous that I'll be unhappy without fine tuners. Thanks, Dinah
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2008 05:35 pm |
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11th Post |
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Will Approved
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dmatic wrote: Will, Hi, Dinah: I've played autoharp for 15 years without fine tuners. I would probably get spoiled if I had them and got used to them, but I've played over 100 concerts with the autoharp has my main instrument; most of those gigs were played on the Evoharp, which replaced the OS73C around June 2004. The Evoharp doesn't have fine tuners either. What I've found is that a magnetic pickup combined with a fast, accurate tuner make tuning the autoharp more bearable; using the pickup filters out room noise and other instruments tuning at the same time. Adding fine tuners will add significantly to the cost of the autoharp, but if you need fine tuners in this instrument, Bob Lewis at Autoharpworks sells a customized OS73C with fine tuners added and lowered action, but it costs over twice the price @$615: http://autoharpworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AW&Product_Code=OMARWCFT  There are other models of Oscar Schmidt autoharps with built-in fine tuners, but Bob Lewis (and I) recommend the "A" style autoharp (the OS73C and OS73B are the only "A" models still made by Oscar Schmidt) which has a crisper tone than the "B" style autoharps with double string posts. Last edited on Tue Apr 22nd, 2008 05:39 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2008 05:43 pm |
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12th Post |
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dmatic Approved
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Thanks Will! I was already thinking about buying a pickup, so that makes a whole lot of sense. I also read somewhere that the tuning tool that comes with the autoharp isn't worth a darn, so I'm going to purchase one of those T-shaped tools. I've actually seen this custom harp you have linked here. Pretty much out of my price range, but it sure looks nice!! I think I'm going to go for it - I really love the look and sound of the OS73C. I guess I'll just have to learn to tune that baby the old fashioned way. 
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