CHICAGO AND 85: COMPARE

The Chicago and 85 series are both a wonderful series of instruments, each providing something special to its player. It could be as concrete as cost or looks, or more personal, such as tone or feel. Inform yourself to their similarities and differences, weaknesses and strengths. Then, whichever you choose, know that either model will bring you much pleasure and joy. Let's play!

The Chicago series is a low cost alternative pedal harp series, well built, responsive with a full even tone. The Chicago's purpose is specific; it's a great instrument at a relatively affordable price.* It's a perfect option for someone moving from lever to pedal, a serious adult student or as a light gig instrument.

The 85 series has been referred to as the work horse of the Lyon & Healy pedal harp line. Closer in comparison to the higher end instrument's construction, the 85's full, rich sound and bright high-end quality make it a choice option for students, professionals, universities and performing arts schools.

SIZE

In comparing models the Chicago Concertino Extended and the 85-E Concertino are similar in size. So are the Chicago CG-EX and the 85-CG models.The Chicago 40 model has nothing in comparison. This small 3/4 size pedal harp packs a responsive and powerful tone. The bottom two notes, the A and the B, do not have a pedal action.   

WHAT'S THE SAME?

The Chicago's focus on a well-built structure, high wood quality, the pedals and the action are the same found in the 85 series. Both series are built from locally harvested hard maple with high quality sitka spruce soundboards. The soundboard tempering or heat treating time with the Chicago series may be less compared to the 85 series, however the tempering methods are exactly the same. Everyone is strung with the same quality and type of nylon, gut and bass wires.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT?

The Chicago bodies are constructed using a 3-rail solid body procedure. You will find this same procedure in some previous Lyon & Healy pedal harp models, such as the 85-P, 85-GP and the 85-SG. Soundboards are generally tapered following specifications to each model. This streamlined method minimizes hands-on construction and allows production costs to be cut considerably. The end result is a low cost favorable alternative to the higher end pedal harps.

The body construction for all other Lyon & Healy pedal harps including the 85 series is a 4-rail body construction with a hand-fitted back panel. Time is focused upon hand-tapering the soundboard to allow the board flexibility in vibrating freely. This construction involves much more hands-on work but which creates a more detailed and responsive sound box and soundboard.  

SO, HOW ABOUT SOUND?

Because the body construction process is so different between the Chicago series and the 85-series there will be a difference in tone. In general, the Chicago harps have a warm, even tone and overall tend to project well. The 85s have a bright tone quality, particularly full and resonant with a rich, deep bass. Their projection is far more than that found in the Chicago series however for its design, the Chicago series will not disappoint. Both series are musically gratifying to play.

THINK, THINK, THINK...

As with any instrument, choosing a pedal harp is like choosing a tool. Consider your needs. What will help you with your playing and performing? Think about size, range, repertoire. Which model financially best serves you? What instrument will help you move forward until your next step up? Which model may work for school, university or second instrument purposes? Which one simply, do you enjoy playing?

BE HARP SAVVY.

Get advice, Talk to your teacher. Ask questions and play everything you can. Always, always, always take any opportunity to try a harp, no matter the model or maker. 

Have a comment or a question? Feel free to contact HILA by email or phone.

GUEST POST BY STEVE MOSS : BUYING USED

We are please to welcome again harp technician and guest author Steve Moss of The Harp Herald who presents a series of informative articles to our blog about harp care. In today's article, Steve gives an abridged version of buying used. Thank you, Steve!

You may have noticed that harps cost a lot of money. You check the prices of new pedal harps and then you pick your jaw up off the floor. At this point, you may ask yourself "I wonder if I can find a good used harp?"  

The answer, of course, is "maybe." It depends on luck, timing, the number of resources you consult with, and mostly, luck again. While there are definitely some good buys out there, you’ll need to do some detective work, get to know the market and educate yourself on what to look for when you look at an instrument to determine whether it's a gem or should be sent to the junk heap. 

In my perfect world, only experienced harpists would get into the used harp market. People who have been around harps for a while are more able to assess a given instrument’s sound and may also know better how to assess whether it has reached the point where major repairs are going to be necessary. 

In reality though, it is very often beginners who look to save some money and get into harp playing on an affordable instrument. This is a perfectly logical idea, but unfortunately I’ve seen a few occasions when beginners bought a harp because the price was right, only to find that it was in need of major structural repairs, which ended up adding thousands of dollars to the purchase price. 

TECH TALK: HARP REGULATION: WHAT IS IT ANYWAY?

We are pleased to welcome again harp technician and guest author Steve Moss of The Harp Herald who presents a series of informative articles to our blog about harp care. In today's article, Steve explains what takes place during a routine harp regulation appointment.

We'd like to thank master harp technician Peter Wiley and harpists Peggy Skomal and Paul Baker, who kindly agreed to an impromptu photo shoot for Steve's article. On with the Tech Talk!

Have you ever wondered what goes on when you bring your harp to a technician for a regulation? In a nutshell, a harp regulation is a periodic maintenance service designed to keep your harp playing and sounding its best.

A harp regulation normally includes a complete inspection of your harp’s condition, replacement of short-lived parts such as pedal felts, adjustments to compensate for the changes a harp undergoes over time, noise elimination, and adjustment of action parts to improve intonation.

The steps below are the ones that I use for each one of my customers. These steps may differ slightly from what your technician may do, but basically the end result remains the same. Let’s look at the whole process of harp regulation, step by step:

TECH TALK: NYLON OR GUT STRINGS: WHICH IS BETTER FOR YOUR HARP?

We are pleased to welcome harp technician and guest author Steve Moss of The Harp Herald who will present a series of informative articles to our blog about harp care.  You may read more about Steve on our Tech Info Page.

What better way to begin the New Year than with a discussion about strings! In today's article, Steve explains the differences between nylon and gut and what may be best for you and your harp.

When you purchased your new pedal harp, chances are it was strung with gut strings from the second through the fifth octave. When the time came to replace some strings, you might have noticed an option to buy nylon strings, which cost only a fraction of what gut strings cost. So, should you spend the big bucks for gut strings, or will nylon strings work just as well? The answer is, “it depends.”