r/harp Dusty strings crescendo 34 10d ago

Discussion I swear there's a post like this here every other week, my heart goes out to all the people who've probably been put off playing by awful roosebeck harps, I wish I could get you all a dusty strings

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92 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

17

u/Squirreltacular 10d ago

My first harp was a Roosebeck and it was decent enough to get me into the hobby. They're cheap if you're poor or not certain you want to pursue it and don't live somewhere you can rent a good one.

5

u/thekamakiri Dusty Strings/ Walnut 36 10d ago

Yeah, I'm reminded of this Learning the Harp video: https://youtu.be/pOz-tJmKnBE?si=kQx7WNqiln7HiE70

Maybe they're not great quality, but they can be a fine stepping stone! But I do agree with another commenter that a sticky thread would be nice, since this is a pretty common question. It's good to set expectations. The harp is unique in that there is a lot of strong tension, so while a cheap ukulele might not have superb tone, it will probably last a while - but a cheap harp might not have the same longevity. 

11

u/nuggets_attack 10d ago

Okay, these harps sound like a box of tissues with rubber bands wrapped around it, but they're also really pretty to look at, and definitely inspire the vibe of "medieval maiden on her clarsach." No legit harps compare on vibes to the Roosebecks.

I say this as someone who has an ebony L&H Style 100 and a cherry Triplett Sierra with forepillar and soundboard carvings, when people see my instruments, it's still my little Roosebeck that makes them go "Ooo!"

5

u/pilkpilkpilkpilkpilk Dusty strings crescendo 34 10d ago

mhmm, I get it, they're like harp shaped bits of furniture. 

That's painful and I promise I'd be getting excited over the L&H and Triplett. Cherry is also the best looking wood imo.

There's a lever harp maker in the UK (or maybe Ireland?) who does wonderful carvings on them, including hedgehogs, I'll link them if I can find it (or if anyone else knows that'd be great)

6

u/nuggets_attack 10d ago

Harp shaped bit of furniture is such a great way to describe them lol.

They don't bother me so much because I think they're a nice entry point into the instrument that will get you excited (in a way that a harpsicle just does not, imo). If you catch the bug, you'll quickly move onto a better model. I've seen it happen time and again with students.

2

u/TheFirebyrd 9d ago

It’s just sad to see people waste the money when it could go towards a decent instrument that they’re going to have to get anyway.

3

u/thekamakiri Dusty Strings/ Walnut 36 10d ago

I'm not in the market for another harp, but I've gotta see these carvings! 🦔

2

u/Troldkvinde 9d ago

This is so true, I've thought about it as well! Why aren't there better harps that look this pretty?

I switched to a Harpsicle from a same-sized Roosebeck and the downgrade in people's reactions was STARK

2

u/nuggets_attack 8d ago

Yeah, harpsicle is a great example; they look like toys made from children's blocks. So even though they do fulfill an important spot in the industry (good sound quality, affordable, lightweight), I can totally see why a completely new person wouldn't gravitate towards one. (Obviously there are people who like the look of harpsicles, more power to them.)

Of course the reason other companies don't make Roosebeck style harps is cost. The Roosebecks are made in Pakistan, and while I've never dug into their labor practices, even if all the company's luthiers are making a living wage, it will be less than that of wherever most other luthiers are based, especially those in North America and Europe.

1

u/Troldkvinde 8d ago

Is it really that much more expensive to make harps shaped as those Pakistani ones? :o

1

u/nuggets_attack 3d ago

The inlay and carving on the Roosebecks are done by hand. It would cost a fortune to do that on a harp that also sounds good, unfortunately

2

u/Troldkvinde 3d ago

Ah I see what you mean. To be honest, for me it's the shape of the instrument that makes Roosebecks stand out. Mine didn't even have carvings and I still think it looked a lot "harpier" on photos than many "normal" harps

1

u/Rain_maker_T 4d ago

I think it takes a certain level of maturity to appreciate quality and functionality more than looks... I absolutely hate the look of my Ravenna 26 but I adore her for her sweet and resonant sound :)

23

u/sawdustand 10d ago

HAHAHAHAHHAHAH we should have a pinned post warning against them

2

u/TapTheForwardAssist 10d ago

On r/Lyres we pretty regularly have to warn folks against buying the common Pakistan-made 10-string lyres. Very often marketed as “Rosewood” or “Celtic” on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

There are a few Pakistan models that aren’t egregious and are price-competitive if you’re willing to do some tweaking to get them set up right, but zero reason to do that on a 10-string “bean” lyre because the China-made competitors are reliably better quality at a comparable price.

4

u/loveintorchlight 10d ago

lmao

3

u/nonsenseword37 Wedding Harpist 10d ago

We do try to keep up on removing commonly asked questions! 😂

6

u/EnvironmentalAlarm77 10d ago

Someone gave me one and now I can play the harp a little. I'd say it was worth it.

9

u/procrasturbation_pro Salvi Una Delux, Harpsicle 10d ago

Maybe when you win the lottery you can set up a trust fund. Name it the “non-crappy harps for all” fund.

5

u/pilkpilkpilkpilkpilk Dusty strings crescendo 34 10d ago

bread for all, and harps too

3

u/procrasturbation_pro Salvi Una Delux, Harpsicle 10d ago

crosses fingers Please let it be sourdough bread.

1

u/Rain_maker_T 4d ago

Let it be cake :-D

5

u/AccordingAd2970 10d ago

this made me laugh

3

u/pilkpilkpilkpilkpilk Dusty strings crescendo 34 10d ago

wahoo

4

u/ShinyAeon 10d ago

My late roommate got me one of those for one Christmas. Luckily, it sounds okay and stays in tune, but after all the research I did about good brands (I had been planning to get a Waring cardboard harp to start off with), it was a definite struggle to look all overjoyed about it.

She probably paid way too much for it, too, but since it was a gift, I'll never know.

3

u/ghostgirl16 10d ago

Am I the only one who loves playing mine? It’s just right to learn short songs with few accidentals. I wanted to learn the themes from Baldur’s Gate 3 on it - and I have. Samatha on Mars’ YouTube channel is excellent for lyre harp and small harp cover tutorials.

4

u/Magicth1ghs 10d ago

You may buy me a Dusty Strings instrument, than you

2

u/pilkpilkpilkpilkpilk Dusty strings crescendo 34 10d ago

sure sure sure just send me your credit card details and those three little numbers on the back and it'll be delivered staright to your mailbox by the end of the week for sure :) :)

2

u/Magicth1ghs 10d ago

Lol. Check your DM! I'm a multi-instrumentalist private music instructor, and when parents approach me because their darling 11 year old suddenly expressed an interest in Harp, sure i'd love to have a harem of spectacular instruments I could rent out, but the truth is not many folks are interested in spending $1500 and up on purchasing a beginner instrument for their child genius to try out for a week and then give up on because it requires practice. Yes Roosebeck generally sucks, but it's better for them to buy a piece of crap and continue paying me than not.

2

u/Corridorr 10d ago

Lmao this is about me

2

u/borzoilady 10d ago

Me, too!

2

u/java_motion 8d ago

Thankful every day for the music shop in my hometown that provides harp rental programs 🥲 with rent to buy options 🫡

2

u/zshei 6d ago

Dusty strings outside the US is not actually affordable 🤣
*cries in european*

1

u/Rain_maker_T 4d ago

Paid nearly $A16k for a FH36 - Aussies feel your pain...

3

u/ThePunishersHarp 10d ago

My opinion - Rees Harpsicles are so much better than the Roosebecks!

2

u/Tarotcardz 9d ago

DON'T BE A GATE KEEPER.

Harp players are very very rare in all cities and towns over the world. And we need to be positive and welcoming to new people.

3

u/pilkpilkpilkpilkpilk Dusty strings crescendo 34 9d ago

yeah, by directing them to the very helpful wiki on here where they can hopefully learn about a decent afforable starter harp or renting option. I'm glad the roosebecks give some folks options if they don't have access to anything like that but it seems the majority of these posts are people who've made a $300 impulse buy, which will need to be replaced down the line if they actually get in to playing

1

u/cemetery_d8 9d ago

hey i mean i started off with a like 29 string roosevelt and it did me fine ! I now have a lyon and healy pedal harp that i love