Cars & Transportation

[andee-craig]

When I first started playing and bought my Dusty Strings FH 32 I didn’t have a car, so I brought it home on the train (from Bucks County to Philadelphia’s Center City) and walked from the train station.

My best friend also played and had the same style harp. Both our harps fit in her car. One on the back seat, one in the trunk (I have no idea what kind of car it was). Later a third friend with a similar size L&H harp had an SUV of some sort and all three of our harps fit in it! We played as a trio at the PA Renaissance Faire one summer.

Meanwhile, I remained carless and if I ever needed to get to a gig without my friend(s) I’d call for a taxi and tell them to bring one on the larger side to fit a large instrument.

Then I met my now ex and he had a station wagon, later it was a small SUV. Both cars fit my harp and his bass, plus music, etc. My current husband has a VW station wagon and it fits everything–my harp, his guitar plus loads more.

If we are ever in a position to buy a home it will definitely have a music studio in it! At the moment we have a tiny tiny spare bedroom–upstairs–which doubles as an office for him and a music room for me. He keeps his guitars downstairs as the would not fit in the little room.

I know a woman who transported her harp a *huge* L&H lever harp, to the Antrim Glens in N. Ireland (we attended Janet Harbison’s week long harp intensive course) in a soft case (no padding whatsoever!) from the US! When she got to Belfast to get the bus she had to convince the bus driver it *would* fit on the bus! She got it there and back to the US without a scratch!

[janet-king]

A long time ago, I posted a whole lot about the wonders of the Toyota Matrix for transporting my LH 17 (a semigrand). Well, I still have my now aging Matrix — they redesigned it, and the new design looks less harp-friendly. It still is amazing how much I can get in there.
Now, you aren’t really trying to stuff a harp into the trunk of a car? You need some climate control where the harp is; in a closed trunk, it’ll just get hot! You don’t want that, right?

[tracey-kjonegaard]

Ha no. I have a Chevy Cobalt and I meant putting my back seats down and fitting the harp in through the trunk and resting on the (downward) seat backs. So utilizing the trunk AND the inside of my car, rather than laying it across my back seat (diagonally). Anyway, thanks for your input about the matrix. I actually did look into those. Unfortunately, I don’t even have a pedal harp right now, if I were to even go harp shopping. Also, I’m not really able to get a new car right now but I’ve figured out a plan! I’ll probably save another year or so for a pedal harp (or at least a down payment). Living in Chicago, theres a lot of day rental car options. I figured if I can have someone help me get it to my house, then it probably wont leave there for awhile (until I start gigging) and maybe by that point, I’ll be able to get an appropriate car to fit it. 🙂

[Sonya Wiley]

I just refuse to get a van, lol, i love my Murano! I can get all my dog crates in there when traveling plus much more. hopefully my future pedal harp will fit; it’s not the largest, and there’s always my brother’s Ford van to borrow when i need to move it; well padded of course!

[Alison]

[patricia-jaeger]

My late harp teacher had two Cadillacs, one silver-gray, the other gold-like, “for Sundays”, she said. Somehow she would have enough room to put her pedal harp in through the back but the base would still protrude out just a bit so the tailgate could not quite close! She put extra padding there and secured the tailgate firmly before she drove off to her harp engagement. She played beautifully and was a very kind and gracious teacher., charging very little, and I am so glad to have had her a a mentor. In the time of the silent, black-and-white movies, as a high school student, she was earning more playing music for those, in a theatre downtown, than what some men were bringing home to their families. Do you all know of that book by Erno Rapee, with piano music for all film scenes, whether for Romance, Fights, Patriotism, Chases, etc? It was in the Vault of the Treasure Room at my music conservatory fifty years ago; but I hear it has been reprinted!

[Nancy Vaniotis]

Has anyone used a Volkswagon Westphalia to transport a harp? I’m almost ready to purchase a pedal harp and the one I’m interested in, Lyon and Healy 150, just fits into the back of my Prius base first. It’s a two person job. I have access to a Westphalia but the harp would need lifting to get into the back or the side door. Perhaps another car would be best?

[kareem-hadee]

I’m currently renting a dusty strings Ravenna 34, and I deliberately brought my 350z roadster to the harp store to see if it would fit in the passenger seat. Even with the seat way back in place, the only way that harp fit into the car was by opening the top (it’s a convertible) and sliding the harp in! I could not see out of the right mirror the whole drive home. Thank god I only lived about 10miles away!

[HarpAficionadoBlair]

I was at VA Harp Center in Richmond about 3 months ago and the store manager there told me she was an eye-witness to a lady loading a just purchased L&H 85 CG into a Prius! Can you imagine.

[lambdapro]

My daughter has an L&H 85 CG and carries it in her Prius V. She just got a Salzedo and can carry it in the Prius as well.

[amy-hueber]

Hello! Not able at the moment to go out and get a VW Jetta, has anyone out there ever tried to put a L&H 85P into a Volkswagon 2-door Rabbit (2008)?
Thanks!
Amy

News Update! You can get a L&H 85P into a VW Rabbit! Can’t really get to the cupholder so snack before heading out

[MusicMom]

I am able to carry my daughter’s L&H Ogden with her in the back seat in a 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander. We have to fold-n-tumble two of the seats of the middle row, and be careful of the hardware for a third row jump seat, but it is completely flat and the harp fits nicely. I love that the tail gate folds down for easier loading. I bought this car because of my daughter and her harp and plan to drive it for awhile. Crossing my fingers that when she moves up to a pedal harp that it will also fit.

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