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IS IT WORTH REBUILDING?

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Home Forums Coffee Break IS IT WORTH REBUILDING?

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  • #210687

    I inherited a gorgeous Lyon Healy Style 15. Built 1925. It had two owners who maintained and cared for.

    I’m just learning how to play and discovered a crack in the neck and there is some pulling up of sound board.

    I’ve lowered tension but am wondering if there are any rebuilders out there that would like to make me an offer?

    I live in the Binghamton NY area. I am loving the harp and want to continue but thinking if I can sell to someone who can repair and resell, maybe I can buy a Professional Lever Harp instead.

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    #210705
    charles-nix
    Participant

    Have you had an evaluation from a good harp repairman? It is hard to tell from the photos how bad the structural damage to the neck is. It is also hard to see how far the soundboard is pulled up. All pedal soundboards are pulled up somewhat. Yours looks significant, but maybe it will still regulate for a few years.

    Will the harp regulate? Is the action noisy? Is the base frame separating? Is there a wide crack on the left side of harp above the D pedal below the soundboard?

    Depending on what kind of music you like to play, you may be better off overall repairing what you have. Then you won’t have to transition to lever, and back to pedal later on. Only an in-person inspection from a trained repairman can give you a good idea.

    #211385

    Leave it be as long as you can play on it. That may be a surface crack on the neck. You can check its depth with a pin, perhaps, or piece of paper. Cracks can be repaired with glues or bolts. A board pulling up only affects the regulation, and a master regulator should be able to compensate for that. It used to be assumed that sounding boards have to be replaced over time, but too many harps sound perfectly fine without doing that.

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