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DIY Regulating :(
I have noticed I have a fair # of levers that need regulation since when the lever is engaged the sting is going up more than the required half-step. I am no where near a harp technician, so I googled and found that relating a lever is not a big deal.
Problem is the regulation I tried on one string could not change the necessary amount. i.e, I moved the lever as far as I could in the needed direction but I was still unable to achieve the necessary change. Now I am wondering if a need to replace strings since I do not do that regularly, only if a string breaks.
Does it seem that an old string could be the cause of a lever not being able to change the appropriate half-step??
Thanks for any help or advise!
~Mary
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11 Replies
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Hi Mary! Have you tried adjusting the bridge pin? I would try that if you haven’t. Here is a Harp Tuesday episode on harp regulation. Josh Layne talks about moving the bridge pin in the video. https://youtu.be/6rPy3ammiR0 If the string in question is a wire string and it is quite old (say 5+ year), I would suggest changing it anyway. You can read Ailie Robertson’s Harp Tips Blog post on May 11, 2021 on “When To Refresh Your Harp’s Bass Wires” for more information. https://www.ailierobertson.com/harp-tips-blog
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Victoria – thank you for your suggestion! I had totally discounted the idea of adjusting the bridge pins because my harp has rounded edges on its bridge pins instead of threaded. Since I originally discounted that idea I really did not consider them again. Apparently they can be moved with effort in or out. Need to get hubby to try this for me!
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I usually try the bridge pin first before I even bother with moving the lever because it is easier, hee hee! Hope this will solve your problem! 🙂
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Hi, I also have a question on this topic. I have been asked to play a song in B flat major for Christmas, so I have retuned my harp to E flat, so it is now clear I need to address regulating my harp. My bridge pins are rounded on the end so can’t be adjusted with an Allen wrench. Does anyone know if it is possible to adjust the pins, or should I go straight to adjusting lever height in this case? Also, for the purpose of regulating does it matter whether the harp is tuned to C major or E flat as long as I am clear on what note I am tuning to?
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Hi @tara.carolin you should be able to adjust the bridge pins using nut driver and / or ball-end hex driver (such as the ones mentioned in this tool kit by Dusty Strings https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/harps/accessories-hardware/tools-maintenance/tool-kit ). I don’t think Allen wrench would be suitable for the task. Generally speaking you want to adjust the bridge pin first before adjusting the lever height. The regulation should not matter which key your harp is tuned to. What you want to make sure is that the sharping lever is sharping the note properly (C to C# for example) after the lever is engaged.
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Thank you, @victoria.johnson. That looks like a potentially helpful tool.. I have a MusicMakers harp, so had looked on their website. https://www.harpkit.com/harp-hardware But the bridge pins they show are different than mine. I do wonder if mine are just pressed rather than threaded and therfore might not be adjustable. I know regulation is doable, but I can’t help but be a little bit terrified to start messing with the pins and or levers.
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@tara.carolin definitely check with MusicMakers by emailing them! They seem to be a very helpful bunch and they should be able to give you some regulation tips!
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Unfortunately I have had no luck. I was unable to move the non-threaded bridge pins. I contacted my harp maker about my regulation problems and asking if the bridge pins could be replaced with threaded ones. Seemed like a viable option to me. No go.
I was told by the harp technician for my harp:
“There are no adjustable sharping levers made for Aoyama harps. If you have followed my instructions for checking that the mounting screws are tight that is about all you do that is easy. Aoyama Irish harps are built to have intonation suitable for folk harps. Plus or minus 30 cents is considered to be in tune for a piano, normally they will be closer than this, but not necessarily perfect.
These sharping levers have been used for many years are are acceptable to most customers.
As I recommended, if the pitch is low sometimes you can bend the lever slightly to press the string a little more press the string al little more. You should have a harp technician, or some other musical instrument repairman do this work. ”
It seems Aoyama’s puts more concern into pedal harps for the sound accuracy. 30 cents difference seems huge to me.
Tara, I hope you have better luck than I!
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@mary.misiaszek that is unfortunate! I was actually looking at an Aoyama lever harp, and your comment is making me think twice about that as I was not very happy with the way their levers are to begin with. In retrospect, it was probably good that I was picky with my lever choice when I purchased my first harp. There isn’t any harp technician locally, and I wanted to make sure whatever I get is going to be easy enough to do some maintenance on my own in case no harp technician is coming to town anytime soon. This is a good reminder when I am looking for a lever harp.
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Reporting back, I finally pushed past my fear and adjusted levers to regulate my harp. Haven’t done all the strings yet, but got the A, B, and E’s done, so everything is in sync when tuned to E flat. As Josh Layne mentioned, it is a fiddly process and a tad frustrating, but I got there with some persistence. When I reached a point where it was still off at the lowest possible position, I moved it to the upper extreme and started adjusting again from there, and always managed to find a place where it was correct with enough fiddling. Most frustrating part was the lever always has a tendency to slide down while I was tightening, so lots of do overs til it finally landed in the right spot. Fortunately, not every string needs adjustment!
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That’s great news, @tara.carolin !
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