Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp

Subject: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Francy
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 09:16 PM

I've got an old Oscar Schmidt 21 chord autoharp that needs a lot of work,,,new felts, new springs and new strings....Would like to know if anyone has one for sale to save me the trouble of repairing my old one.....

Frank Of Toledo......E mail me at [e-mail] if you know of any for sale....thanks a lot...Frank of Toledo

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: harpgirl
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 11:41 PM

how much are you willing to spend?

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: DonMeixner
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 11:48 PM

Hi Francy

There are currently 69 different Autoharp listings on EBay. I looked at one that listed a 21 bar harp for acurrent bid of $152.00. Seems high to me for a Schmidt and I don't care for the 21 bar harps but they are out there. You should be able to find a good replacement for yourself.

Lets see. New strings are more than $100.00 at Juststrings.com, refelting the bars will cost that much anyway, springs are probably .15 a piece. Does that help decide whether to buy new or fix up?

Good luck.

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: BlueJay
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 03:04 AM

Francy- First off I admit I'm prejudiced against 21 chord harps, because I bought one and found it to be more trouble mechanically than the extra chords are worth. The chord bars, due to their very narrow spacing stuck a lot, and it was a general pain to play. So I bought a 15 chord conversion kit, which, (to me), is less problematic. I refelted a few of the bars to get chords not available in the standard set-up, like B flat and B minor. This was about fifteen years ago, but I'd bet you can still buy such a set up from Oscar Schmidt. I don't recall the cost, but it didn't seem prohibitive, and replacing the whole chord bar structure was easy for me. You do have to drill a couple of new holes, and it leaves a couple of holes in the top from the old 21 string cover. No big deal to me.

Changing the strings is another matter. I'd rather change four flat tires in a snowstorm than string an autoharp. The last time I restrung my harp, it took all day. And then the strings didn't settle in for at least a month or two, without constant re-tuning. I'd go with the old strings for as long as possible. Harp purists may cringe at the thought, but then I just have a cheap old OS, and the lack of absolutely brilliant strings doesn't bother me near as much as the thought of changing them.

Don- Does a set of autoharp strings really cost a hundred bucks? That's outrageous. The last set I bought was about forty, of course that was about fifteen years ago. (I don't play the harp all that much). I'd upgrade to a new harp with with a solid wood top and new strings before I paid a hundred dollars for a new set of strings. Thanks, BlueJay

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Green Man
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 06:34 AM

I have a late Victorian Autoharp with twelve bars and switches on the bars so that they can be changed to minors and to sevenths.

Anyone interested?

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 09:06 AM

Green Man, I am interested, contact me by email

[e-mail]

Bluejay, the price is from the Juststrings.com web page. Last set I bought were $36.00 about 15 years ago.

I agree, the 21's are too much hassle, better to own two harps set up for your needs than try to make one do everthing. My fat fingers just can't move about anything tighter than a 15 bar box.

Harpgirl probably is our best guide in things Autoharpish.

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 09:33 AM

Elderly lists string sets from $32.00 to $64.80 with individuals at 2 bucks a pop.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Francy
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 11:13 AM

Thanks for all the help....I will check in E Bay and make a bid on one.....My wife Nancy is determined to stay with the 21 chord so I'll abide by her demands......Let you know what happens........

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 01:08 PM

Yeah Spaw, I'm not surprised. Elderly has always been very reasonable. These strings at Juststrings are $115.56. Based on that I'd buy a new Autoharp when ever I needed to change strings.

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 01:17 PM

Um... are the Ebay ones used? Isn't it likely they also will need work?

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: beadie
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 03:33 PM

I get my autoharp supplies (strings, felts, etc.) from a great little hole-in-the-wall outfit here in Madison, Wi. called Spruce Tree Music. They've got a website, but I can't recall the URL. Just plug the name into a browser and you should come up with it.

I got a set of strings a year or so ago for about 45 bucks.

These guys are set up for sales, repair, lessons and (the ever-popular) consulting and they are a good resource for string players of all sorts. Besides, they've got two golden labradors that you have to step over or around when you visit and its the dogs that actually run the store.

Subject: RE: BS: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 07:59 PM

one of the best autoharpists I have met, Ron Wahl, claimed many years ago that 'most' broken strings on a 'harp are due to metal fatigue right where they do around the post near the tuning peg......so he loosened them and put vaseline on the peg to reduce the wear....he said he had gone 2-3 years without breaking a string, and he played HARD!....and it's not like guitar strings, where they have to be changed regularly for good sound.

Subject: RE: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Gitterman
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 05:29 PM

Can anyone tell me what the standard chord layout is on an Oscar Sscmidt 21 bar autoharp?

Subject: RE: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 06:06 PM

Do a search on autoharp 21... then on large images. You get many pics.

http://www.autoharpstore.com/product_detail_1224.aspx

(I reverse my chords...like a mirror image- for several reasons....and I re-cut a couple of bars to get an Emajor)

Subject: RE: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 07:53 AM

You can always check on-line at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan. They always have a good range of instruments available, new and used.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 03:24 PM

Dear Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp.
My name Debbie and we have a Autoharp. I know nothing about them, but can describe it. From what I have read this one is going to really hurt the fingers. It has 30 strings.
The manufactured and trade mark registered is by Oscar Schmidt-International, Inc., 87 Ferry St., Jersey City 7, N.J.
Can you tell me anything about this Harp.
Thanks, Debbie

Subject: RE: Looking to Buy 21 chord Autoharp
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 07:01 PM

Debbie...one does NOT play autoharp with bare fingers...for more than a minute anyway.

Oscar Schmidt made 'most' of the autoharps for 40-50 years, and there are many models. Most have 36 strings. Is your black, with little round buttons on the bars? How many bars? 12 or fewer?