Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality

Subject: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: HiHo_Silver
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 07:03 PM

I need quality Autoharp Bar Felt. Not the inferior self adhesive type but good quality as comes on original Oscar Schmidt instruments.
Perhaps Autoharp Girl might pick up on this and offer some advise.
Self adhesive type I am receiving is small and poor aedhesive quality.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: harpgirl
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 08:07 PM

Why not order the original product from Oscar Schmidt?

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 08:39 PM

after years of aspiring to own
a genuine oscar schmidt electric autoharp
I finally resigned myself
to the high expense of personaly importing
one from the US to UK.
I finally did it..
scoured internet for a fair priced seller
stumped up the cash for extortionate customs tax & VAT.
waited anxiously for it to be shipped safely..
got it out the box..

made in china !!!..

rough workmanship..
dead sounding top C string..
sounds worse acousticly than my korean made Gremlin
from Hobgoblin..

sod Oscar Schits iconic legendary reputation for quality!!!!

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: harpgirl
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:23 PM

A much better solution would be to buy a 21 bar Oscar Schmidt, which go on EBAY from 125 to 225 and then just put a pickup hole in it and voila, an electric autoharp with lots of sound for a punkrocker!

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: harpgirl
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:31 PM

NHDave...I see from looking around that alot of the felt is now self adhesive. I have some of the old high felt in strips which is not self adhesive or if it is I used glue anyway. Dr. Schol's foot pads are reportedly a good substitute or I would go to one of the harpmakers and ask what they use after explaining what you don't want. Try Fladmark, Bob Lewis, Drew Smith, George Orthey, or D'Aigle. I have to find a new luthier now that my dear friend Mark Fackeldey is deceased. I like the Fladmark and D'Aigle harps. Bob Lewis will be more than happy to tell you exactly what is best for your needs. Google those names with autoharp, attached. Good luck!

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:35 PM

It depends on where you are and what resources you have. Years ago, in medium sized city, I managed to get a sample of dense felt from a gasket company and replaced 'standard' felt with stuff whose life seems to be indefinite...That is just one solution..(see the list of related threads above)

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:36 PM

yep.. sorta doing that right now..
just got the pickup off ebay..
now just need to drill some holes in my korean gremlin..

..and its all very well me playing autoharp power chords
through a turbo rat distortion pedal and a valve amp.
but it really just covers up my inability to
pick melodys out on the strings..

its a widely underestimated & unapreciated and so beautiful instrument..
i got so much more to learn to do with it..

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: DADGBE
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:36 PM

Hi Hi Ho,

There are some first rate autoharp makers who sell good quality felt on line. You might try Peter D'aigle or Bob Lewis for the best felt available.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 09:42 PM

Harpy - re-read your postings to this thread...when you are in a more sober state.

Mistakes valid to a drunk or degenate (Garg/hUll> are not flattering when they originate from a woman of reputation and class.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: DonMeixner
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 11:53 PM

Well, once again Gargoyles enigmatic commentary proves to be....enigmatic.

I have bought very high quality felt from machinist's supply houses. I'd suggest McMaster-Carr. Just google them for the address and their on-line catalog.

They may even be willing to send a sample.

I agree with Harpy regards to buying an Autoharp with the exception of the 21 Bar harp. Universally awful things whose only benefit is more chords at the expense of playability and lots of noise.

And Punkfolkrocker: Learn to play some scales by searching them one note at a time and which chord bars the notes are contingent to. Once this info is known, melodic autoharp isn't far behind. Also look for The AutoHarp Quarterly on ebay or from some folks in this forum. Lots of info there-in.

Don

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: harpgirl
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 12:20 AM

...garg...I am sober. NHDave emailed me and I thought he was Hi Ho Silver. Is that what you meant? Before NHDave emailed me I thought HiHO Silver sounded just like you!!!! Is it you? If it is send me your address and I'll send you some felt. LOL

Don, I played a 21 bar OS I sold to a friend a few weeks ago and I liked the darn thing. Now I'm looking for another on Ebay but harpdoctr keeps beating me...

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: harpgirl
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 12:27 AM

Felt:http://www.autoharpworks.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.12.exe/scstore/p-SC-Felt.html?L+scstore+gvnc2991ffa915a9+1100607760

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: DonMeixner
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 12:56 AM

OK Harpy,

No accounting for taste. Also, I have large fingers and they don't fit those 21 bar buttons.

Bracelet still fitting OK??

Don

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 12:58 AM

My autoharp needs a little work.

My 'harp felt' thanks for the info.....

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 04:02 AM

Piano hammers have nice high density felt on them, try piano makers/tuners/breakers.
Giok

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 07:42 AM

Piano Accordion Tuners use different grades of felt in various part of the instrument - the heavier type may be used for repairing the keyboard keystops.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: HiHo_Silver
Date: 16 Nov 04 - 06:28 PM

Further to this post: The harp I am presently working on is a CR45E Oscar Schmidt Electric. It was just played out from long use and needed all new felts. It was more economical to buy a 21 chord conversion kit from Janet Davis Music. The conversion kit was excellent. However I need an E Major chord Bar which is not available and so ordered the felt strip to cut one. The strip was narrow and inferior. I sold this harp a number of years ago and it came with the E Major chord substituted for EMajor 7th. Conversion kit also came with Emajor 7th. Also ordered an Oscar Schmidt string set which was missing one string. Anyhow, Thanks for all advise. It is appreciated. I am on the East Coast of Canada. Autoharp parts are very hard to obtain in this area.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,Kathy
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 11:13 AM

Hello,
    My 11 year old grandson found my old autoharps that have been stashed away for years. He's a very good musician for his age. So, I've decided to re-do them and found this site to look at and get tips from. I was amazed to see such great advice and links that led me to watch Kilby Snow and show my grandson.
    I've ordered strings, felt, and springs from D'Aigle, and am playing a bit to get back the feel.
    My question is, when the time comes that I replace the felt, is it unheard of to simpley mark where the old was and then cut the exact size and glue in the olds place?   
    I'm trying to make it a simple for myself as I can and any advice you might share on that would be so great.
                      Thanks and it's been such an inspitiation to read your posts.
                         Kathy

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 11:23 AM

Elderly Music

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 11:45 AM

Kathy...that will work fine, but to be clear, the easiest way is just to mark the pattern for each chord on the side of the bar, glue a strip of felt along the entire bar, then cut slots where the strings need to sound. It IS, or course, possible to just replace one damaged section, but getting some of the smaller sections placed right can be awkward.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,harpgirl
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 01:48 PM

If I was going to do that I would take off the old bars first.

Then strip off the old felt and reglue a strip on the bar.

Then when it was dry I would replace that bar in the holder and with it tight, I would mark each felt strip on the end with pencil in a slight v shape to cut on the end of the bar according to the notes in the chord. (like BillD said)

However, since you may not be able to do that easily if you don't know the chords in the bar, you could just match up the new bars with the old ones if none of the felt has fallen off to cut the string openings.

Also since the bars are kind of loose at the ends in the chord bar holder, stick a small piece of flat rubber band at the ends and do what BB calls "shimming the bars". It keeps the clacking down and tightens the chord bard in the chord bar holder.

I'm sure there is a better way, though if you ask a luthier.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Dec 07 - 10:28 PM

Thankyou Harpgirl and Bill D.
          The information you've posted has made things a bit more clear to me. I've slowly gathered the things I will need and although it seems a bit overwhelming to me, I'm looking forward to starting.
    The pieces of rubber band for shims make sense and I thankyou for that idea. Looking at things, it appears to me that the noise is made when the chord bar hits the top of its housing. Do you glue the pieces to the underside of the chord bar holder, at each little devided space that separates the chord bars?   It's the standard chord bar on a 15 bar Oscar Schmidt.
               Thanks again,
                         Kathy

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 01:31 AM

oh, I meant glue it to the top of the chord bar where it hits the chord bar holder and/or on the ends to tighten the bars.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 04:52 PM

Wait, it's coming back to me. Bryan used to put the rubberbands on top of the hcord bars where they hit the holder and he took matchbook covers and folded them and stuck them at the ends of the chord bars to tighten them in the holders. How's that for jury rigging?

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 06:59 PM

On a 'harp, it ain't hi-tech! Just whatever it takes to smoooooth the action and sound and feel of things. YOU may invent something better yet....let us know what works.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 09:17 PM

Bill, this would be the place to tell me again about your custom felting you did, where you used some kind of really heavy, thick felt to make 'em easy-push?

Hardi just refelted one of my harps in regular, but harp #2 is on the bench next.....

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 07 - 11:17 PM

I started taking the screws out of the bar holder and messed up. The screws won't back out. So, I've removed the whole assembly and ordered new chord bar holders. What a start....
   At least now I see just what's what and I've slowly marked the chord bars to know where to cut the new felt. Instead of matchbooks or similar, maybe I'll cut the felt a teeny bit long on both sides to slightly snug it to the end where it meets the casement. I've scrounged up rubber bands for the tops of the bars and have some very thin felt that might work also.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,Kathy
Date: 22 Dec 07 - 03:43 PM

It's been a few days now, since I finished putting new felt on the bars.   Everything went well and I cut off the teeny bit that I left on each end because it hampered the "bounce back" of the bars. The new chord bar holder that I had ordered had a slight bit of something like rubber already in the top of it so I didn't use the rubber bands.
    I will attempt to cut a new A and E chord and put on the existing bars that I don't use. While folowing along with my grandson on the guitar, I see that those are the chords that will make things much better.
    Thanks to the great information I found here and some wonderful links, I've had such a good experience with this project.
                   After not touching the autoharp for a long time, I've found most of the abilty to play still alive and such a good feeling comes from playing it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GUEST,Replacing felts on a guitaro
Date: 12 Mar 12 - 10:28 PM

I just purchased an old guitaro that had several loose felts. I lifted the cover off the chord bars and unfortunately half or more of the felt pieces were loose. I could get some felt strips, but when I put them on on the damper bars, I don't know which strings should play for each of the chords and which ones should be dampened. The chord bars are labelled BbMaj, C7Sev, FMaj, G7Sev, CMaj, D7Sev,GmMin, Gmaj,A7Sev, DmMin, DMaj, E7Sev, AmMin, B7Sev, and EmMin.
The strings are labelled the same as the 24 lowest strings on my 21 chord Oscar Schmidt autoharp. I could probably take the cover off the autoharp but I don't want to mess up 2 instruments. Help!

The wizard of Oz, but not of Guitaros.

Subject: RE: Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 07 Mar 18 - 08:55 AM

Haven't done it but this chap on Youtube tells you how https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2JzuImtnZs