I refubished these 3 vintage OS autoharps! Compare their sounds to new Oscars! Now available!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- I recently completed 3 refurbish projects on 3 Vintage Oscars. Here I'm comparing comparing their sound and features. Also Playing them right next to the not-so-nice new Oscars. You be the judge.
These used harps are now offered for sale on the dAigle autoharps website! (While they last!)
shop.daiglehar...
Hal Weeks www.halweeks.com
dAigle Autoharps www.autoharp.com
I really would love to buy the vintage; I've always been a believer in the better quality, and craftsmanship of pre 1970.
I have a vintage '70s OS autoharp. I love it!! A couple of years ago, I got in my head to buy a new harp, but not OS. I took one strum of my shiny, new harp, put it back in the shipping box and sent it back! I'll gladly stick with my OS. It's my baby!! ❤
Good on you, Claudia. The only way to fight the quality atrocities that they are shipping now is to refuse to accept them.
"Quality Atrocities!" lol
Just finished a OSB with 3. 76 stamped on it. Fixed the aluminum bar, new felts and Schreiber strings, AND I moved the bars 3/4 of an inch toward the pins so that it can be played lap style. It is a 15 bar, and I changed the bar setup to mimic the Bryan Bowers setup. It can still be played on the shoulder and lap style as with the bar keys facing when on the lap.. it's a keeper, although I like the sound of my new d'Aigle Tahoma better.
I really like the sound of those vintage Oscar Schmidts.
Have you ever dealt with the Oscar Schmidt wildwood Flower model that had just 6 chord bars? I was listening to a guy playing one on UA-cam, and it was cool. I like the idea of just having the notes you need for the tunes you play, and no extras. However, I can see where having extras can allow you to grow.
My income is too low right now, but id sure like to take your lessons someday if I can. I just starting learning the autoharp on my own on my very poor condition vintage Oscar that i bought two weeks ago. It is my first autoharp, so I didn't realize how bad it was until after getting it home and watching your videos about what to look out for. I am so grateful though that you folks are helping me out through your Harp Angels program. Without you folks, id have absolutely no way of having a good playable autoharp. Thank you so very much.
As someone who plays autoharps incessantly, I can echo and affirm Hal's points. I own a number of restored old American made Oscar's, which I play and enjoy. I have owned a more modern Oscar, but don't no more. The difference in acoustic experience, up close and personal, between an old refurb and a modern Oscar is unmistakable, and a no-brainer as to which one you will want to own and play.
The diatonic sounds heavenly- full in the upper mids. The new ones sound like there’s a hole in the sonic spectrum and have less dynamics.
Imagine playing a new guitar and then playing a 50 year old guitar. Do you think there will be a difference?
Upgrade the older harps and then compare to a new harp. Questionable.
I have an OS 73 that is less than 2 years old and I can already hear it breaking in. I enjoy immensely.
It's not just the age of the body however. The newer OS models have all kinds of issues with pins that dont hold, wrenches that don't fit, anchors that slip out even when they are brand new. A new Oscar will never sound like a vintage one, will never obtain the finer sound quality of the older harps. Many of the older harps were never really played, they sat around till now, and they sound better than the same model new. The corporation that builds them in Korea uses all kinds of sub standard materials to make a price point. The newer 73's have plastic bridges the take the sound from the string to the soundboard. The old A model harps had wooden bridges. (The old model A harps sounded pretty crappy too. That's another example of their shoddy workmanship. The bridge is where the vibration happens, and plastic is just a cop out. The new ones will never ever sound as good as the old ones. They just won't. It's sad. And people might think that I'm lying but if you ask any experienced autoharpist on the planet they'll pretty much tell you the same things. If you are going to buy an Oscar, get a vintage B model and fix it up...or get someone who knows how to fix it up. It will be a MUCH better instrument. But you have to pay for that.