Re: Quality control

["Stephen Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

>Steve Shaw wrote:
>
> >I like the robustness and longevity of LOs - but to be honest, I'd rather
> >pay a bit more if it means better quality control. Anyone not into
> >reed-tweaking would have had a real issue with this set of plates!
>
>Wow! I find this really surprising as quality control on Lee Okars is
>usually substantially better than on almost any other brand of harp.
>
>I've been keeping tabs on the tuning of all the new harps I work on
>and the average deviation of LOs from 12TET based at A=443 (counting
>both full harps and replacement reedplates) works out to be a little
>over 1%. That's extremely impressive and with the possible exception
>of Hering (although I've not worked on many Herings over the last
>couple of years), no other brand even comes close to matching that
>consistency of tuning. I've also found gapping to be similarly
>consistent.
>
>It could be that you've got a rogue pair of reedplates there (it
>sounds as though they could have been damaged after leaving the
>factory) and I strongly suggest you contact the company and bring it
>to their attention. I know from personal experience that Lee takes
>these things very seriously. Their customer support is one of the main
>reasons that LO is my preferred brand of harp.
>
>  -- Pat.


Thanks Pat.  In the light of what you said I will contact them - not with 
the aim of getting anything back, as I have the harp up and running now 
anyway, but to point out my experience.  On the same tack, but to broaden it 
out a bit, I can say hand-on-heart that I can't remember ever having a harp 
(or plates) of any make that was "perfect" out of the box in terms of 
consistent gapping and "in-tune-ness,"  and I don't mean for my particular 
needs, but objectively, in terms of how the harp/plates ought to arrive for 
an average player (I know, I know - don't want to start anything!!). I can 
take a few cents either way on the tuning side of things, but gapping is a 
different ball game.  If you spend £20 on a new harp, and you're the 
aforesaid average sort of player, you should be able at least to play all 
the notes without choking or weak sound due to incorrect gapping.  A harp 
that arrives otherwise is going to put off many a beginner to say the least. 
  All they have to do in the factory is glance along the plates in a good 
light and look for gapping consistency - how long does that take!

In defence of Lee Oskars, I would add finally that things are never normally 
anywhere near as bad as I found with these plates today.  They are usually 
the best of the bunch.   As for damage, new LO plates are pretty 
well-packaged in terms of protection.

Steve.

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