[Harp-L] Seydel 1847 and Session Steel side by side

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

As described in this post to my website:
http://www.hunterharp.com/the-seydel-1847-is-getting-to-be-my-favorite-harp/

I recently acquired brand new Seydel 1847 and Session Steel harps in the key of A, and I decided to do a side by side comparison.  I recorded the results, and they're very interesting.  When I play these harps, I hear clear differences in the sound.  When I listen to the recording, I can barely hear the difference--in fact, I'm really not sure which harp I'm playing at which point in the recording.

The differences are obvious when I'm playing the instruments--the 1847 is a more enjoyable instrument to play, and to my ear it sounds less harsh (and a little less dark) than the Session Steel, which I certainly hear when I'm playing. But if you can hear clear evidence of that on the recording, you've got better ears than me.

Take a listen for yourself--the recording is about 30 seconds long.  

Regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp" (Oak Publications, NYC)
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