[Harp-L] Low Maintenance Harp

[Vern]

To me, windsaver “maintenance” means replacing the ones that misbehave.  IMO, cleaning is a useless half-measure.

I don’t know of a factory chromatic that won’t eventually have sticking/popping problems…sometimes very early in life.  There is nothing that you can do to the design of an expensive chromatic that will overcome the problems endemic to factory windsavers.
You are blowing saturated air into a cooler harp.  Condensation is inevitable. Wetting of the plate and windsavers follows and surface tension holds the windsaver against the plate. Any solution must break that  condensation-wetting-surface-tension sequence.

Warming to avoid condensation is unsatisfactory because the effect wears off in a few minutes as the harp cools down.  Bonfiglio uses a heating pad to warm several instruments and changes them frequently. Few of us can afford the luxury of multiple harps. 

I make my own windsavers that have the following features:

	The basic material is Ultrasuede, a synthetic leather that somewhat resembles felt. Its fuzzy texture precludes sticking. Its 	softness precludes slapping/rattling and its lack of elasticity avoids vibration.

	Using heat and pressure plates, I compress about 2/3 of the length toward the rivet.  This stiffens the ultrasuede which 	otherwise tends to droop when used on the bottom side of a reed plate.  P. T. Gazell was the first to use Ultrasuede on 	half-	valved diatonics...but only on the top of the reed plates so he doesn’t have the droop problem.

	Ultrasuede will absorb moisture.  To avoid this, I apply fabric guard to the fuzzy end towards the tip. This prevents 	condensation from wetting the wind saver.

	When replacing a wind saver, I apply a very thin coat of canauba floor wax to the edges of the slot where the wind saver 	touches the plate.  This keeps condensation from wetting the plate.  Instead, it beads up and blows away. This is a 	belt-	and-	suspenders remedy for sticking.

 I hesitate to use the word “never”, but I cannot remember having to replace a DIY windsaver as described above.

Since I built some tools and worked out the process of making them, windsaver misbehavior is no longer a problem. If it sticks, I replace it and forget it.

Vern


> On Aug 4, 2025, at 3:06 PM, JOSEPH LEONE via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
>> Buon Mattina Walter :)
> 
> If I could agree with Slideman Slim more than 100%, I would do it. In my 71 yrs. playing chromatic (starting in 1954), I have never found a chromatic with windsavers that didn't need 'periodic' maint. 
> Periodic being the key word. Some seem to require more care than others. AND they could be the same make and model.
> 
> The more expensive models don't have any leg up on the cheaper models. And at a price of $2500 cesterces, I am assuming a custom jobbie. Like a Renny, a Psardo, a silver concerto, etc. Even my Amadeus, which was $500 years ago, is now only up to $1900. 
> 
> As for the winsavers, it's more a matter of WHO put them on the harp. The best chromatic I ever played was a $100 Caberet. SO? if'n one was to do a performance, the best strategy is to show up with TWO  chromatics. Because? I was once playing and had several windsavers come off in my mouth and almost choked. (I play mainly in draw keys). lol.
> 
> I sat at a table during the break and replaced the savers.
> 
> Just my own 12.5 lire
> smokey-joe/the most unusual character you will ever meet.   
> 
>> On 08/04/2025 3:17 PM EDT Slim Heilpern <slim at xxxxx> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Hi Walter -
>> 
>> It's not absolutely clear from your question whether you're talking about diatonic or chromatic harps, but based on your mention of $2500 and windsavers, I'm going to assume you're talking about chromatics. 
>> 
>> In my experience (and I've had quite a bit) there seems to be a tradeoff between response and maintenance. The really great air-tight harps seem to require more windsaver maintenance, and there's an interesting theory to support one aspect of this (related to sound pressure vibration). Whereas a slightly leaky harp might have occasional windsaver sticking, it seems to happen much less often and I never experience the rattle effect, which can be related to sound pressure vibration or the layers of a windsaver sticking together. 
>> 
>> I have been using the Hohner Discovery models for practice and rehearsals and while they don't respond quite as well to bending as most of my other harps, I rarely have to clean or replace windsavers on it. There are very few models that don't need fairly regular cleaning of the slide, the ones I'm aware of are the CX12 and the CBH (which still require occasional cleaning). 
>> 
>> I'm not aware of a $2500 model that doesn't require maintenance (I don't think there are any maintenance-free windsavers out there, at any price), but I'd be delighted to be corrected on this.
>> 
>> Just my 2 cents.
>> 
>> - Slim
>> 
>> https://slimandpenny.com
>> 
>>> On Aug 4, 2025, at 10:18 AM, Walter Scanlon <scanlon at xxxxx> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Harp requiring low maintenance
>>> 
>>> A few years ago one of our colleagues said his harp cost $2500. He said he
>>> decided on this harp to avoid wind saver sticking and other maintenance
>>> typical of most harps. Can anyone advise me what harp brand are low
>>> maintenance. Thank you.
>>> Walter Scanlon
>>> scanlon at xxxxx
>>>