(no subject)
Okay, so I have a bit of mad money (yay, UIL stipend!) and a birthday coming up, and I'm going to get myself an electric autoharp.
Stop laughing. Really, now. Was that necessary? Harrumph.
So there seem to be three off-the-rack 21-chord options (I don't have enough mad money to get a custom-made one, and I don't know what I'd ask for if I did):
Option 1: The Acoustic-Electric Appalachian Model OS45CE. Pluses: can be played without plugging it in just fine. Has the fine tuning system. Has several recommendations from other autoharp players. Not terribly expensive. Minuses: Not thrilled about the light wood front. Oh, gods, that soundhole! *cringes*
Option 2: The Electric Model OS150FCE. Pluses: looks kind of cool. Does not have a goddamn flower-shaped soundhole. Not a whole lot more expensive than Option 1. Minuses: Not sure how it'll sound when not plugged in. Not many reviews from other players.
Option 3: The Acoustic-Electric Adriondack Model OS11021FNE. Pluses: Playable without amplification, like the Appalachian. Has the fine tuning system, although possibly not the built-in tuner. Soundhole is a sane and reasonable shape. Minuses: About $100 more expensive than the other models. Not available through Amazon, which means paying for shipping, too. Still that dull blond color. Few reviews I can find suggest it's finicky about feedback when amplified. Possibly a discontinued model, as I can't find it on Oscar Schmidt's site.
And then there's things like, oh, an amp for the darn thing. Anyone got any suggestions? You guys who actually play things with strings (*glances at icon*), do y'all see any obvious issues with these that I'm not getting because I'm a silly brass?
Stop laughing. Really, now. Was that necessary? Harrumph.
So there seem to be three off-the-rack 21-chord options (I don't have enough mad money to get a custom-made one, and I don't know what I'd ask for if I did):
Option 1: The Acoustic-Electric Appalachian Model OS45CE. Pluses: can be played without plugging it in just fine. Has the fine tuning system. Has several recommendations from other autoharp players. Not terribly expensive. Minuses: Not thrilled about the light wood front. Oh, gods, that soundhole! *cringes*
Option 2: The Electric Model OS150FCE. Pluses: looks kind of cool. Does not have a goddamn flower-shaped soundhole. Not a whole lot more expensive than Option 1. Minuses: Not sure how it'll sound when not plugged in. Not many reviews from other players.
Option 3: The Acoustic-Electric Adriondack Model OS11021FNE. Pluses: Playable without amplification, like the Appalachian. Has the fine tuning system, although possibly not the built-in tuner. Soundhole is a sane and reasonable shape. Minuses: About $100 more expensive than the other models. Not available through Amazon, which means paying for shipping, too. Still that dull blond color. Few reviews I can find suggest it's finicky about feedback when amplified. Possibly a discontinued model, as I can't find it on Oscar Schmidt's site.
And then there's things like, oh, an amp for the darn thing. Anyone got any suggestions? You guys who actually play things with strings (*glances at icon*), do y'all see any obvious issues with these that I'm not getting because I'm a silly brass?