Oscar Schmidt Harps: the Wright and Wrong Wrenches! Stalking the Wild Autoharp

[@a1v2c]

Thanks so much, Hal! I have a "new" Oscar Schmidt and heard that a star wrench gives better control, like fine tuners do. And I also knew that the wrench has to match the the pins. But you can't tell from the online descriptions and photos which wrench fits the pins on which 'harp, e.g. Amazon, where there are contradictory customer reviews. You have explained the problem clearly. I am saving to upgrade to one of Daigle's harps. Now I know what to do to make the 'harp I have last long enough to reach my goal.

[@markwakeman8232]

I hope you don't mind, Hal. I found a 1955 12chord OS in mint condition, never or hardly ever been played. Not even badly out of tune, but I didn't like the included wrench. Not only a kind of sloppy fit, but the short handle meant there was a lot of sideways pressure that would lead to loosening the tuning pegs. I found a Golden Gate DH-40 T-Shaped Tuning Hammer for $13.95 at Amazon, and it fits perfectly, making it much easier tuning and no sideways pressure on the pegs. Not a star, but the square hole is exactly right and it goes down over the pegs much further than the POS that came with the instrument.

[@SPLENDIDZEN]

Thank you very much for transmitting your educational knowledge about autoharp!

[@oracle2mountain]

Hi, Hal: Educational as always: Cyberpluckers had recent comment by a luthier (apologies - don't remember which one - may have been Pete d'Aigle) - who stated that for $100.00 he would replace all the new soft and easy-to-destroy tuning pins of factory OS-autoharps that he sells - with good new tuning pins that come from another country (Germany?): One of the reasons why I have only one "new" autoharp is for the reason of the poor-quality gross tuning pins: Before I get it ready to sell, I will be replacing all of them with good new modern tuning pins. Glad also to know that the bad tuning wrenches I got - which you showed as the first one in your video - will be going into some other function. And thanks for the link to good tuning wrenches via Pete: I have been getting them via eBay but would rather support Pete and the other Luthiers directly, anyway. Thanks again for your videos: I had planned to make tutoring videos of my own for students - once I start teaching, but will just refer them to yours; and will continue to refer new autoharpers to your on-line teaching when they live too far away for my face-face teaching! Take care, hope to see you again at MLAG or CAG or one of the other autoharp events in the continent!

[@herbertw.waynickjr.8164]

Just bought a used Oscar Schmidt model os-45b harp. Just found your utube vidio about the tuning wrench. Very helpful since my harp did not come with a tuning wrench. You mentioned a vidio explaining the difference in a and b models. Is that vidio still available? Looking forward to the tuning one.

[@FerrenHeit]

Hal, about a year ago, I purchased a "T" handle wrench for my OS21C and it had a star shaped bit. It was too small and wouldn't go down over the pin at all. Is there a "T" handle wrench that can be used on this model?? I am still using the wrench that camewith my Chromaharp. It works, but I want something with a better "feel" and is easier to use.

[@DougKing4416]

So what size pins are these? There's no after market decent tool?

[@wildautoharp]

Nope. Not for the harps from the last 20 to 15 years. Not that we've found. We even find that the provided loose fitting wrench fits each pin differently because the pins are all slightly different. So hold on to the provided wrench. Frequently these new pins are too loose and won't hold the strings tight even when new. I have a new student who had to buy 3 to get one that stayed in tune. The new oscars are a terrible terrible product ... not like the old ones at all. They were fine.

[@allanwillcockson6737]

Ouch Hal! Just bought an OS11021NE Korean monster and the pegs are as you describe in this video, & not uniform to boot! Unbelievable! 2 options I’m thinking of: swap old school pegs from a junker autoharp to the Korean. Would that work? Or: square off existing pegs with a metal file and find a square wrench that would fit the resized pegs. I’ve heard the OS fine tuners are a joke and not worth having. Is that true? It looks so pretty. Too bad.

[@wildautoharp]

Actually it's the new OS's that are not worth having. Sorry to say. But yeah, the fine tuners make them even heavier, and suck away a lot of the tone. Really really bad options. As far as the pins go, a lot of time the wood that they've used to put the defective pins into has swollen or shrunk between Korea and here, and the pins are "mounted in butter"...that is not very tight, and other pins only make it worse when you drive a different pin with different threads into the same hole with the old threads. Here at the shop wev'e started fixing up old GOOD oscars with new strings and felts, sometimes custom chord bars...they have much better tone, the anchors are fixed so they don't slip...basically we are future proofing the old good oscars so they continue for decades because they are the only viable option, outside of a 1500 dollar Luthier harp. Those are fixing up and selling for around $750 depending on features. But otherwise, new harp buyers are stuck with the bad wrench....it sucks.

[@allanwillcockson6737]

Thank You Hal. Appreciate your wisdom and experience

[@lancie49]

Gooday Hal, Why were the new design pins introduced if you can't buy a good fitting wrench to suit. As you showed, the one recommended for the newer pins does not have much depth and I can see a bit of a twist happening. Is that likely to be an issue ?

[@wildautoharp]

Hi Lance. Unfortunately the issue is quality control. Oscar Schmidt (Washburn) doesn't care. If your instrument wears out you'll have to buy a new one. Maddening. They just don't care and literally think that little of us. Better wrenches are made...but they are made to go on better pins....which are on the older harps (no surprise there, it's the way of the world). This is not the only problem with the newer harps.

[@TiminNicaragua]

Could you give me a number or link to the wrenches you used for the older harp. I ordered one and it has a square hole and does not fit. It was also too large. The info on amazon, ebay, and Oscar schmit sites is not reliable.

[@wildautoharp]

See, that's what I'm saying! The new wrenches do not fit anything correctly....but if you have an Oscar that is under 10 years old or so, you have to make do, because the older style, which fits the older pins, doesn't work on the newer harps either. I tune a lot of the newer harps, a lot of them, and always have to use a new style wrench that doesnt fit, and I have tried literally dozens of wrenches, new and old...and we are an authorized Oscar schmidt dealer. .and this is the best they can do....which is terrible. BAD ON Oscar Schmidt (Washburn) for supplying their harps with inadequate pins. Do you have a newer harp or an old style, older than 10 to 15 years? If its new, dont waste your money on an old style wrench, because it wont work!

[@TiminNicaragua]

@@wildautoharp I have an older harp. My research tells me it is from around 1968.

[@wildautoharp]

@@TiminNicaragua In that case, here's a link where you can get wrenches: shop.daigleharp.com/collections/tuners-and-electronics

[@sturner641]

@@wildautoharp will these work on a early 60s 15 chord?

[@wildautoharp]

@@sturner641 Yes, they will. d'Aigle autoharps is closed for several weeks now; but go ahead and order anyway, and it will be filled eventually!

[@ovenheating9482]

I just picked up one of these for free from my grandma. Needs some serious tuning. Came with tuning wrenches and everhthing necessary to tune it but i have no clue what im doing. Ive never really played a instrument or been able to understand tuning and pitches and what not. Mine has 5 octaves and i dont understand anything. I dont understand F4 vs F#4 or C1 vs C#1 for example. For example i have F4 in the bass octave but also have F4 in the lower octave, middle octave, and higher octave and thats where i get confused. I have a tuning app on my phone and in sitting in a nice quiet room trying to tune this a littke but i cant get any of the notes to hit the correct pitch i think. For example in the bass octave i need to be at F4 but i can only get around F2-F3 and im really scared to try and bring the pitch to F4 if im understanding that correctly. I broke my string in the highest octave C1 and really dont want to break any other strings especially lower ones. It was around C3 when i got it and i tried to lower it but it just would not resch C1. So i tried to raise it until it lapsed or so i thought and the string just broke. Someone help explain this to me please lol or point me to a video that explains every inch of tuning and octaves and what not. Id really like to learn so i can play.

[@wildautoharp]

Sounds like you have one of the old black autoharps. You can ignore the 4s and all. They referred to f being the 4th note up from c, which was 1. Search how to tune autoharp on youtube. There are good videos that teach it. Good luck. Lots od times the old black ones dont hold up anymore when tuned. Sometimes they do.

[@grannywaggle]

Finally, I get the scoop. Thanks so much for this. But it's bad news. I've played since the 70s and been through several harps. This new OS they gave me at work when I retired has caused me so much frustration. It was a freak accident when I could get the wrench to turn the pin. I see now that it's the newer pegs. I could tell the pegs were different. Didn't know it was on all their new harps. The wrench that came with it doesn't work 90% of the time. My other wrenches don't either. I'm glad I saw this before I ruined my old wrenches on these stupid new pegs. I think I'll have to just use this new harps for parts! Bummer!!!! Or do you have any suggestion, perhaps?

[@c_farther5208]

Did the star design work for you? When I watch these stores demonstrate tuning, I see them using the star design. Just curious. I have 4 of them that don't work well with my harp.

[@grannywaggle]

My star design doesn't work, no.

[@kathrynwebster6307]

See if d'Aigle Harps can remove those pegs and install a set of new tuning pegs on your Oscar. It might be a good investment.

[@chazworm3]

I never noticed.. because all I play is old crap. Thanks for the heads up. Just As and early Bs for me

[@nancywarren]

ha ha i found the old crap is better than the new crap!

[@carolynjames3229]

Mine is very old crap

[@gregoryedwards8004]

I have a new OS and hate the wench! I wish they would make one that fits like my older harps

[@wildautoharp]

Don't hold your breath. OS has really gone downhill, and they are making very very bad pins and wrenches. And there's nothing we can do about it here in the states. Except to stop buying the new Schmidts. Hopefully one day the corporation that owns Washburn (who owns Oscar Schmidt) will get a clue, but they probably don't even know what an autoharp is. They just. don't. care. OS Guitars and Ukes (especially the Ukes) are still pretty nice. Because they sell enough of them to pay attention. OS probably sells about 200 Autoharps a month. I work at d'Aigle Autoharps and we've stopped carrying OS harps because the quality has just slid downhill. We surely wish that there was a better option for that price point, but they are not worth what they cost. Sad, really.

[@Phoenixhunter157]

Oscar Schmidt really need to fix some things. They know their chord arrangement is not user friendly and their wrenches are problematic . They’ve been around for decades. Atleast a century. You think they would take pride in their instruments and make some changes. Especially since they don’t have a lot of competition besides private luthiers

[@amyhobbs7345]

Thanks!! i was about to buy a t bar and now cant. Crazy. Made in China i guess