I played on both, from the very beginning. When I was playing nylon without
nails, I played my wire harps without nails (still sounded good to me and it
was fun anyway). Now that I've been playing nylon with nails for several years,
I play the wire with nails as well.
I must admit, I look upon damping as "merely a technique, not a religion" and I
don't worry much about it. One thing I like about the wire is the arrangements
don't have to be so cluttered with notes, since the wonderful strings ring
longer than their nylon counterparts.
I'm about to restring one of my harps with gut, to see what that is like, and
how it sounds. The nails might pose a problem at first, but hey, I'll figure
something out.
Don't ever not do something just because it is "not something very many people
do" - make your own choices, and have fun with whatever you decide.
Debra Knodel