negative scanners

[mysteryscribe]

I will try to make this brief though I am not known for that.

a) I shoot negatives either paper or film
b) I scan them into the computer to process, since I don't have the facilities to start a complete darkroom now.
c) I built my own backlight for scanning so I can scan with anything.
D) I started scanning with a 2400 paper scanner...
e) I bought a scanner last year a 4800. I bought one that also does 35mm negs. I hardly ever shoot 35 and have a dedicated scanner for 35mm negs anyway.
f) My thinking was the scanner might be a little sharper, if it was set up to do negs.
g) It was sharper maybe because it was one step higher resolution or maybe because it was negative.
h) It has recently been giving me problems. So I went back to the old paper scanner and there is a large difference in sharpness.

QUESTION: I most likely am going to have to buy another scanner, so is the higher resolution the reason the scans looked better (even the same resoluion) or is there a difference in the sharpness of one scanner over another. Thanks in advance I know someone will come through.....before you ask, Yes I know a digital camera is sharper then a scanned negative on a flat bed, but I want to keep shooting primative cameras and I can't afford a dedicated large format negative scanner.