Showing off our new harps!

[patricia-jaeger]

Jessica,
“the lady forgot to send the tuning key with it”

There is a small T-Handle type of steel tool called a Tap Wrench, part of a tap-and-die set. Mine is marked with 0-1/4. USA. It has an adjustable square hole at the end of the three-inch hollow shank, which would fit the square end of tuning-pins on harps. By turning the handle part of this tool, the size of the hole on the end of the shank gets larger or smaller. By having one of these on hand for lost or misplaced harp tuning-key situations, tuning your harp may be made possible until a standard tuning-key is available.

[diana-lincoln]

Lyn, I should have my harp by Christmas! HO! HO! HO! I will really learn the meaning of patience! I’ll be that much better when it finally comes!

[lyn-boundy]

That’s how I felt while mine was being built. It seems like a long time; okay, it IS a long time, but every day’s waiting gets you that much closer to being worthy of it when it finally arrives!

[deb-l]

Diana, I’m very happy for you. A swan in Koa, with concert gut, hope to see pictures around Christmas. I’d be counting the days.. the Ana unfortunately was not meant to be for me. Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans. Will live vicariously through your dream harp for now : )

[Charles]

Here is my new harp! It’s a Pleyel style 62 string cross strung made by me. Now I need to get comfortable playing it.

[lyn-boundy]

Wow Charles, that is one impressive-looking beast! I am dumbstruck with awe by you people who can make these things yourselves, as well as playing them. I t feels incredibly satisfying to know I had a hand in the design of my harp so I can barely imagine how amazing it must feel to play an instrument that has been your own creation from the first tentative sketches to the finished product. I have this somewhat superstitious belief that we put a little of ourselves into our harps every time we play so there must already be a lot of your heart and soul in yours.

[Charles]

Thanks for the kind words Lyn. Don’t be too impressed just yet as I’ve yet to play anything on it other than tuning intervals and scales. This one took a long time for me to finish and was very nerve wracking. There’s not much in the way plans and most other professional builders keep their secrets close to their breast. To inspire me I named him Horme ( from Greek meaning spirit of impulse or effort) Phantasos( from Greek meaning Spirit of dream and fantasy that takes the shape of inanimate objects) As silly as giving it a name was I think it gave me the push to finish him and get him out of my shop. Maybe it will also be helpful in me learning to play it.

[lyn-boundy]

Gotta name ’em Charles! Both my harps have names and I wouldn’t feel quite the same way about them if they didn’t. In fact I love the way you refer to your harp as ‘him’ (mine are girls) – it shows an emotional connection, I think!

[leon-ducommun-dit-verron]

Looks stunning!

[Charles]

Thanks Leon! I always wanted a blue harp now I have one. I’ll have to show you my Grecian when I get it later this week I’m so excited I’ve not slept much.

[eliza-morrison]

What a beautiful harp! I LOVE the variety of colorful soundboard art on lever harps. I really wish more pedal harp manufacturers would think outside the box and create unique art instead of the standard brown “dead vines” design on most CG soundboards. Love the vivid colors, and of course, the ammonite. That is a lovely and novel idea. The pale wood is also quite pretty and ditto for the carvings. Congratulations!

[lyn-boundy]

Thank you Eliza, I’m still inordinately proud of her. The design was at my own request but all the skill came from Tim the luthier. How many people could face the request “I want a harp on which the wood looks as if it melting, with my ammonite set into the carving and with a comet on the soundboard” and not turn a hair? I love the more traditional look of many lever harps but I wanted something that was just mine and reflected something of my personality and interests and I feel any instrument should feel like an extension of its player so it is wonderful to be able to get a little personal input into the design. Once I’d made the decision to have my new harp built from scratch it was a short step to getting involved and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of creating their own instrument. I’m sure there will be purists out there who think I’ve done a terrible thing to a great instrument but you can’t please everyone.

I’d guess that the problem with creating individually designed pedal harps must be the additional cost to an instrument that is already very expensive but I do agree with you that more unusual designs and artwork would be a wonderful thing to see.

[Philippa mcauliffe]

If you are ever lucky enough to go round the Salvi factory in Piasco you get to see that they have some lovely custom designs they have done in the past on soundboards. The original sketches of some are on the walls in the area where they do the decoration. They didnt mention the price of a commission but clearly they have people who can do it.

[lyn-boundy]

Thank you for making me aware of both the factory and the harp museum in Piasco – I didn’t know either of those places existed. For many years my husband and I have had Italy on our list of places we’d like to re-visit before we’re too old and although we never went to that part of the country it’s suddenly moved way up my list. In fact, if he’s not interested I might even go without him.

[tracey-kjonegaard]

Hey Lyn,

Just curious, do you have any more pics to post? I’d love to see closer up/detail of the soundboard and the ammonite and really just any other pics you have.

Thanks!
Tracey

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