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I own a Llyr 36 in walnut by Timothy and I love it. I’m in Vancouver, though, which is a bit far for you. I can send you sound clips by e-mail if you’d like, or if you’re coming up here for the harp congress in July you’re more than welcome to try it out then!
I’m waiting for my Llyr 36 to be finished by Timothy Habinski in April. I haven’t owned a harp before, but I’ve really looked into how to take care of my harp. I’m wondering what sort of special care you’re expecting the Niamh to require? I’m planning on regulating humidity around my Llyr and I know I should be washing my hands before playing to avoid getting oils on the wood and wiping the harp down with a clean, dry cloth, but I expected that was for all wood instruments.
As for soundboards, Mr. Habinski talks about them on his website here: http://www.timothyharps.ca/features_soundboard.htm
In reading there, in speaking with him and in researching, I’ve been led to believe that a veneer compromises around ten percent of a harp’s voice when it’s applied, and purely for cosmetic reasons. Because Mr. Habinski, to my delight, is particularly dedicated to the wonderful sound of his harps, I believe he prefers to sacrifice that cosmetic detail for sound quality, and trust his judgment.
The cracks that appear over time in a spruce soundboard are not detrimental to the sound or quality of the harp. In fact, as soundboards of this caliber age, their voices develop – here’s a helpful page: http://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MK&Category_Code=lib_soundboards
If, however, the cracks are simply too horrendous, I doubt it would be difficult to install a veneer later. But I’m not a luthier!
I hope that helped a little?
