Construction. I make harps using harp building plans that have been used successfully for years. I use a variety of hardwoods, usually to your request. The soundboards of the harps I make are 5 ply 1/8” aircraft birch plywood. I know, it sounds strange, but this very thin attractive plywood looks sharp, and is incredibly strong in order to resist the constant upward pull of hundreds to more than a thousand pounds of pressure from the strings, and creates a nice sound. “Purists” may claim the sound is different from spruce soundboards, but I would claim that even if so, it is minor, and not worth the increased risk of soundboard failure a few years down the road. I build harps intended to last for years and be treated as heirloom art. If you find a specific building plan for a harp and would like me to build it for you, I would be happy to give you a quote.
Folk Harp Particulars
Harp Strings. Typically folk harps are strung with nylon strings, or some combination of nylon and/or wire wrapped nylon or even steel strings for some of the lower notes. I certainly like the sound the nylon strings make, however I know one musician who after playing the harp I sold him for a while replaced all the strings with steel. So it is a matter of taste. I string the harps I make using the strings recommended by the harp plans. If you want something else, I would be happy to discuss it with you.
The C note nylon strings are colored red and the F note strings are colored blue to help the player keep their bearings on the strings while playing. All other strings are clear. In my opinion, that little bit of color is pretty neat looking and also highlights the natural beauty of the harp itself.
That said, nylon strings are a little stretchy at first, which requires more tuning initially. Unless you are in a hurry, I will keep the harp for several days tuning the harp often. Over time, even after you actually receive your new harp, the tuning will stabilize somewhat. If you don’t want to wait, you are more than welcome to do the initial tuning and retuning yourself.
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Delivery. While I am happy to ship fully constructed and strung harps anywhere, it is expensive. And risky. I would prefer to make arrangements to deliver your harp directly to your location or meet you somewhere along the route. Please call me to discuss shipping, delivery dates, options and costs.
Contact me today at 513-734-0234, by email at prdierks@spdierksllc.com or use the contact form to ask any questions, discuss the construction and schedule the delivery of your new harp.
Warranty. I build the harps to last forever with proper care. And I want you to be totally satisfied. I will warranty the harp against defects for 5 years. While I take great care to make sure these things don't happen, if at any time, the soundboard delaminates or becomes detached from the sound box, I will replace the sound box. In addition, if at any time the neck and arm break from the constant pressure from the downward pull of the strings, I will replace it as well. This warranty does not apply to harps that have been dropped or otherwise damaged, however if that happens I will be happy to fix the harp for you or direct you to someone locally that can fix the harp for you. Just call me to discuss this.
Other Aesthetics. These harps, created with beautiful hard woods, and finished naturally, with a clear wax or polyurethane really don’t need anything to increase their eye appeal. However, I would be happy to add rosettes to the side panels of the sound box of any harp for $30. Likewise, if you would like some wood inlay to the side front trim, I would be happy to give you a quote for this work.
Levers. The base price of my harps does not include any sharping levers, however I will be happy to add them at $16 per lever. I use Universal levers from Musicmakers in Minnesota. These levers are well known to be sturdy and trouble free.
Adding sharping levers to all the strings of a harp, thus allowing you to play in any key, can be expensive. Just multiply the price of the sharping lever and installation by the number of strings. But it is often unnecessary, unless you plan on playing with a group soon, or playing a wide variety of sheet music and don’t want to transpose to a key with less sharps and flats. My recommendation is that if you are new to folk harp playing, or instrumental music playing in general, go with no levers (you will play your songs in the key of C,) or purchase levers for 1-4 keys. At $16 per installed lever, the price adds up quickly. On a 22 string Shepherd Harp, the price to add levers on each string is $352, however to play in five major keys (C, G, D, F & B♭) is $192. Down the road, if you want, either you or I can add additional levers to play in the three additional keys (A, E♭, E) if you choose.