Have you ever tried to build an harp by yourself?
I’m thinking about it. A very simple one with a heavy plywood frame, nylon strings and allen bolts passing through it as tuning pegs…
Any comment?
I built one from a Heartland kit and it came out very nice. They don’t make kits any more, but there are some companies that do, like these:
http://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=0001harp
They also sell plans, if you’re handy enough to build from those.
I would suggest you do some research, and perhaps try building a harp from one of the MusicMaker kits (as Paul suggested) before trying to build one from scratch.
Do you actually play the harp? Are you thinking of building a traditional wire-strung harp or a neo-Celtic nylon-strung harp?
Redwolf
I’ll tell harpmaker about this thread - but he’s busy getting ready for the Dublin (Ohio) Festival, so may not be back on for a week… 
Some other options:
If you don’t want to build a kit, MusicMaker also sells harp plans. And if you’re really handy already, they have a book on instrument building that would help you.
And if you just want to build a simple harp, there’s always the piper harp:
http://www.johnkovac.com/piperharp.html
Redwolf
Or, even simpler (and, by all accounts, actually a very nice-sounding instrument):
http://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=smartharp
Also, Stoney End sells their harps in kit form:
http://www.stoneyend.com/harps.html
Redwolf
hi all
can anyone suggest a source of really good set plans Scots / Irish harps.
thanks
un.
hi all
Adrian, I wouldn’t make it from ply wood, if your going to the trouble of building something thats going to be playable which means using a decent set o’ plans.
That’ll give you the right string lengths and spacing so it is a pleasure to phisicaly play it, you might as well use materials that would, if put together fairly well have the potential of sounding good. Then you’ll have something that play’s well and sounds good.
I suggest you do a search for and check out “Luthier Supplies” and “Tonewood”,
Maple and Walnut are good tonewoods and cheaper than you might expect. Don’t be afraid to email them with your requirements (dimensions) and ask their advice on “cuts” of wood depending on the aplication, structural / soundboard etc. most are very helpful.
I see your from Spain so heres two of the big Spanish suppliers.
http://www.madinter.com/b2c/index.php?idioma=2
http://www.maderasbarber.com/main.asp?lan=esp
good luck
un.
“Plywood” isn’t necessarily a negative. The use of laminates is becoming quite common in harp building these days, especially for the neck and pillar. The Dusty Strings Ravenna line uses laminates in the soundbox, which results in an excellent sound and light weight (not to mention a harp that is less sensitive to temperature and humidity changes) at a fraction of the cost.
We’re not talking Home Depot/cheapo plywood here, however…that’s true.
You asked about Irish harp plans…by that do you mean a traditional wire-strung harp? If so, you might want to ask on the wire harp list at Yahoo…a couple of people there build harps, and could probably steer you in the right direction.
Redwolf
Hi all,
After building a few scores of these things I can offer you some advice.
Harp building is really unlike the construction of other stringed instruments. You don’t have 30 strings at high tension pulling straight out of a guitar soundboard for example!
The last harp I made has 750 pounds ( 340.9 kg) of tension on it’s soundboard. Guitars have a fraction of that.
Using high quality laminates for sound boards is perfectly reasonable, especially if you are dedicated amateur who doesn’t have a great deal of money or time to invest starting out. I know my guitar making friends hate this idea, but it does work very well in harps.
I’d recommend strongly reading both Jerry Brown’s and Rick Kemper’s stuff on building. I also like the John Kovac’s book on making Latin American style harps.
Here’s Rick’s site. http://www.sligoharps.com/
Rick’s stuff is online and free. His construction methods are very complex and it gives you an excellent idea of how professional harp makers do their thing. Read it over as there is value tips on harp making at any level in there, like for instance how to make a neck with straight pins holes (sounds simple right?? It isn’t) He also offers plans, one of which is free and downloadable for a very simple to build instrument. He has one wire strung harp plan.
MusicMakershttp://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
Offers kits, plans, parts and a good book on building your own from scratch. Nice sounding instruments.
And John’s sitehttp://www.johnkovac.com/ His book Harp making made simple has very neat, easy to build harps in the Paraguayan style.
If you are seeking plans for a historical wire strung harp check David Kortier’s site. He offer plans of five historical Gaelic harps.
http://www.kortier.com/wire.htm They do not come with directions or anything, but are very good clear plans.
This is the sort of instrument crazies like myself play.
CM
Are you a wire harper, ceadach? I just took up wire this year…whole different animal from lever, but I’m loving it!
Redwolf
Oh yes. For the past 25 years now. And yes it is a whole different beast than nylon. The construction is somewhat different, and technique is radically different. I got into building when I did as there were few people making wire strung harps when I started out!
CM
I can believe it. They’re still sometimes hard to come by, especially if you’re in the market for a used instrument. I got outbid for a couple of Caswells on eBay before deciding to have my husband finish a Dreamsinger Bard for me instead (he’s just getting into the idea of instrument building, and wanted to start off easy by finishing a harp rather than trying to build one.
Redwolf
Indeed it is!
As far as wire harps go there is next to nothing in kit form. The Dreamsinger instruments are a really good deal for the money, and have good spacing and sound.
Ok Ok
I concede I;m liable to get things wrong in my enthusiasm.
750 pounds eh? sounds like harp makers will be going down the carbon fiber / nomex double top high tech route if they hav’nt already.
Thank’s for keeping me right and the linx though.
And yeah the wire strung sound like the real thing to me.
yours Un.
I’ve been really pleased with mine…the sound is lovely, and it has a surprisingly big voice for its size. I’ll never forget the first time I brought it up to pitch and heard it sing.
unregulated, I’ve heard of carbon fiber being used in pedal harps, but not in folk/traditional harps (mainly it’s a way of keeping the weight down, as those things are freakin’ huge!).
Redwolf
No worries unregulated. And heck yea…carbon fibre is amazing and if I could afford the equipment I’d certain give it a try! In theory you could make the entire instrument, save the pins and wire strings out of the stuff, I’d love to make an instrument that was danged neigh indestructible! 
Like Red mentions, several makers of classical harps are using it in various ways and at least one hammer dulcimer maker who offers a CF frame as a option on his instruments. Carbon fibre makes a great alternative to nylon strings…so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone started using for parts small harps at some point in the future as well.
Most of my instrument use solid wood throughout but I’ve made several student instruments with laminated soundboards to very good effect. In fact one of the nicest sounding nylon strung instruments I’ve ever heard turned out to have a soundboard of birch aircraft laminate. Light and solid.
Redwolf, glad to hear you are getting along with your new harp!
CM
Does anyone know if any of the kit harps have string tension similar to the L&H Troubadours? Those are supposed to have around 2000 lbs- at least the newer ones.
Evidently some of the folk harp makers ARE starting to work in carbon fiber, as well as other non-traditional materials. Here are a couple:
http://www.dormanmusic.com/NoFrames/Travel_Harp_Pictures.htm
http://www.thomharps.com.au/design.html
http://www.heartlandharps.com/delight.html
No wire-strungs though, as far as I can tell.
Redwolf