hey…been building harps for a couple years now…i’ve made three, the most recent one from scratch for a talented friend’s birthday.
just wanted to share these…
this was the first one I built from a kit for myself. cherry sides, 29 string G-g full loveland levers. Unfortunately, the optional long legs don’t fit in the case, so i adapted the original feet to be interchangeable with it, and have a collapsing box i keep in the case to raise the harp to chair playing level.
my church organist, after seeing my harp, wanted one of his own. his model is the same as mine in all respects (without the foot modification) except that he wanted me to design a lily motif for the soundboard instead of the Celtic knotwork I did for my own.
Evie loved this lap harp, it was not a kit, but built from one single 1x10 piece of red oak. The soundboard I built from MusicMakers’ it is 26 string with full levers. This was a little tricky for a few reasons, not the least of which that I had to figure out how to get the levers from Mid-East to work right. (for those harpists out there…they CAN be made to function perfectly in tune…you just have to show 'em who’s boss…) I used what I learned painting to put knotwork on the soundboard (based on mine) and (her favorite) sunflowers inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
I’m in the process of building a Musicmaker’s kit lap harp for my daughter. She plays a folk harp now (rented) and we are considering buying a full size one for her (if she continues to practice!) in a year or so.
How did you do the celtic knots? My daughter would like a pair of gilleys with the laces turning into celtic knots as they go up…but I’m not sure I’m up to the art work.
The haps almost complete…all glued together, just have to finish sanding, finishing and then put in the pins and strings.
Here’s a pic from their website (we got the walnut one)…I’ll post another when it’s complete.
-gary
that’s the model i bought the blueprints and built from scratch…i want to make one for myself next…lol
as far as knots…no easy answer for you…I got Ian Bain’s “Celtic Knotwork” and the entire series from Aiden Meehan and taught myself how to make the patterns…it’s actually not complicated and once you learn how it should only take a few minutes…but quite a bit more time to learn how…
I’ll tell you what…why don’t you tell me in more detail what she wants, and i’ll make a pattern and email it to you so you can blow it up on a xerox, cut it out and make a stencil from it…that’s the process i used because you have to flip it and use on the other side of the soundboard or other side panel (they should be mirror images of each other)
A) Nice job of verbal fencing with my old friend Bill!
B) How is red oak as a harp material? Any splitting? Did you laminate the neck & pillar? I’m getting ready to build my second one, and red oak is substantially more affordable, out here on the Left Coast anyway, than Pennsylvania cherry. I built my first one year’s ago (nylon strung Bardic), using plan’s from the Jaffrennou book…but I’d like to take a whack at a 36 string with a staved back. I’ve only found one guy in the Yahoo harpmakers NG archive’s who used it, and he seemed to be favorably impressed with it as a harpmaking material.
worked wonderfully…i got the plank from the dept that sells it for making tops for stairs. the neck/pillar are laminated as the plank (the only size available)was exactly 1/2 the thickness required, so i painted with wood glue, heavily clamped and let sit 24 hrs before doing any cutting.
as far as verbal fencing…thanks, but i hate doing it…this isn’t the place for it and now i fear some newbie with a (probably) tempermental half set will have no help, no advice…
we uilleann pipers are a rare breed…the last thing we need for the tradition in the long run is to be fighting and arguing amongst ourselves…
