Harp Guitars
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| Here’s what my friend “You need to check this out! On seeing pics of You’re looking at the first collaborative effort between myself and Arul, a maker of fine classical guitars living in The Story After seeing his first harp guitar, my friend The Project My original intention was to create something as close as possible to the exact Dyer Style 4 harp guitar that Michael Hedges played – as this may be the most recognized and popular harp guitar of all time. It is also, by dumb luck, the simplest of the five Dyer models, and thus the cheapest to produce. By complete coincidence, the Style 4 Dyer is also the instrument inherited by In the future, we may not necessarily strive for semi-accurate “reproductions,” but perhaps “close copies,” with substitutions for woods and trim that make the job more realistic, and even more interesting. Hopefully, we can create both. Note that there is no standard Dyer harp guitar – measurements and details have varied quite a bit from specimen to specimen, and the harp guitar community continues efforts to come up with a set of average specimen specifications. The Instrument This prototype was a rather bold experiment to see how close we could come to the real thing right out of the gate, while still keeping costs down to an absolute minimum. The GAL plans were followed nearly to the letter. The woods are Tuners: This is a challenge for vintage reproduciotn instruments. Certainly no one wants to use friction pegs for the subs – in fact, we replace them on nearly all vintage instruments with either Stew-Mac 5-Star or Waverly 4:1 banjo tuners. For this project, I tried Gotoh tuners, which feel even smoother than Waverlys, but are less costly, and have a similar (but more translucent) button. Overall, I am quite pleased with them. The neck tuners, not so much. Believe it or not, replacements for these ultra-common vintage tuners have never been properly addressed. These are the German-made 3-on-a-plate version used by National for their reproduction resonator guitars. Unfortunately, they suck. They work, but are somewhat stiff and inconsistent. As it happens, Stew-Mac has finally created their own 3-on-a-plate tuners! They are simpler (non-engraved, rectangular) but will presumably be of better quality, and fit the vibe of a vintage instrument. As anyone could have told them, demand has been through the roof, and it will be weeks/months before most of us can obtain them. When I do, the purchaser of this instrument can request them as a replacement free of charge, or alternately, decide to live with the current tuners, for which I will send a $40 rebate. Fit and finish: This one is not quite up to Arul’s standards, so let’s call it a 7. To be fair, I am pushing him for the lowest possible price point, and so keep reminding him to keep it simple and not sweat the details. For example, I had to tell him not to worry about the inside looking beautiful (the Larson’s often left braces un-sanded and rough). He was taking too much time on the quality of the insides; in the future I hope he can provide good, solid workmanship but streamline this as much as possible. More care will be paid to the outside in the future; this one was rushed through a bit to make HGG6 (which it just missed). The photos should show that I am being critical - it's really very nice. Again, the dichotomy is that I want a budget harp guitar - meaning that it cannot possibly have the look, feel and sound of a $8000-15,000 instrument - while Arul naturally takes pride in what he is building. The trick will be to cajole him into building instruments somewhere in-between, resulting in a great, but inexpensive, instrument - that's what my customers are clamoring for. Bottom line: It’s still way better than a Lark in the Morning, and only a couple hundred bucks more! So how does it compare to Lark in playability and tone? Fret wire was "jumbo" stock Arul had in hand, higher than I prefer, so Stew-Mac med/med has been sent for the next batch. For non-classical players, it is easier to play as it has the standard Dyer nut width and slight radius, not the wider, flat fingerboard of the Lark. Tone is hard to describe! Larks are a bit harsh, wild and wooly, but “pleasingly jangly” and plenty loud with decent basses. Vintage Dyers are often loaded with overtones, sometimes too much. The finest copies and variations offer a sophisticated palette and balance, with medium, controlled overtones. This one sounds like a piano. I mean almost literally. Perhaps due to the resulting neck angle and low saddle, perhaps something else, but it is virtually lacking in overtones. Every note, from lowest sub, to open strings, to any fretted note, sounds the same – clean and “pure.” Separation then, when playing complex chords and bass all at the same time, is incredibly clear. This may not sound quite like a vintage Dyer, but it could very well make a wonderful and unique recording instrument for various styles of music. I don’t think you could get this sound again if you asked for it! It is of course brand new, so will loosen up down the road. Bottom line: I don’t yet know what we will price the next Arul instrument at, let alone a future supply. I was shooting for 3k, but practically speaking, it’ll have to be somewhere closer to 4k. This one is a grand off just because we know we can do better. Yet it totally kicks the Lark in the Morning version’s butt, and compared to a Lark that has had the necessary fret dress, set-up and tuner upgrades (equivalent to this instrument), our prototype is only a few hundred more. Aesthetics, playability, construction, historical accuracy, you name-it. Proving that we never sleep, bringing you a new “Harp Guitar Music Budget Model” at a bargain! - Gregg Miner, the "harp guitar pope" |
Specifications:<!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]--> Sitka spruce top 1-7/8" nut width Price: $2,750 (additional 3-4% fee if paying via Paypal) Shipping not included Email to place a hold or obtain payment terms and conditions. |
| More pictures of Harp Guitars will be posted soon.. |
