Harps for Sale
I currently have the following used harps for
sale. All are in excellent condition, and include a tuning key
and a padded carrying case unless otherwise specified.
* Blevins Ariel 38, mint condition, cherry wood,
spruce sounding board, full set of Loveland levers, padded carrying
case. $3,400.00 plus shipping.
* Thormahlen Swan 36, cherry wood, nylon strings, full set of Truitt
levers, Blue Heron custom soft padded carrying case, extra set of new
strings included. 2 years old, very lightly played.
Incorporates newest improvements: roomier spacing in upper range of
harp, piano pinblock for neck, transferrable five year warranty,
veneered soundboard, stronger shoulder
block. $5,800.00. Current new harp price $6,200.00.
* Thormahlen Swan 36, cherry wood, carbonfiber strings, full set of
Truitt levers, Blue Heron custom soft padded carrying case, extra set
of nylon strings included. Custom pink abalone inlay on pillar in
Arabic calligraphy, saying "God is Great." Incorporates newest
improvements: roomier spacing in upper range of harp, piano pinblock
for neck, transferrable five year warranty, veneered soundboard,
stronger shoulder block. Bottom note A.
$7,500.00. Current new harp price $7,920.00.
* Kortier Electric F31- solidbody. Bottom note C, top note E. Carbon
fiber strings. Extremely portable, very lightweight (about 12
lbs), yet has a full range, and a huge sound. The bass is lush and
full, the upper range is clear and very harplike. The output is
buffered to give excellent results with any sound reinforcement system,
including effects pedals and wireless systems. Includes multi-height
custom stand and custom semi-rigid dancing harness. Price of $2,595
includes custom stand, case, tuning wrench, and dancing harness.
Lists for $2,995.
* Cunningham 26 - Barely played, approximately 2 years old.
Cherry wood, single-ply spruce soundboard. Beautifully
constructed rounded back soundbox, elegant detachable stool. Range 1st
octave G - 5th octave C. Standard concert string spacing.
Full Camac levers. Minor cosmetic scratches on back of soundbox
and legs. $1,400.00 does not include case but does include tuning
wrench and stool. Current new harp price $1,600.00.
* Hummingbird 36 - Mint condition 15 year old harp by Jerry Goldsberry,
one original owner. Cherry wood, elegant curves, standard spacing
and medium tension nylon strings/bass wires. Full Loveland
levers. New nylon strings/bass wires. $2,800.00 includes
tuning wrench, no case (but fits comfortably in standard Thormahlen
Swan harp case).
* Pleyel Wolff Lyon & Co. Cross-Strung -
Antique once-in-a-lifetime gem, a cadillac among cross-strung
harps! 78 strings, approximately 100 years old; perfectly intact
sounding board and box, with bass wires attached to steel rod/springs
at base. Gorgeous ornate gold gilding throughout. Beryl wood and
bird’s eye maple. Built in xylophone in neck! Restoration
required includes new strings, possible bass rebuild, and regilding of
lever mechanisms. Only two of these on the North American
continent! $14,000.
* O’Loughlin Cross-Strung 65 - Magnificent 6/6 custom design, with 5+
octaves; huge sound with excellent string spacing. Beautifully
varigated cherry wood, nylon strings/bass wires. Includes custom
padded case and tuning wrench. $6,000.
* Rydecki Tristan 36, padouk wood, newly renovated, with ornate
woodburned/painted soundboard, padded carrying case. I have
decided to take this harp off the market, because with the last
restringing of it, I am ECSTATIC about the sound of it, and am now
using this as my main performing harp. BUT, I want to leave these
pictures up on the this page to show you the beautiful harp and the
artwork I recently did on the soundboard. What do you think of it?
I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Local sources
for harps for sale are: Lyon
& Healy Harps in Salt Lake City;
Summerhays Music
in Murray; and Gerald Dick, harpmaker in Provo (phone #
801-373-9797). Harp rentals
are
available
through Summerhays Music
in Murray, UT; through Lyon &
Healy in Chicago,
IL and in Salt
Lake City, UT; in Atlanta through Heavenly
Harp Rentals, Mrs. Beckie Bullard; through the Virginia Harp Center in
Richmond, VA;
. Please contact me directly
at (801) 521-0285 for current
information.
I hope this information helps you in your harp search!
Now, about learning on your own. If you are musically talented and
very
self-motivated, you can learn on your own. I did, although I had 20
years
of classical music training before I took up the harp. However, you
should
have someone check your hand position early on, to make sure you don't
develop any bad habits that will lead to hand injuries. They are very
common
amongst harp players and can easily be avoided by using good technique.
Good technique is not hard to develop, but if you don't know the
difference
at the beginning, that is a problem. So at least find someone to check
your hands a few times at the beginning.
There are a number of very good self-teaching tools out there. Most
well known is Sylvia Woods' book, videotape, and audiotape entitled Teach
Yourself to Play the Folk Harp. I learned from her book, and use it
today when teaching adult beginners. Kim Robertson has an arranging
book
out, and two videotapes, one for arranging and one for beginner
harpers.
I like her materials very much; quite creative and interesting. I sell
all of these materials, or you can get them through Folk
Mote Music in Santa Barbara (Kim Robertson stuff) or the Sylvia
Woods Harp Center.
