Kortier Pickups

Piezo pickups for individual harp strings

After much experimentation, I have developed a pickup that is specifically suited to amplifying the harp. As I have stated on my Amplifying Your Harp page, most other methods of capturing the sound of the harp fall short in some manner. What is needed is a device that simply captures the vibrations of the strings. The strings carry the full sound of the harp, but they have a very small surface area and don't radiate well enough to be heard directly. To capture these complex vibrations a pickup must be very sensitive to the strings, yet remain relatively insensitive to the "housekeeping sounds" of the harp- pedal movements, tuning wrench noises, the inadvertent bump against the body of the harp, and of course the dreaded feedback. The Kortier harp pickup does all this, and sounds great.

I now offer these pickups on all of my harps, making them Acoustic/Electric.

Pickups on YOUR harp-

If you are technically inclined, I will sell you a package including all the parts necessary to install pickups on your harp. This will make it into an Acoustic/Electric harp. The process will not change the present acoustic functioning of your instrument. The cost for a 36 string harp is $550. This includes the pickups, all wiring, a Fishman preamp, and shipping to you. Additional pickups are $12 each, or subtract $12 each for harps smaller than 36 strings. Please download the instructions first. Study them and determine if you are comfortable with the skills required to make this installation. Tidy and precise soldering are absolutely necessary. Or, perhaps you can locate a technician in your locality who will perform this task for you. If this is not a possibility, I will make the installation in my shop for you, but of course in most cases this involves the expense of shipping the harp to Duluth and return.

Click here for PDF of installation instructions.