My harps are built of solid hardwoods.

A number of factors go into my harpmaking to produce instruments that are beautiful, durable, and resonate with a big clear voice. The first step is the choice of woods-

• Cherry is my choice for the upper parts of the harp- the neck and the pillar. These parts carry the full tension of the strings, so to keep the tuning stable they must be very strong. Yet at the same time, they are part of the whole vibrating system, so they must flex. Cherry wood has a good mix of these properties. In addition, it is a beautiful warm color that deepens from a light rosy beige when freshly cut to a rich red brown with the passage of time.
• Black Walnut is my trim wood. Its chocolate brown color complements the cherry, and is very durable in places such as the edging on the soundboard.

The soundboard is the heart of my instruments. When I sign the back of the soundboard and install it in a soundbox, it becomes a harp. Cedar is the wood used, carefully thicknessed before being veneered with a skin of hardwood veneer. The veneering process adds a very desirable stiffness to the board without increasing mass significantly.

My necks and pillars are laminated in my shop to guarantee that the quality goes all the way through. Cherry boards are resawn to specific thicknesses, then fitted together in a vacuum press to bond the entire structure into a solid stable unit. In this manner I obtain the acoustic properties of a solid wood neck and pillar, and also the reliability of a laminated construction.

Sharping levers are installed on every string. I install the Loveland brand levers as my standard lever. They have been the industry standard for many years, with good reason. They are accurate, reliable, and lighter weight than many others. They have also proven to be durable and can be repaired easily if damaged. Camac levers can be installed at extra cost.

Fluorocarbon strings are standard on all my new harps, with copper wrapped steel core strings in the bass octave.