Official Luthiers Forum!

Beautiful boxes boys.
What an undertaking!

I just got back from the Harp Guitar Gathering in Indianapolis and am now inspired to to make one. Of all the instruments I heard, the most appealing to me were the Dyer and Dyer inspired instruments like what you, Tony and Mike, are showing here. The general consensus from the builders at the gathering was that the Dyer plan specs are overbuilt in some respects and under built in others, but other than saying, don't use a spruce bridge plate and rely on your instincts, there was little other detail about what was good or bad about the plan. Anyone care to comment on the Dyer plan?

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

There is NOTHING underbuilt in the Dyer!

My guess is someone thinks that the harp arm is not built strong enough. I keep seeing designs involving lattice work, carbon fiber, etc.

As I evolve through the process, I keep going lighter and lighter (same bracing design, just less of it).

Mike

Has anyone looked at GAL Plan #61 for the 1986 Sullivan/Elliott Harp Guitar? This is a pretty design and the original guitar sounds great. I was wanting to buy the plan and was wondering if anyone has opinions. http://www.luth.org/plans/harp.htm#plan61

Thanks-

P.S. Mike and Tony, the new harp guitars rock!

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

Oh, I'm definitely embarking on this adventure! 2 or 3 more steel strings, a classical, and a fiddle, and then harp guitar #1 is up. Shane ought to have those EIR sets by then (those didn't fall through, did they?). Yours is looking great there Mike. I too dislike the Mickey Mouse ears though, so I'll be going more akin to Tony's on the headstock. Probably stick to the Dyer plans from harpguitars.net for the most part aside from that. Then sometime later, try an original design with 6 sub-bass and 8 super-trebles. Maybe after an acoustic bass guitar to further explore the low frequency realm. So much to build

looks like a big leg with a boot on the end. Must be a kick a@#$ axe.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Yes Nick, I am hoping it does kick some serious @$$ .... cant wait to get it done .. only a couple more weeks ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Tony,

Two things I have picked up from you. First, I like your "neck" spreaders... what are those rubber things, doorstop bumpers? Smart! Where do you find turnbuckles small enough?

I like your process for building the harp block in place. I have struggled with this, and one of the road blocks is the solid mold. However, I think I can still do it with a solid mold...neck block only. I will still mount the peghead afterwards. For me, I use the opening to extract my spreader blocks which are longer than yours (won't come through the sound hole). I have to think on this some more. I like the extra side spreading provided by them. Perhaps I will go to two pieces.

On the sharp bend in the lower bout, did you use a shaped block to bind it? Could not see it in the picture.

Mike

John, I bet getting that single peghead to line up with both necks will be a bear! Not impossible, but a process that will involve lots of pondering. Somehow you have to get the 6 string neck set as you will have it when you are done. If that peghead is solid part (I doubt it) of the 6 string neck... whoa! Let us know what you find.

Mike

Hi Mike,

The little spreaders are small turnbuckles, I am pretty sure I got them at Home Depot ... the ends are simply rubber feet, the kind that have a screw hole in them, again, Home Depot .. they work well because they have a little give when you tighten (open) the turnbuckle, and dont leave marks. You can also get them out by just pushing them, you done have to twist them - handy, because i ahd them in when the top went on, and I got them loose with a little hook thru the upper soundhole.

The lower bout point - each side of it was bound with a separate piece of blackwood - I went simple and have no side or back purf on this one, just wanted to get it together. There is what I call an architecturally difficult section to bind on the next one, which is where the armrest just ends, and it meets the top binding on the top, and the side and bottom corner binds, plus has the small area under the width of the bevel .. still pondering that one .... might just pull a Hesh and paint the whole dang thing black !!!!

On the inside, there is a huge block that is the armrest, and the end point support, all one piece. I also drilled small holes in the harp arm head block to lighten it up some.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"