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Last Update: August 2023

Disclaimer:
Harpguitars.net is not affiliated with, nor endorses the products of, nor necessarily shares the philosophical, political or religious views of any of the luthiers on this page.  All are listed as a courtesy to them, potential clients, and for archival purposes.  When notified by customers of a serious breach of professional ethics (ie: non-delivery, etc) I may note so on an entry.  If anyone sees a comment that is in error, please notify me immediately if these issues have been resolved. - Gregg Miner

This page features alphabetical listings of professional and amateur luthiers who have built at least one professional quality harp guitar.  Historical (pre-1970) luthiers are listed on the Makers page.   Modern builders are separated into these loose and broadly defined categories - they are not separated by type or style of instrument, as some build a variety of instruments, while others' designs are difficult to describe!

Dedicated Harp Guitar Luthiers   Includes professional and up-and-coming builders who have established a reputation for harp guitars (or beginning to) and/or are serious about offering harp guitar models or commissions.  Most have built several instruments.

Occasional, First-Time or Retired Harp Guitar Luthiers  Includes newcomers to hobbyists to the finest luthiers in the world.  This group has dabbled in the harp guitar world, making one or two instruments. Perhaps some of these will become established repeat builders like those above.  Some instruments may now be ancient history, others are brand new (some may still be available).  The list includes a few well known harp guitar  builders who have since disappeared or retired.

Personal Instrument Harp Guitar Luthiers  Includes innovative builders ranging from highly skilled professionals to part time amateurs.  They have created instruments for their own use and may or may not build for other clients.

In Memoriam

LUTHIERS - please help me keep this page current!  Contact me with:

  • Your latest build
  • Your web site "Making Of" articles (now listed under each entry; should be fairly detailed, not just a few build process photos)
  • Your image (if I don't have one, or update it if you've had a makeover)
  • Updated or improved photos for the Galleries/Luthier page
  • Updates regarding your status and activities for this page

Luthier of the Month

Dave Evans
(December 3, 1940 - April 4, 2021)

 

Dedicated Harp Guitar Luthiers

This first alphabetical list includes professional and up-and-coming builders who have established a reputation for harp guitars and/or are serious about offering harp guitar models or commissions.  Most have built several instruments.


Allan Beardsell (Canada)

Original design

Brunner Guitars (Lavin, Switzerland)

Compact Harp Guitars (travel harp guitars)

Lukas Brunner and the World’s First Travel Harp Guitars! by Gregg Miner

Luciano Buscarini (Osimo, Italy)

One-of-a-kind designs

 

Fred Carlson (Santa Cruz, CA)

Harp-Sympitars and one-of-a-kind designs

Fred Carlson: Making Sound Look Good by Wade Vonasek
Fred Carlson: Kali: 12-String Guitar with 2 Added Sub-basses (2000)

Fred Carlson: The Harpouditar: A 26-String Guitar/Oud/Zither (2002)
Fred Carlson: Oracle, 24-string Harp-Sympitar (2002)

Fred Carlson: The Flying Dream: 39-string acoustic Harp-Sympitar w/MIDI capability (2003)
Fred Carlson: Big Red: A 38-string custom Harp-Sympitar (2005)
Fred Carlson: The New Dream: 39-string acoustic Harp-Sympitar with MIDI-capability (2006)
Fred Carlson: The Barikoto (2010)
Fred Carlson: Taproot (2012) 

F
red Carlson: The Humanitar (2014) 
Gregg's Blogg:
It Lives! Unveiling the Humanitar 
Gregg's Blogg: Road Trip – Destination: Humanitar!

F
red Carlson: The Tibetan Tiger Harpobanjitar (2017) 
Fred Carlson: Tibetan Tiger #2; 13-String Harpo-Banjitar (2018)

blitzer gallery 2.jpg (364604 bytes)

Alan Carruth (Newport, New Hampshire)

Original harp guitar designs

   

Davide Castellaro (Italy)

Acoustic and electric harp guitars for Paolo Giordano and others 

 

Kerry Char (Portland, OR)

Dyer copies, originals and vast experience in restoring harp guitars

       

Tim Donahue (Japan)

Built his own electric fretless and fretted harp guitars, and now has factory production instruments available

 

 

Mike Doolin (Portland, OR) Original designs for Muriel Anderson and others

doolinHR21-doolin.jpg (66806 bytes)  

Mike Doolin: Muriel Anderson's Harp Requinto
Mike Doolin:
20-string Harp Guitar
Mike Doolin:
17-string Jazz Harp Guitar
Mike Doolin: 22-string Double Neck Harp Guitar

doolinRBHG-doolin.jpg (58022 bytes) doolinBKHG-doolin.jpg (58321 bytes) doolinHG20II-doolin.jpg (57475 bytes)
Michael Dunn (New Westminster, BC Canada)

Builds various custom Knutsen-inspired instruments and original designs

dunn_uke-miner.jpg (79619 bytes)  

Dyer Harp Guitars
(Pasadena, CA)

Recently trademarked for the new century, the USA shop of Scott Holloway and Jim Worland hand builds Dyer-style harp guitars.

Harry Eibert (Syracuse, NY)

Dyer/Knutsen inspired harp guitar, ukes and mando

    eibert_tenoruke-eibert.jpg (81153 bytes)    
Jeffrey Elliott (Portland, OR)

Designed John Doan's original 20-string harp guitar, and nylon string harp guitar

       

Emerald Guitars (Ireland)

Alistair Hay has productionized carbon fiber harp guitars

emerald-ss-emerald2.jpg (101605 bytes)

Harry Fleischman (Sebastopol, CA)

Original designs

 

Fretboard Explorer (Texas)

Rich Eberlen makes floating string attachments for guitars and other instruments

Nestoe Guillermo Fuentes (Florida)

Harp Ukuleles

 

Carlos Gonzalez (Spain)

Historical and modern theorboed guitars

Fritz Harich (Austria)

Schrammel guitars: 2 models

       

Duane Heilman (Yakima, Washington)

Harp Ukuleles, with and without bass strings

harpuke-bearcreek-s.jpg (21592 bytes) org-re1.jpg (5736 bytes)

Jim Hewett (Panorama Village, TX)

Dyer variants and originals

      

Kenny Hill / Hill Guitar Company (Ben Lomond, CA)

"Terry Schumacher" 11-string

Note: Kenny's instruments are tricky!

The instrument at left is a harp guitar with the lowest strings floating (see George Smith entry in second section)

The instrument on the right is not a harp guitar, but an otherwise identical Schumacher-style 11-string with one fret fully spanning all strings.

Erik Pierre Hofmann (France)

Historical restorations and reproductions, plus new designs

 

Pete Howlett (Wales)

Dyer style harp guitars, "Sharp guitar" and harp ukuleles

 

howlett_harp-uke-howlett-s.jpg (29188 bytes)

Tony Karol (Canada)
Bernhard Kresse (Cologne, Germany)

Restoration and reproductions of Early Romantic era harp guitars

         

Oliver Klapproth (Markneukirchen, Germany)

"Aliquotguitar" (sympathetic string harp guitar)

Steve Klein (California)

After creating Michael Hedges' electric harp guitar and similar custom instruments in the 1980s and 90s, Steve has returned to production in collaboration with Dyer Harp Guitars.

Yuri Landman (Amsterdam)

Electric harp guitar and other sympathetic string electric guitars and zithers

Marko Lipovsek (Slovenia)

Original instruments

Linda Manzer

42-string Pikasso guitars for Pat Metheny and Scott Chinery, numerous one of a kind creations

 

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Michihiro (Michi) Matsuda (Oakland, CA)

Original extremely modern harp guitar designs

 

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Rich Mermer (Sebastian, FL)

Original designs

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Rich Mermer: The Making of "Thor's Hammer"

Merrill Guitars (Williamsburg, VA)
(804) 462-7777

Stephen Bennett model and other Dyer copies

         

Roland Metzer (Warngau, Germany)

Replica of wappen-shaped 1907 Hans Raab

         
Benoît Meulle-Stef  (Belgium)

Builds original harp guitar designs and restores  kontragitarres

           Benoit Meulle-Stef: The Tale of the Two Eagles 

Massimiliano (Max) Monterosso (Padova, Italy)
English            Italian

Original harp guitars, including travel electric-acoustic

  David Newton (Beaumont, TX)

Harp mandolins

       

Duane Noble (Richland, WA)

Contemporary own design hollow-arm harp guitars and harp ukulees

noble_uke1-300-miner.jpg (30123 bytes)

Michael O'Brien (Lovettsville, VA)

Modern custom designs

            Michael O'Brien: Six Decades of Listening to Wood Sing

Okenica Guitars (Slovak Republic)

Luthier Martin Okenica and guitarist Marek Cupák collaborate on Early Romantic guitars, including those with floating basses.

Michel Pellerin (Canada)

Modern harp guitars

 

Alan Perlman (San Francisco, CA)

"Arch guitars" for James Kline, and similar harp guitars

       

Alan Perlman: Arch Harp Guitar

Heikki Rousu (Sweden)

"Fretted Harp Guitars" of 11 or 13 strings, some with fretless extensions

Antonello Saccu (Genoa, Italy)

Built two Gazzo reproduction Italian instruments for Beppe Gambetta, and modern harp guitars as well. The latest is for Christian Saggese.

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Michael Sander (Germany)

Modern theorboed guitars

Bernd Schneider (Germany)

Schrammel guitars

         

Stephen Sedgwick (England)Numerous harp guitar designs, modern, reproductions, and in-between.  Stephen is also a scholar of the harp guitar's history

Stephen Sedgwick: Making Harp Guitars
Stephen Sedgwick:
Torres 11 String Copy
Brad Hoyt: Stephen Sedgwick

Seraph Harp Guitars (England)

Designer Tony Seeger and luthier Nathan Sheppard created this new design

Jeff Sigurdson (Canada)

Dyer copies

Gary Southwell (Nottingham, U.K.)

Scherzer restoration and copy, James Kline's first archguitar, 
modern 10-strings for Stanley Alexandrowicz and others

southwell_set-alexandrowicz-s.jpg (97802 bytes)

Michael Thames (Taos, NM)

The "Dresden" - a 13-course theorboed classical guitar

Timberline Guitars (California)
Harp Guitar Music

Entry level to mid-priced professional harp guitars co-designed by Gregg Miner

Tonedevil Guitars (Anthony & David Powell, Idaho)

Specializing in custom guitars, harp guitars, harp mandolins, harp ukuleles and custom pickups

Scot Tremblay (Victoria, B.C)

Lacote heptacorde copy, 8-string Staufer copy

Jan Tuláček (Czech Republic)

8-string Ries copy, 9-string Schenk bogengitarre copy

Instruments Lamour (France)

Cédric Verglas (previously Pierre Lamour)

Original harp guitar designs

 

Pierre Lamour: Eclose: 17 String Extended Guitar, Cyclopea: 12 String Harp Guitar

Edgar Vila (Cookeville, TN)

Dyer style harp guitars

         

David White: De Faoite Stringed Instruments (Bucks, England)

Original designs

white_taro-david_white.jpg (15119 bytes)

David White (De Faoite Stringed Instruments): Making a Harp Guitar

Woodley White (Hawaii)

Original Sullivan/Elliott-meets-Mike Doolin harp guitars

               Gregg Miner: Meet the (Harp Guitar) Maker

Kathy Wingert (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)

Harp guitars for Frank Doucette, Stephen Bennett, Pete Bradshaw and others

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Steve Wishnevsky (Winston Salem, NC)

Highly unusual, simply- constructed designs

 

Sean Woolley (France)

Nylon string harp guitars and harp ukuleles

woolley_flamenco-t.jpg (85062 bytes)

 

Jim Worland (Rockford, IL)

Before he became part owner of Dyer Harp Guitars, Worland built William Eaton lyraharp guitar variations and original designs inspired by Gibson, Sullivan/Elliott and more.

       

Jeffrey Yong (Malaysia)

Dyer/Knutsen inspired design for Don Alder and others

 

         

Daniel Zucali (Austria)

Modern designs


Occasional, First-Time or Retired Harp Guitar Luthiers

From newcomers to hobbyists to the finest luthiers in the world, this group has dabbled in the harp guitar world, making one or two instruments.  Perhaps some of these will become established repeat builders like those above.  Some instruments may now be ancient history, others are brand new (some may still be available).


Thierry Andre (Montreal, Canada)

original designs

Des Anthony (Australia)

Dyer/Knutsen inspired design

Ari Baris (Turkey)

Original designs

Marc Beneteau (Ottawa, Ontario)

Harp guitar for Don Ross

Daniel Bernaert (Spain) 

Original designs

Peter Biffin (NSW, Australia)

Modern theorboed guitar

Hugues Boivin

Theorboed guitar

Alberto Bonafini (Ceneselli, Italy)

Original design

 

Bone Custom Gitar (Indonesia)

solidbody acoustic-electric 21-string harp guitar for Iwan Hasan

Julius Borges (Littleton, Mass)

"Mini-Harp" Guitar for Emmylou Harris

Shane Briggs (Melbourne, Australia)

Original design

Mike Brittain (North Fort Myers, Florida)

Dyer copies

 

R.E. Brune (Chicago, IL)

Scherzer restorations and copy for Brian Torosian

Carlo Cecconi (Rome)

“chitara tiorbata” for Maurizio Scavone (pictured)

Jim Claridge (England)

Dyer inspired designs

claridge_full-size-jim_claridge.jpg (55485 bytes)

David Dart (Northern CA)

Bowl-back theorbed harp steel for Ben Harper, Dyer style for Ed Littlefield, Jr.

Mervyn Davis (Gauteng, South Africa)

13-string "Baroque" Smoothtalker

J. Thomas Davis (Columbus, OH)

Dyer style for Bill Dutcher

 

Sergei de Jonge (Quebec, Canada)

17-string guitars for Ted Lebar, Tyler Hawkins and others

Jim Fleeting (Manchester, U.K.)

"tanbura harp guitar"

Germano Fusco (Rome, Italy)

harp guitar

Steven Ganz (Bellingham, WA)

11-string classical guitar

 

Carlos Gass (Spain)

Theorboed Guitar for Thomas Schmitt

Ennio Giovanetti (Italy)

Brahms Harp Guitars for Massimo Traffano

massimoBHG-traffano.jpg (166250 bytes)

Michael Greenfield (Quebec)

Harp guitar for Andy McKee

Vince Guidroz (New Orleans)

Guitarp for Phil deGruy

Edward Hiew (Malaysia)

Harp guitar for Roger Wang

Stephen Hill (Granada, Spain)

"Ha Shem" double-neck harp guitar for Antonio Esteban

Charles Hoffman (Retired. Minneapolis, MN)

Dyer copies

 

Del Langejans (Holland, MI)

Dyer/Knutsen inspired design for Muriel Anderson

 

Urs Langenbacher  (Germany)

Modern 11-string 

Marco Maguolo (Spain)

Original design

Maik Malguth (Laucha, Germany)

Dyer & Sullivan-Elliott copy and original harp guitars

 

Mauro Marchesini (Crevalcore, Italy)

Contemporary hollow-arm harp guitar

 

Orville and Bob Milburn (Sweet Home, OR)

Variants of the Sullivan-Elliott harp guitar

 

Ken Miller (Tallahassee, FL)

Harp ukulele

 

Gregor Nowak (Austria)

Modern "contra" design

Ralph Novak (San Leandro, CA)

Built Phil DeGruy's electric "Guitarp"

 

Oakwood Instruments (Leeds, England)

Martyn Banks & Gordon Hewson built this copy of a William Eaton design
[with 2 banks of strings on the body] for Indian guitarist Rajan Spolia

 

Bruce Potter (Willits, CA) 

Dyer style harp guitar

Nick Pyall (London, England)

Reproduction of c.1860 Martin 10-string and 1861 Scherzer 10-string

 

Sandy Richards (Victoria, Australia)

Keith Medley knock-off

David Fenkhuber (Ringsenberg Instruments) (Austria)

Original design

Yvon Robert (Quebec)

Harp Stick for Naki

Michael Sandén (Sweden) 

Jack Sanders (Los Angeles, CA)

Lacote decacorde reproduction

 

Mike Sankey (Canada)

Original design

Michael Schreiner (Miami, FL)

Sullivan-Elliott variants and other personal projects

 

Davide Serracini

Custom harp guitar and fretted decacordes in steel and nylon

Charles Shifflett (Alberta, Canada)

Email

 

Takahiro Shimo (Tokyo, Japan)

Original dual-arm design

 

George Smith (Portland, OR)

Original 11-string guitars for Terry Schumacher

 

Ervin Somogyi (Oakland, CA)

Original design

 

Hubert Soumis-Pilon (Canada)

Modern Schenk-inspired 21-string

Walter Stanul (Boston, MA) 

Creator of the arch-guitar for Peter Blancette and others, 
two of these instruments were in harp guitar form

David Taylor (Nashville, TN)

Steel-string harp guitar for Muriel Anderson

 

Dake Traphagen (Bellingham, WA)

Nylon-string harp guitar

Curt Claus Voight (Germany)

Torres copy

Wallace Guitars (Niota, TN)

Harp guitar for Kyle Reeder


Personal Instrument Harp Guitar Luthiers

These makers include innovative builders ranging from highly skilled professionals to part time amateurs.  They have created instruments for their own use and may or may not build for other clients.


Bart Applewhite (Phoenix, AZ)

Financial manager of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery: electric harp bass

   

 

William Eaton (Phoenix, AZ)

Director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, numerous unique harp guitar and related designs

Keith Medley (Nashville, TN)

Player who makes his own creations


In Memoriam

Harp Guitar friends who are deeply missed

Dominic Xavier Arul (India)

Composite harp sympathetic guitar, vintage Dyer copies for Harp Guitar Music

My one-time collaborator passed away in May, 2019

wpe5.jpg (57442 bytes)

Dave Evans (Brussels, Belgium)

Harp guitar for Pierre Bensusan and additional instruments

The great fingerstyle guitarist and wonderful luthier passed away on April 4, 2021

Lance McCollum

Dyer-inspired instruments

Lance passed away suddenly on February 1, 2009

Dennis Mitchell (Oak Point, TX)

Original harp guitar designs

Dennis passed away suddenly on March 21, 2018

Gianni Angelo Pedrini (Milan, 1937-2018)

Original hollow arm design, four were built

Patrick Podpadec (-2021)

Built Brian Henke's "Dreamcatcher and the new "Zodiak."

 

Otto Schneider (Germany)

Schrammel guitars

Otto passed away in 2009. His son Bernd is carrying on the business.

John Sullivan

John Doan's original 20-string harp guitar

John passed away on April 21, 2007


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