Harp Guitar Makers and Restorers

	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) Fred Carlson: *The Humanitar* (2014) Gregg's Blogg: *It Lives! Unveiling the Humanitar* Gregg's Blogg: *Road Trip – Destination: Humanitar!* Fred Carlson: The Tibetan Tiger Harpobanjitar (2017) Fred Carlson: *Tibetan Tiger #2; 13-String Harpo-Banjitar* (2018)
	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
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*
	Michael Dunn (New Westminster, BC Canada) Builds various custom Knutsen-inspired instruments and original designs

	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
	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
	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
	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
	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
	Michihiro (Michi) Matsuda (Oakland, CA) Original extremely modern harp guitar designs
	Rich Mermer (Sebastian, FL) Original designs
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
	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.
	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
	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
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
	Steve Wishnevsky (Winston Salem, NC) Highly unusual, simply- constructed designs
	Sean Woolley (France) Nylon string harp guitars and harp ukuleles
	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
	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
	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
	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*