Looking to dabble in Harp Guitar
I'm a big Michael Hedges fan and a Master's Student looking to write a lot on Hedges. I was wondering what the cheapest price I could pay for a decent harp guitar might be so that I could at least have the experience of playing one. I'm not looking to buy right now, I'd just like to know for future reference. I don't want to buy a junk one, but i also don't need something immaculate.
Thanks! |
Gregg Miner often has multiple harp guitars for sale, you can check here and look at current and past stock and prices, http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/instruments.htm#sale I bought my S12 from Gregg, and he's put together a huge amount of great info on harp guitars on his sites.
I was asking more or less the same question before I got my S12, and the answer seemed to 2-3 grand, with Tonedevil being the main purveyor of really good quality and relatively inexpensive wood harp guitars. Emerald is in about the same range with carbon fiber harp guitars. My S18 was a custom job, but only a bit more, 3.5K. You can of course pay far more. You can pay much less, but then you've probably bought a cheap Asian knock-off that you won't be happy with unless it's just an interesting conversation piece to put on the wall. |
This is example of a cheap Asian import that you probably won't be happy with if you're a serious player, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Harp-Guitar...-/201063277022 Gregg Miner's site has a lot to say about these, http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/listings/hg-tm.htm, and note the photo in the Ebay ad is exactly the same one that Gregg shows. ;)
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http://www.harpguitarmusic.com/image...line/intro.jpg If you're not familiar with Timberline (I was not a year ago), you can trust me on this, as I agreed to co-design the instrument and sell it direct - all to meet my line-in-the-sand challenge of $999 (which Rob did!). That's stripped (no case or electronics, which are options), but gets you in the game. I haven't got the page up yet, but we're taking $200 deposits now and will get first batch into production asap. Yes, that IS a mahogany top (has all solid woods), which looks and sounds wonderful. |
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I am very glad you posted this as I had nearly written of Timberline. I saw Jamie Dupuis is an endorsee and plays one, but could really find nothing else. I have generally not had good experiences with guitars made in Indonesia. However I am a firm believer in that it all comes down to how a factory or shop is run. If run well, there's no reason why any country couldn't put out a great guitar. Can you provide any further information about the Timberline Harp Guitar or point me in the right direction? There's almost nothing on their website as of now. My main inquiry is; -string spacing at nut and saddle? -lower bout width? -depth at the endpin? I love the cutaway, that's a must for me. Thanks, I am very interested!! Oh yeah, here is a great clip of Jamie playing a Timberline Harp guitar. Must have been a prototype, no cutaway and the video was posted 1 month ago. |
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I suspect Rob Smith (Timberline owner) will have specs up before long, but the ingredients you list are the same as the T20Ac 6-string. My involvement in this is for the exact same reason I do everything. Because someone should, and, as “Sir Gregory,” I often have the means, so jump in (I’m not compulsive, only obsessive). Also, I needed something to offer on my web site mentioned above. I gave Rob the same challenge I’ve given everyone. Give me a good thousand-dollar harp guitar and we can blow this thing wide open. Much to my surprise, he did! I’m thrilled, as I was getting tired of all the “Doolin-rip-off” HGs selling like hotcakes on Amazon (and even getting good reviews from some owners…but then again, look at their aftermarket turnaround). I wasn’t worried about Indonesian instruments – I just needed to know they weren’t going to use green wood that caused so many problems out of China. They actually have stiff penalties for any wood product coming back, so they go overboard in protecting their investment. Quality should be first rate at this price point. Rob busts their chops and I bust his! Check my Testimonials page or ask anyone on this Forum about my singular combination of passion and bluntness. If a client’s Dyer sucks, I won’t say as much, but anyone reading between the lines of my listing will know what they’re getting with no surprises. Same here. This will kick Amazon, but will never be sold there, as it would have to be marked up to 2-3 grand. Rob calls this a “loss leader” and that apparently includes me! The upshot: I sold Rob strings for a prototype HG for Jamie, then checked it out at NAMM last January. It sounded OK, was no beauty contest winner, but was an impressive first attempt from a small factory that had never touched one. Knowing that Rob was serious about the project and confident that I could improve it, I had an hour+ meeting with the head luthier and owner of the Indonesian firm. We hit it off, they (and Rob) agreed to let me re-design it from the ground up, and I did 50% of it right there. The final design and tweaks took a while, but I got 95% of exactly what I intended – pretty amazing, frankly. |
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The specs for the T20Ac are unusual to me. I haven't seen a 14 fret short scale before. Will the harp guitar be a 24.9 short scale as well? I also don't see a 20" fretboard radius too often on steel string acoustic guitars. Perhaps harp guitars attract more classical players. I did play some Rainsong's with 20" and they felt fine. I'm very curious to see the final specs. I'm also completely unfamiliar with Indoneasen Red Mahogany's tone. I understand it's a bit softer than South American Mahogany. A tone between Cedar and Mahogany would be very interesting. I use the entire fretboard and have very sensitive pitch. How is the intonation on these? I like having open strings ringing while playing chords into the 17th fret area. Poor intonation really shows up there! I will certainly be watching and I'm very interested at this price point. Thanks again! |
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I'll send you a note, Gregg, about getting in on the ground floor. Phil |
Possible Electrics
If I bought one of these Timberline guitars, and decided to put electronics in later, how much would that run me? In fact, where do pickups even GO on these???
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PS: Pickup option will be a Baggs Anthem, according to Rob. He's installing them now in the 2 prototypes destined for a couple HG virtuosos. Listing coming soon. |
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Phil |
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Since the Timberline wasn't designed to have posts, Would the harp side headstock be able to handle that much lateral pressure? I don't know how many pounds of tension are on a harp string, but I would be concerned about splitting the headstock if the post has a lot of pressure on it. I see the prototype Timberline that Jamie is playing in the video I linked does have the string at quite an angle around the post. However there also seems to be some buildup of wood in that area. Definitely need the expertise of a good luthier on the installation. |
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