Folk Harp

The original Celtic harp, or clàrsach, was strung with steel strings, which gave it a bell-like tone. Nearly all harp kits, even those called Celtic harps, are strung with nylon strings, which give a softer, classical-guitar-like sound, so none of them can be called real "Celtic" harps. Only the shape is reminiscent of the clàrsach.

I built this harp nearly ten years ago from a kit that was offered by Lark in the Morning (www.larkinam.com). It was fairly easy to assemble since everything was cut to size and marked out beforehand. All I had to do was drill all the tuning pin holes and glue the thing together. It has a very nice tone in the mid to upper range, but the lower strings have more of a "thunk" sound. Perhaps if the soundbox was made of better wood (instead of hardwood veneer plywood), the bass tone might be more pronounced. But, all in all, it's a decent sounding instrument. I'm anxious to build one from scratch.