Official Luthiers Forum!

My famous grippers holding the body


Sex on a stick, don't ya think?

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Trying to figure out the cut


Note the angled neck joint

Mike

Looking great Mike. Gonna build one for myself one of these days. That is, if I can find time between building for everyone else.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

I don't have that problem (much to my wife's chagrin). I just build and stack.

Just tell her you're building up future retirement funds. Unless you're like me, I plan to build till I die, or am caught up outta here!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Have u any idea what one ties up in one of those beasts?

Not a clue, yet! I have enough tone wood to resaw and keep me busy for at least 20 or 30 years though so the rest is labor time strings, adhesive, and hardware.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

There is a dam good reason why the pros charge 7500 for these!!

Filippo, it's a labor of love. I cannot explain it... I'm getting closer to getting them right. The journey has been a trip. A lot of folks make harp guitars... But not all follow the Dyer Design. From an aesthetic point of view, that design was/is the benchmark.

Looking good Mike. Do you connect or attach the two heads together? What are you going to use for the harp string tuners? I've been studying these things for a few years. I'd like to build one for myself. I should of drove the three hours over to Indy to harpguitar gathering. clinton

Stew Mac has the right banjo tuners. Nobody I know binds the heads together.

Mike, if they're only charging $7500 for a harp guitar, they're losing money. I'm in the midst of a doubleneck sitar project and I know that while I'm enjoying the mental exercise and soon the woodworking, that I'll lose money on the project and I'm charging much more than that $7500. I'll have more hours in research and design, tooling, finding a case manufacturer to make a case that doesn't weigh a ton and is capable of protecting the instrument, and so on, than I will in the actual woodworking, finish and setup.

I've no doubt whatsoever. Good on ya for building these because I believe you'll be a reliable source for help when I start building mine. Not sure I'd build any to sell (could change that thought though over time). I've wanted to build one for myself though every since I discovered Andy McKee's playing style a couple of years or so back.

WOW David, a double neck Sitar? I can't wait to see that awesome project in it's completion, bet that's gonna be a beauty!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Interesting Mike .. I wouldnt have thought the harp headstock was the last thing to go on. I made mine all part of the end block at the time of making the rim. Next time howver, mine will be more like Micheal Greenfields in that it will simply bolt to the block.

here is the rim shot, then what it looks like now curing ... will be done in a couple weeks. Lutz top, saplted maple rosettes, black/green/black purf, curly makore back and sides, bound in african blackwood.

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

Wow Tony, that's a beauty! I really like the shapes of the body and the headstock. I never much cared for the Mickey Mouse ear shape that you see on a lot of the other harp guitar headstocks.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Tony, nice merging of the harp guitar and teardrop archtop motifs, as well as the bevel.

Bill, its very involved and its left handed!

Micky Mouse? I don't get that.

Tony, I support the inside of the harp neck with a square block. Since I use a closed mold, I have to do this after the fact. Given that the peghead leans towards the 6 string peghead, I find it to be a "fitting" task requiring adjustments along the way. Your peghead is free from that concern. I love that Larson shape and plan on doing one soon. Its another of the classic beauties!

Mike

Hey Mike, no offense intended. The pic below is representative of what I was talking about. It works for many folks I'm sure, just not for me.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thats ok, no offense taken. I just never thought of it as having a micky mouse shape. Right now, I am building the "authentic" Dyer. There are a number of things that could be adjusted for more than aesthetic reasons, the peghead is one of them. There is quite a market for the authentic look.

Mike

You probably already have THIS SITE but it really has a lot of cool stuff about harp guitar history.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

So you use banjo tuners, thanks. I've seen metal brackets that was screwed to the back of the harp and guitar heads. I've seen them built as one head, but I would think that would make neck adjustments difficult. Clinton

Thanks all .. I was wanting to not do the Dyer style, as I cant say I am a fan of the cloud headstock, or those style tuners. So I used the Larson as inpiration.

I will have pro pix done later on, and will post once its all done ... its a multiscale neck as well ....

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

Tony, what tuners do you use for the harp head? If the Dyer is a masters degree the Larson is a PHD.

Bill, I have a few build threads on that website. (slackkeymike)

Mike

Tuners .. this one will get Gotoh mini 510 Deltas all around, (seems most modern harps have those or similar, no need for the banjo's as the holes are near the edge of the headplate) - you neeed to drill out he lowest post for sure, as the factory hole only takes about a .060 string - I already do thisone baritones to take a .070 ... the tip of the harp head has been ledge routed, a rabbit really, to about .550 to allow them to mount. I figured I also dont need any posts for the strings, they will go from the saddle straight the the tuner.

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

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