The Harp
35
Strings • A down to B
Full
Set of Loveland Levers
Harp
• $2,900
Case
• $200
Features
8
sided coopered
staveback of maple
Aircraft-quality
birch
sound board (5 laminates
per 1/8 inch)
Baltic
birch neck and column
Truss
rod system
inlaid in column
Mahogany
and
Nitrocellulose finish
9
non-fatiguing
suspended struts
Honduras
mahogany
center string strut
Walnut
perfling
Strings
Bass
• Silk with streel wrap
Mid
• Flourocarbon
Treble
• Nylon
Weight
22
pounds
Size
Dimensions
shown below
are approxamate
The Merlin is the result of twenty years of harp building and three years of research and development. The goal was to make a very large sounding harp in the smallest package possible.
The Merlin's pillar is reinforced by a powerful adjustable truss rod system to ensure rigidity. This unique design eliminates the need for the massive pillar found on traditional harps and promotes lower and mid-range frequencies.
The
sound board is reinforced by nine suspended non-fatiguing struts. These
braces counter-balance the massive tension created by the string pressure
without adding sound deadening thickness to the sound board, as in a traditional
instrument. Thanks to these braces, the sound board is relaxed and ready
to respond without being choked by its own string tension. It's possible
that the Merlin may be the first harp ever to be tension balanced. Some
well-built harps will last for decades. This harp will sing for generations.
Merlin has an enclosed body. This is not a new feature – it's merely lost Old World knowledge. When the Spanish colonized South America, they introduced the harp to the indigenous people. These native builders discovered that if you "capture the sound before you let it go," its projection is increased dramatically. As musicians, they needed "big" sound because they marched and played their harps in outdoor processions, as if in a marching band.
While I don't recommend that you turn this harp upside down, strap it to your body and march down the street, I do invite you to play this harp outdoors. It will "fill the air."
For ordering information click here.
For additional information contact R Harps at:
rick@rharps.com or
(303) 480-5028
Denver, CO
