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I can't imagine how to build a HG in a dish,unless you have a 4 ft. dish. Does the "arm" portion of the guitar have a radius to the back and/or the top? Since there are no frets, is string length or scale all that important? I seen on Shane's website that he had a top for a HG, why do you need both halves over sized? Clinton

Clinton,

There's no reason, either structural or tonal, for the top of the harp arm to be a continuation of any "doming" of the main guitar top - you want it's top surface be on a similar plane to the fretted neck, and for aesthetic reasons you can continue the longitudinal arch of the back into the harp guitar arm's bottom piece if you want to.

The scale length of the sub-basses is given by the string gauges, tunings, feel and sound that you want. For harp guitars with 5 or 6 sub basses the lowest string can be G or lower.

Unless Shane has found some very strange shaped trees, to get a bookmatched top both pieces are the same size. Don't worry though - you can make some great instruments out of the piece you don't need for a harp guitar - I made a lovely ladder braced concert sized guitar from mine.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Well I was running through my head that I could use Shane's HG top to make two seperate guitars by matching them up with anouther top. Sort of like mismatching socks. But then again it could end up looking like mismatched socks . As far as the doming, I'm not sure how but I would like to continue the dome for contraction & expansion reasons on the arms. I've seen people build free form, when I tried the sides just don't come out true. Clinton

I made a few harp guitars when I was first learning to make guitars with another local maker.

We didn't build freeform, we used a mold for the sides. but we didn't use a dish for the doming. Rather we made the X brace domed and glued the braces in with some clamps and cauls. Then we braced the extended area flat if I recall. Really it shouldn't be too much of a challenge, but it does offer a new set of variables you'll need to find ways around.

Check with the sponsors and other suppliers, someone should be able to provide a suitable soundboard and back/side wood. Good luck with it! Harp Guitars are fun.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

I am dying to make a harp guitar. Unfortunately I can't see it happening for the nexy year or so, due to a few commitments. One's chops has to improve too...

I can still remember Dave White's surprisingly small and ergonomic harp guitar form the show last year- and how it seemed to project a volume unusual for such a small instrument.

Dave, I trust it's opening up well?