The harp guitar is a stringed musical instrument that looks more like something out of a Dr. Seuss book than it does either of its traditional namesakes. Nonetheless, it has qualities that are similar to both the harp and the guitar.
The harp guitar resembles an elaborated guitar in appearance. The harp guitar has a second neck adjacent to the primary neck and has a body that resembles that of a large guitar. The primary neck is set up similarly to that of a standard guitar, with six fretted strings that can be strummed. The harp guitar’s second neck houses seven additional strings. These are unfretted bass strings, plucked like harp strings. There are usually a few unfretted treble strings that are also plucked in addition to these.
Harp guitars can have up to twenty strings, which can be arranged in a variety of ways. The structure and design of the necks may also differ. Some harp guitars have two separate necks, while others have a U-shaped frame with a curved top. A harp guitar’s design can be very simple or very elaborate, depending on the luthier who created it.
The term “harp guitar” refers to the quality of having a certain number of unfretted strings that are plucked in the same manner as a harp’s strings, rather than any specific similarity in tone, pitch, or physical resemblance to the classic floor-standing harp.
The harp guitar is an old instrument with a long history. In the late 1800s, it experienced a surge in popularity in Europe. The harp guitar arrived on the American shore in the 1890s, finding a particularly receptive audience in the Pacific Northwest. Harp guitars with large bodies and dual necks were first produced by companies such as W.J. Dyer and Brothers and the Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Company. Modern collectors prize harp guitars made by the Knutsen Family during that time period for their beautiful craftsmanship and superior design.
Harp guitars, with their fantastical shapes, may appear futuristic today, but forerunners date back centuries, to lute players and classical guitarists who innovated by attaching unfretted bass strings to extend the range of their instrument.
The harp guitar is currently undergoing a renaissance. Videos of musicians playing the harp guitar, such as Andy McKee, have surfaced on the Internet, increasing exposure to the harp guitar’s music and igniting new interest in this relatively unknown instrument.