Beardsell Guitars

As with many of the instruments I create the impetus has come from the client who wants something "off the menu..."

With the resurgence of the Harp guitar I would get requests for this elusive instrument, and so I went looking to find out what it was all about. I didn't have to go far with the extensive data-base web site like Gregg Miners harpguitars.net. I viewed some of his collection at the 2006 Guild of American Luthiers convention. The Early 19th Century romantic guitars like the Scherzers and the Lacote Decacordes. And like the 9F nylon string guitar I have looked to the 19th century for inspiration. Like the renaissance theorboed lutes before them these 19th century guitars looked to extend the reach of a single instrument. Of ten in unconventional ways, because there weren't many conventions to be followed. Later, in the early 20th century came the rise of the Dyer and Knutsen harp guitars which have set the standard for many harp guitar designs and configurations with typically 5 sub-bass strings tuned to a specific key. I have made the HG1 with 7 sub-bass strings with sharping levers for a full octave of notes beneath the guitars lowE. The harp string tuners are Pegheds 16:1 planetary machine tuners.