How To Order Your Own Custom Harp !:-) As of 01/1/2022, I am no longer building Cross Strung, Double Strung, wire harps, or solid body electric harps. I am also only building harps/Lyres with from 10 to 29 nylon or gut strings. Currently I am backed up with a year or more of orders for smaller harps and lyres. I may well completely retire from harp building by 2023.
1.) First let me know what size, number of strings, and type of Custom Harp you are interested in having me build for you.
I can then give you a base price quote, that will include the custom designing of all technical and artistic aspects of your proposed harp. The possibilities of design are almost unlimited, with only the need for playability and the strength of your harp as limiting factors. Aspects of design such as the sound hole shapes on the back of your harp can be of almost any shape and style. They just need to not be too large, which would cause the harp to lose sound amplification.
The quoted base price includes a full set of Loveland sharpening levers,( on single and double strung gut and nylon models), a five year warranty on your harp`s construction, and a custom sewn Soft Padded Harp Case, to perfectly fit your new custom created harp. Cases are available in a range of color choices’, royal blue, purple, forest green, teal, gray, maroon, black or tan..
Camac and Truitt sharpening levers are available at additional cost, currently ( as of 2/9/10), add $3 for each Camac lever, and $8 for each Truitt lever.
Your harp-to-be, can be designed and built in many different “looks” and styles at no additional cost. I will ask you for all the ideas, thoughts, images, pictures and drawings that you may have that will aid me in the design of your harp-to-be. I can work from any drawings or photos you may have, or I can research any decorative theme you may be interested in having me carry out.
There is an extra cost for any actual detailed carving, painting, crystals or gemstone inlay work. The carving , painting or other decorative work will be quoted to you , based on the drawing that I create for you. It will also be based on your budget for this additional work. I am Very good at working with your budget to give you the look and style of decoration that you wish, while still keeping costs within a comfortable limit for you. I can use semi-precious or other stones and crystal that you provide, or search for and buy them for you. In the drawing I can give you various options for the amount of decorative work, with price quotes reflecting these options. Shipping and handling costs are also extra.
2.) Your Custom Harp order is confirmed, with a $500 non-refundable design fee deposit.
Based on all your ideas and information you can provide to me about your proposed harp, I will create a full sized drawing, which I will send to you for approval. You can make any changes you wish on the drawing, to any aspect of the design. With any changes, or not, You will then send the drawing back to me, to use in building your new custom Mountain Glen harp. If need be I will make further changes on the drawing, and send it back to you again for your approval, before I start to build. I always draw a full sized , to scale, drawing of all the custom harps I build, for each client`s approval. Based on all the information you have given me about your dream-harp, I will integrate it all together to show you what it might look like. When you receive the drawing, you can then feel free to make any changes you wish, right on the drawing, and I will either send you back a revised drawing for final approval, or just build from what you have approved, with or without any changes you have made. We can then discuss any additional artistic or decorative work you may wish me to do. I can work from any drawings or photos you may have, or I can research any decorative theme you may be interested in having me carry out.
When you receive the drawing, you can then feel free to make any changes you wish, right on the drawing, and I will either send you back a revised drawing for final approval, or just build from what you have approved, with or without any changes you have made.
The drawing will show a side view of your harp, with the staves expanded out to also show the back staves with the sound holes, and any details of sound holes shape, etc. The strings will also be drawn in as pencil lines, which shows the spacing on the mono strings accurately. The wound base strings on the larger harp sizes will be larger in some cases than the drawn pencil lines, but the lines will accurately show the locations of the center lines of the base strings.
The drawing also will show a cross section of the top and the base end of the sound box, as well as a side view of your harp`s feet. Or in the case of a lap sized harp, a side view of the custom built display stand that comes with all my lap sized models. This is to give as an accurate as possible, a clear idea of what your new dream harp will look like !
If at any time before I actually start to build your harp, that you wish to change any aspect of the proposed harp, such as making it larger or adding more strings, this is usually not a problem for me to do. Also any changes or additions to the proposed decorative work can be changed as well. If the changes include a reduction or increase in the number of strings, which requires redesigning the entire harp, I will need to re-draw the harp to make sure it meets your approval.
With the approval of the design and drawings, I will then be ready to start building your harp. At this point we should have established the final cost for any extra decorative work ( detailed carving, painting or inlay work), or electronics. I can then quote you the firm full price, ( shipping and packing will be calculated when your harp is finished, though shipping costs for most of the United states , for a 36 string size harp are usually under $400), for your new custom harp.
3.) At this point I will need a one-third down payment of the total price,( minus the drawing deposit), to start building your new custom Mountain Glen harp.
I will be able at this point to give you an estimated date of completion. I will also keep you informed of progress, via email, including photos. I am often building several harps at the same time, doing the same steps on different sized harps, for efficiency . I then will focus on one or two harps at a time for the carving, electronics, hardware and stringing details . So depending on the work flow in my shop, the time to finish an elaborate harp project, with carving and electronics, can take a bit of time. Six months to a year, for a complex harp project is usual. Some of my clients also need a longer time period to pay for their harps, so in those cases the timeline can be adjusted to go along with their cash flow, and can be as long in time as is needed.
When your harp is about halfway finished I will ask for another one third payment toward the balance. When your harp is finished and ready to ship to you, the final third of the cost will then be due. If you have a need for me to take longer to build your harp, depending on your budget needs, I can usually make what ever adjustments are needed to the time line. You can also just make payments that work with your cash flow, just ask ! I am Very flexible with working with your personal needs in this regard ! 🙂
Cancellation Policy: Once your harp has been ordered and the first third deposit,( or portion thereof), has been received, Mountain Glen Harps LLC considers your order to be binding. Should you cancel your order, before the first third down payment is made, the $500.00 design deposit is non-refundable.
If a custom order is canceled, after construction on the harp starts, and after more payments have been made, money paid beyond the design cost may be returned to you after the harp we are building for you sells, or after we receive down payments from another buyer of your harp. Due to the custom nature of my harp building, I can not guarantee this. Due to the personal individual nature of a custom designed harp, especially one with carving and electronics, it can sometimes take quite a while to re-sell such a harp, if at all. I have in some cases just parked a project until the harpist can resume the order, and have in time been able to complete and deliver a delayed custom harp project. In that type of case, I will always keep all of a project information and drawings on file, and sometimes the partially completed harp, ready to resume the project when the harpist is ready.
4.) At the time of completion, the shipping and packing cost will be determined, and will be quoted to you.
Upon full payment, your harp will be either shipped, or will be available for you to pick up, if that is convenient for you. You are always welcome to come and pick up your new custom Mountain Glen harp in person!:-)
I can only give estimated completion/shipping dates, since the nature of custom and one-of-a-kind carved, sculpted and electronic harps are such , that they often can take more time to complete than first estimated. Please do not schedule performances with your new custom Mountain Glen Harp, until you receive notice from us that your harp is ready to ship.
I am happy to receive payment via PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, cash, check or money order, as well as via Allegro Acceptance.
Allegro Acceptance is a company that specializes in financing musical instruments for music stores. Their payments can be set as low as $44 per month, or as high as is comfortable for your budget. the process for applying is quite simple. for more information, just ask !
If at any time before I actually start to build your harp, that you wish to change any aspect of the proposed harp, such as making it larger or adding more strings, this is usually not a problem for me to do. If necessary I will re-draw the harp, and send you the modified drawing for your approval. Also any changes or additions to the proposed decorative work can be changed as well before they are executed. Or depending on how far along I am, more art work can be added to the design, especially in the way of sound board painting.
So,…… Please let me know all about the Harp Of Your Dreams ! I look forward to bringing it to life for you.!:-)
Thank you for coming to visit my Harp Pages, please let me know how I can bring your Dream Harp to Life !
Follow your Bliss, and live your Life in Joy!
Glenn J. Hill 01/1/2022