Bart is certainly more knowledgable than I as to construction, but I'd
like to second his comments on the availability of harpas in Sweden. I
was shopping around last summer, and played harpas, NEW harpas, by at
least 10 different builders. And there are many others....you can check
this for yourself on the ANA website, under "Links" (lists 12
builders). And not all builders have websites....

Sheila


Bart Brashers wrote:
>
> On Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 4:29 PM, dulcimark <dulcimark@...
> <mailto:dulcimark%40yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
> > Wondering if anyone has any insight, opinions, etc on the nyckelharpa
> > currently listed on eBay:
> >
> >
> >
>
http://cgi.ebay.com/Handmade-Nyckelharpa-from-Dalarna-Sweden-1980_W0QQitemZ15021\
1528972QQihZ005QQcategoryZ308QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Handmade-Nyckelharpa-from-Dalarna-Sweden-1980_W0QQitemZ1502\
11528972QQihZ005QQcategoryZ308QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem>
> >
> > Any idea who the maker is?
> >
> > It looks good in the photos, but on the other hand it is 28 years old.
> > What sort of issues might one expect of an instrument that has spent
> > that time largely unplayed (if one is to believe the eBay writeup)?
> >
> > I'm interested yet skeptical.
> >
>
> I'm always one to have an opinion...
>
> This guy is clearly not connected to the modern nyckelharpa world. He says
> that Dalarna is the center of nyckelharpa playing (it's really
> Uppland) and
> that making has pretty much died out (it's going strong). But he does say
> he's a guitar player/maker, not into nyckelharpa, so it's reasonable
> for him
> to not know. The phrase "The tradition of making nyckelharpa is desapering
> [sic]" is clearly a sales pitch.
>
> The harpa itself appears to be a typical course-harpa: probably made by
> someone who took a year-long course offered through Vuxenskolan (my Dad
> built my first harpa in 1976-77 that way). It has the hallmarks of that
> era: the lack of sloping body near where the neck attaches (just above
> your
> wrist, when playing), only 8 (not 12) of the sympathetic strings on metal
> fine tuners (the other 4 on wooden pegs). It also has typical details of
> course work: the odd decorations on the top of the keys, the round pegs.
> Back then, everyone wanted to express their individuality and try to
> invent/improve the design, so you got a lot of decorations and
> "innovations"
> -- I don't know how you'd get the wooden pegs to turn if they ever seized
> up. If they're shaped like paddles, then you can get a good hold or use a
> chunk of wood with a slot (that fits the paddle) to get some mechanical
> advantage. This is a typical course design, something of the Sahlström
> "57:an" look to it. If it really follows that design too much, then the
> bass bar will be too thin when leads to sunken tops.
>
> Musical instruments get better when played, so having it sit in the
> box has
> no benefit. You just miss out on the advances in design and techniques
> that
> have happened in the last 25 years. New, top-quality harpas can be had for
> $2000 to $2500, so why pay $1500 for this clearly inferior harpa?
>
> Without having heard it and played it, I can't be certain, but based
> on the
> pictures and the history I'd say this harpa is worth $750. Probably not
> worth shipping to America. Sorry.
>
> Bart
> --
> Bart Brashers
> 3039 NW 62nd St
> Seattle WA 98107
> 206-789-1120 Home
> 425-921-4020 Work
> 206-550-2606 Mobile
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>