Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I own 5 harps. This is the smallest and cheapest I own. It is a really good deal for this price. Most harps are very expensive. A harp of this size from a "good" manufacturer with full sharping levers would be over $1000. This one is made in Pakistan. It sounds fairly nice for the price. I like it as a nice portable harp to carry to classes. And, since it's cheaper, I don't need to worry as much if it gets bumped around during a class. I think it would also be a great harp to learn on, to see if you like it or are good at it before making the commitment to buy a more expensive harp. At classes, this harp has a really bad reputation, probably due to its inexpensive price and the fact that most people who buy them know nothing about harps. However, it really is a nice little harp. The string spacing and tension are excellent. I like the way they extended the top to give your hand room to reach the higher strings -- that is difficult in some small harps. This harp has broken fewer strings than some of my really expensive harps. After about 6 years, mine has no cracks or problems of any kind. The harp piller and harmonic curve are both laminated and pretty strong. However, I keep it out of direct sunlight and high heat, and make sure it doesn't dry out too much in our midwestern winters (when most homes get very, very dry and many wood things crack). You would need to do that with any wooden musical instrument. I also know how to take care of it -- like how to push in the tuning pins if they loosen up (which they will do on any Irish-style harp). If you take care of this harp, it will last a long time. If you do buy it, buy an extra set of strings. And also buy Sylvia Woods book on learning to play the harp and how to correctly care for the harp.