Over the last several years, especially during COVID, many folks have decided to build their own harps. Good idea!
Yet, on a few occasions, I've been asked the question of why our various harp kits are so expensive? While it is not for me to judge anyone's budget or to second guess what they should or should not afford, I am sensitive to the costs involved; both of what my customers have to pay and the value of what they purchase from me compared to the cost I have to pay to buy the parts in the first place and make them available to my customers. And, it does cost to run the web site and keep a business running in a legal manner, etc. Though, that is not a complaint!
Rather, I love the business of providing alternative harps for folks who have that bent & desire and who aren't in the big, expensive pre-built harp market. When figuring the cost of our most expensive string & hardware kit, the Kovac Paraguayan 36 string model, its 2021 cost is around $406, which includes John Kovac's acclaimed harp making book but, without wood. Expensive? Maybe not.
Consider that a similar quality harp of the same large size and similar number of strings offered on the pre-built market will cost around $2,500 to $6,000 each, plus add to that very expensive truck freight shipping & handling and proportional shipping insurance.
Now, consider the Kovac 36P mentioned above. Looking at lumber prices in late 2021, after the lumber crisis has begun to fall back to normal pricing & availability, I figure about $150 max to buy wood, stains or paint, glue, etc., to build a K36P. Add that to our K36P harp kit cost and you have, plus your own labor, a large, high quality, well-engineered harp for $650 or less. Compare that with the beginning average of $2,500 to $3,000 price range to buy a similar pre-built harp and the monetary value of a Kovac Kit becomes more obvious. Without considering their truck freight or my far less expensive UPS shipping, instead of affording $650 for your Kovac 36P harp, you have instead immediately saved at least $2,350 (or far more) on an investment into a real, full-sized harp!
Besides all of that, you have the extra satisfaction of having done it yourself and with your own finishes, colors, style choices & options, etc. That alone is priceless.
While the choice to spend your hard earned cash on a worthy musical instrument will always be your own, we hope to provide you with a valuable and more affordable choice in your DIY harp making endeavor.
Here's to wishing you wisdom and blessing in your choice for an investment into a harp!
Thanks for considering,
- Davy