Chamber Harp

John Pratt Harp Company

The Chamber Harp

The “Chamber Harp” is our higher quality lever harp, exhibiting excellent response and superb sound. One feature of this harp, virtually unique in the lever harp world, is an extended soundboard—a feature generally available only in better pedal harps. The soundboard is made up veneered select Sitka spruce, tapered from center to the edges, and from bottom to top. The concert harp-style soundboard, coupled with concert harp strings, and fairly taut string tension contributes to a very full, mature harp sound.

Another important feature of the Chamber Harp is the amount of hand crafted work that goes into the construction. We feel that you will not find a comparable amount of hand work in other lever harps—especially considering the price. While certainly the Chamber Harp is suitable as a beginner’s harp, and lends itself well to transitioning to a pedal harp, we find that many customers purchase the Chamber Harp as an end in itself, because of its quality, superb sound, and beauty.

The Chamber Harp is made in several different standard finishes—not different colors obtained merely by using different colored stains, but finishes obtained using a variety of genuine, unstained hardwoods and hardwood veneers in their natural colors and textures. For all finishes, the neck of the Chamber Harp is made up of hard maple laminations. The neck is then covered on the top and the sides with the hardwood veneer of choice for that particular instrument. The body panels likewise are always made of hardwood birch laminate, and covered with the hardwood veneer of choice. The Chamber Harp knee block, base, column, and top side plates are made solely of solid hardwood in the wood of choice. The soundboard is covered in spruce veneer, though we have optional select highly figured maple veneer depending on availability and customer choice.

We also offer extra aesthetic and decorative features for the Chamber Harp as options, such as, ornamental wood inlays, exotic woods, or special soundboard veneer as mentioned above.

Special Bubinga Chamber Harp

The standard finishes we offer for the Chamber Harp are as follows: blond—curly maple, blond—birds-eye maple, birch, cherry, walnut, African bubinga, and zebrawood, though we would consider other hardwoods or hardwood combinations. We also do custom work on occasion. Contact us if you have special desires or ideas. Even on our “standard” finishes, there is often some degree of latitude in the kinds of matching or contrasting woods that may be used in some of the “standard” body inlays, such as the back body corners, or the inlays that are at the bottom of each body panel. We often work with customers to achieve color or wood combinations that they desire, and that will work well. We invite you to peruse these options if you desire.



Birds-eye maple	Curly Maple		Birch		Cherry

Walnut		African Bubinga		Zebrawood

Walnut Chamber Harp

The “trefoil” or three-leafed clover motif at the top of the column in the side plates has become somewhat characteristic of our harps. However, upon special request, we have at times substituted a contrasting decorative wood carving in place of the “trefoil” motif. People have sometimes asked about the symbolic significance of the clover or “trefoil” motif on our harps. This design is simply decorative, and a traditional motif in European and Celtic designs. This motif abounds in old stone carvings in European cathedrals, castles, and such.

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John Pratt Harp Company

360 West 400 South

Manti, Utah 84642

USA

(435) 835-3541 — prattjw@mail.manti.com