Alan Horvath | Customizing An Autoharp

Chordbar Conversion - Chromatic to Diatonic:

It all begins with a hot cup of coffee ... an Oscar Schmidt Autoharp ... and a new set of custom chord bars, made by Buck Lumbert ...

This is a photo-diary of my autoharp chordbar conversion, done in April, 2001. I decided before performing this small feat, to take pictures and post everything on my site ... firstly, because I'm a sentimental guy (I've had that teaspoon since I was 4 years old) ... and secondly, because I thought it would be real helpful to anyone doing the same. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did ... and if you're doing your own, have fun!

PS - Feel free to print copies of this and use it in the interest of helping others ... all I ask is that you give me proper � credits, and that you let me know via email:

Converting a chromatic 'harp to a diatonic 'harp is a fun experience ... and the results are even more rewarding! The 'harp becomes more characteristic in it's sound ... more celtic ... more folky ... and, to me, more fun! If you want to know more, I suggest you purchase a copy of Mary Lou Orthey's book The Autoharp Owner's Manual - Mel Bay Pub'l. It contains absolutely everything imaginable about your autoharp ... and also has some very important info about doing all this - much more than I can put into this tutorial! Do yourself a favor and get a copy - you'll be amazed ... and very happy that you did!

You can see and read about Buck Lumbert's Autoharps by visiting his site:
[Click Here] to visit Buck Lumbert's site
And you can email him for info about ordering his chordbars:

And you can order Mary Lou Orthey's book from Ginny Reid, for just $17.50 plus shipping:

Or, you can phone her at (717) 241-0519 ... 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Or ... you can also purchase the book from The Autoharp Quarterly and do yourself another favor by subscribing to the best magazine on earth for autoharpists! Become a member and get the book for $17.95, including shipping! Just click here: The Autoharp Quarterly Magazine

In the end, the results are quite surprising! A better sounding instrument ... a much, much *lighter* one ... and what an improvement in appearance! Jeeze! Look at the difference!:

To view my tutorial, just click the button below and follow along ...

[Back to A'Harps]