A common question I get is “what makes harps such expensive instruments?”
Harps are expensive because it requires a lot of highly skilled, manual labour, and are often made to order. You truly get what you pay for when it comes to harps, and good ones run from $1000 to $25,000 and up for fancy pedal harps.
On both Celtic and pedal harps, the pillars/posts are often hand-carved. The in pedal harps linkages in pedal harps must be hand-laid, and all 90+ sharping disks must be installed and adjusted by a human being. Check out the video below to see this delicate manufacturing work…
Hand fitted inlay makes the high-end harps glow with beauty. Hand-burnished gold leaf shines, and the careful tuning of these string tension all require a human touch.
Skilled hands have a great advantage over computerized machinery for crafting harps that are beautiful, durable, and sound amazing.