Introducing
The Outdoor
Harp Guitar
The World's First Travel Harp Guitar!

From this . . .
<

. . . to this
>

in only minutes!

Join the movement!  Players so far include:

Philippe Fouquet
Jason Carter
Andreas David



Well, someone finally went and did it. 

While I was brainstorming with several luthiers on how to fold that pesky Dyer arm in half, a fellow named Luke Brunner over in Switzerland built a better mousetrap.  The first genuine portable travel harp guitar by Brunner Guitars!

And now, forget everything you've read, heard or thought about travel guitars, because this blows them all away.  A) It's not cheaply built, B) it's not too small, and C) it doesn't sound lame.

It does disassemble (in literally seconds) and stow in an adorable little backpack gig bag, and can fit in most airline overhead compartments.  And don't think of it as a "kit" guitar either.  Though it separates into three pieces, it assembles quickly, cleanly and solidly - with almost no re-tuning required!

Once assembled, what you've got is a finely crafted, professional, full-scale, small-medium bodied harp guitar....that sounds fantastic.

Impossible you say?  OK, check this out:  First, listen to an unadulterated A/B/C comparison of the two instruments shown here compared with my vintage Dyer (below).  Then, later, read the full story Lukas Brunner and the World’s First Travel Harp Guitars on Harpguitars.net.

In that feature, you'll see how I was originally highly skeptical myself.  You'll also understand the array of unusual, innovative features that Luke has developed to provide such amazing sound.  By dumb luck, just after these arrived, the maestro himself, Stephen Bennett, stopped by for a visit.  He was initially disbelieving, then tickled to see how it magically assembled.  Then complete surprise when I handed it to him and it was virtually in tune!  After playing each for awhile, we both admitted that we wouldn't have any problem with owning one of these - for touring, recording, anything (the price is certainly right).  Our only personal caveats were the string spacing - a bit less at the nut and saddle than the Dyers we're used to - and of course the fact that we each had a fantastic harp guitar (actually, a few) already.  The string spacing is of course just an observation, not in any way a negative; I readily acknowledge that the nut width preference of harp guitarists ranges from skinny Taylor widths to the full two inches of the Lark in the Morning. 

OK, let's discuss these in detail.

These are OHG # 2 and # 3, serial numbers 163 and 164.  Philippe Fouquet in France has the first one (he was the instigator of the whole serendipitous project).  As the photos show, #163 (right) has a spruce top with Indian rosewood back and sides, while #164 (left) has a cedar top with mahogany back and sides.  164 was deliberately left as unadorned as possible in order to offer the public the most affordable OHG option we possibly could (price is $3500, tone is a good $7k equivalent).  163 has mid-range options - a cutaway, a sound port (I love this - it gives the impression of a hollow arm), electronics (Baggs), and wood bindings.

Otherwise, they are virtually identical, each having near-identical construction, the Brunner truss rod, locking tuners, pearl headstock inlay, side fret markers, and six sub-basses (strung and tuned in Bennett tuning).  For the latter, there is a larger hole drilled in the bridge for the last sub to accommodate the large ball of an acoustic bass string (i.e: one can use a .100 to get a low F or E. Currently an .080 - of either ball size - handles the low G perfectly.  In fact, Luke put an .072 on # 164 and it sounds pretty good).

Note: Although Philippe Fouquet has left his OHG assembled and tuned for several weeks at a time, the manufacturer recommends that the Outdoor Harp Guitar be kept disassembled in its case when not being played regularly in order to reduce long-term movement of necks, joints or top.  Depending on your ultimate chosen tuning and string gauges, you may wish to make eventual adjustments to truss rods or saddle height.

The scale on this "portable" harp guitar is a full standard 25-1/2" with a 1-3/4" nut width.  The sub neck has a 30-1/2" scale (equivalent to the B or 4th sub of a 6-bass Dyer), a perfect compromise to handle a Bennett tuning of low to high G, or Fouquet's tuning which descends from D to F.  Each has a zero fret.  (If you're thinking of playing the second neck as a fretless bass or baritone guitar to flaunt a potential harp guitar organology challenge in my face, I've already thought of that!  It might actually be cool.  However, the necks are too close together for that to be practical.)

The original Outdoor Guitars had a portable 12-1/4" wide body.  Later, a second larger body size was added to the line.  The harp guitars have this generous 14-1/2' body with plenty of depth (4" - same as a typical Dyer).  Again, it's not the size or materials, it's how Luke has put it all together.  For a complete (and fascinating) look, please visit my companion piece.

Let's talk a bit more about the way the instrument comes apart and goes together.  The key is the S.N.A.P. system (Simple Neck Attachment Procedure) that Luke invented and patented.  This clever contraption holds the neck in position with a simple "click."  By tightening the strapholder, the system is fully secured and the neck is pulled tight to the body.  It comes apart just as quickly and easily.  The bridge is in two parts, one glued to the body as normal, the other a removable section in which the string balls are captive.  This, along with a special "through" nut and locking Gotoh tuners at the other end, allow the strings to stay at tension during assembly and disassembly.  It really works!  Luke recommends that the instrument be disassembled and kept in its case when not being played for long periods of time, to extend the life of the set-up and normal movement-over-time of the wood.

We now pause for this commercial break...

 

Amazing, huh?  All you do is:

Step 1. Hold the neck and insert the bridge
Step 2. Insert the neck in the body socket
Step 3. Gently push the neck down against the string tension until it clicks into place
Step 4. Tighten the strapholder a few turns until snug
Step 5. Give each string a quick stretch and fine tune as needed
Step 6. Play!


Stephen Bennett trying out the Outdoor Harp Guitar

OK, all that's left to discuss is the tone.  Luke and I wanted to experiment with different wood combinations for these, so we tried # 163 with a spruce top and rosewood body and # 164 with a cedar top and mahogany body.  164 is a bit louder and boomier, while 163 is brighter with more overtones.  Its side port also boosts the sound for the player (both should be heard out in front for best effect).  This audio clip compares pretty accurately the two instruments with my c.1915 Dyer Style 8.  NOTE: Don't be alarmed by the lowest sub-bass strings slapping a bit on the neck.  I deliberately put these instruments through my most rigorous "test drive."  After demonstrating my most extreme sub-bass plucking (very heavy downstroke with a thumbpick far away from the bridge), I put more relief in the sub-bass necks which eliminates any noise during normal playing.  When Stephen Bennett played these using his normal technique, they were as pristine and clear (and gorgeous) as any of his own harp guitars.

So there you have it.  My assistant Frank Doucette agreed that these sound better than many of the modern Dyer copies out there, providing easily 80-90% of the tone and volume of a great Dyer.

Too good to be true?  It's not.  In fact, the only real negative I can think of is that it's not a hollow-arm harp guitar - so you won't look like your hero Hedges, Bennett or McKee (as cool as that may be).  But I hear Don Alder may get one - and Philippe Fouquet is already concertizing and recording with his in France - so this design might not be as odd as you might think in in a few years.  In fact, why wait?  How cool to be the first harp guitarist on/in your block/town/country with the very first OHG !  Don't delay!

Operators standing by (not really, I just always wanted to say that).

-Gregg Miner, the "harp guitar pope"

Outdoor Harp Guitar # 163

Specifications:

  • Signed under the top:

Nov. 2008
Lavin, Switzerland
Lukas Brunner
# 163

  • OG Full Scale
  • OG Full Body Size
  • Sound port and soft cutaway
  • Swiss spruce top
  • African mahogany neck
  • Indian rosewood headstock veneer with white pearl "B" (Brunner Guitars) inlay
  • Indian rosewood & maple binding on top and rosette
  • Gotoh locking tuners
  • Indian rosewood fingerboard
  • White pearl dot fretboard and side markers
  • Adjustable truss rod
  • Scale: 25-1/2" (main neck), 30-1/2" (sub-bass neck)
  • 12 frets to the body
  • 1-3/4" nut width
  • Dimensions: 19-1/8" body length, 14-1/2" body width, 4" depth, overall length 41"
  • Polyurethane lacquer satin finish
  • LR Baggs passive ribbon pickups with stereo plug for separate string bank control
  • Outdoor Guitar harp guitar backpack gig bag
  • Strings: Phosphor bronze/steel. Gauges for Stephen Bennett tuning: .039, .052, .058, .062, .070, .080.  Other strings are available here. If you need help calculating gauges for your tuning on this instrument (or if you would like help with tuning suggestions) just ask the pope!

Price: $4800
Spring Sale: ONLY $4375!  SOLD

"I got the instrument and am very happy. It sounds great. Brunner is a genius. I'm happy because I will be able to bring a harp-guitar with me to practice at the hotel each time I'll go touring as a guitarist." -Claude Laflamme

Outdoor Harp Guitar # 164

Specifications:

  • Signed under the top:

Nov. 2008
Lavin, Switzerland
Lukas Brunner
# 164

  • OG Full Scale
  • OG Full Body Size
  • Cedar top
  • African mahogany back, sides and neck
  • Pearl "B" (Brunner Guitars) headstock inlay
  • Gotoh locking tuners
  • Rosewood fingerboard
  • Pearl dot fretboard and side markers
  • Adjustable truss rod
  • Scale: 25-1/2" (main neck), 30-1/2" (sub-bass neck)
  • 12 frets to the body
  • 1-3/4" nut width
  • Dimensions: 19-1/8" body length, 14-1/2" body width, 4" depth, overall length 41"
  • Polyurethane lacquer satin finish
  • Outdoor Guitar harp guitar backpack gig bag
  • Strings: Phosphor bronze/steel. Gauges for Stephen Bennett tuning: .039, .052, .058, .062, .070, .080.  Other strings are available here. If you need help calculating gauges for your tuning on this instrument (or if you would like help with tuning suggestions) just ask the pope!

Price: $3,600 SOLD

Note: Pearl dot fret markers were added after the photos above were taken.
# 163 has 5mm dots, # 164 has 3mm dots.

  • International Shoppers:
    Please research the Cites Treaty Regulations and the ramifications of shipping any instrument before purchasing or shipping.  Harp Guitar Music is not liable for any confiscation of instruments for real or imagined inclusion of Cites-listed material.


CDs & DVDs by Stephen Bennett, John Doan, Muriel Anderson, Andy McKee, Stacy Hobbs, Tom Shinness, Dan LaVoie, James Kline, Larry Berwald, Bill Dutcher, Gregg Miner, Pasquale Taraffo
To learn more about harp guitars, please visit Harpguitars.net
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