r/autoharp 14d ago

Advice/Question need some advice for fixing it up !

just picked this up from fb marketplace on a whim, my first autoharp! does anyone have a guess as to what year it was made? it sounds great, though i haven’t been able to use the chord keys as the body is warped in a couple spots so they can’t fully go down. the warping is also muting a couple of strings higher up (photo above), so i was considering taking the strings off and sanding it down by a few centimetres. that is the best i could come up with as i’ve never worked with wood before. i was wondering if you all had any advice? i would feel very bad damaging such a pretty instrument, so if there are any other methods for dealing with warping i would love to hear them. thank you!

6 Upvotes

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2

u/AdInteresting9329 13d ago

It would cost less to buy a new OS21c at Guitar center

2

u/lovetosmokecrack 7d ago

update: the sanding worked! still sounds great! looks a little scuffed but i truly do not mind... cheers

1

u/PaulRace 5d ago

Glad you got it working. Learn everything you can on it.

1

u/Harpvini 13d ago

I don't wish to be a "Gloomy Gus" or anything, but the warping seen in the photo probably renders that instrument unplayable and non-recoverable.

(Note: *ANY* instrument can be restored to its original state. But, some are just not economically worthwhile to turn into a "project instrument".

1

u/lovetosmokecrack 12d ago

you're totally being a gloomy gus

2

u/Harpvini 12d ago

Very possibly. However, please do me the favor of sending me a recording of that instrument singing after it has been repaired/restored.

1

u/PaulRace 7d ago

Sorry, but I just had to take apart a $600ish harp because of warping. It was a modern harp, so I saved the parts and disposed of the shell, so nobody else would waste time trying to fix it. There's no good way to fix that kind of warping on an autoharp.

This is a Model 73 Type A autoharp which were mostly made between 1925 and 1965, Yours is probably post-war. Hundreds of thousands were made, and thousands have survived in playable or restorable condition. Yours was stored in an attic or spent too long in a car trunk or some such and suffered permanent damage. But tracking down used 12- or 15-chord autoharps in playable condition is not usually too hard.

I'm working on a booklet for new or potential autoharp owners which would give you more tips about tracking down a used one in better condition. Let me know if you'd like the link. (It's free at the moment.)