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Thumbnail Filmstrip of Sonnet Lap Harp (29 Strings) Images
The Sonnet Lap Harp
The Sonnet Lap Harp has been a long time in the making and we worked hard to pack the tone of a full-size harp into this small, portable, lap harp.
A full 4 octaves beginning on C below middle C gives you plenty of range; more than most lap harps. The string set provides an even tension from top to bottom. Squarely in the medium tension range, the strings are comfortable on the fingers but still capable of expressive dynamics.
Beyond the look and tone, this harp is designed specifically for comfort. The cant of the neck, the angle of the base, the asymmetrical sound chamber, and the balance point all make this harp sit gracefully on your lap with little to no effort.
A final innovation are the access holes which are placed on the sides instead of the traditional location in the back panel giving the player a richer sonic experience.
What's Included:
- Finished Sonnet Lap Harp with Camac Levers
- Padded Gig Bag
- Tuning Wrench
- Spare nylon strings
- Free shipping in the Continental US
Product Manual
Stephanie Claussen demostrates the Sonnet Lap Harp.
Down Payment Option
You have the option to put 50% down to get your Ballad Harp started.
Use the promo code downpayment when checking out to pay half now and half when the harp is ready for shipping.
Sonnet Harp Key Specs
| Strings | 29 strings |
| Range | C3 to C7 (String Chart) |
| Weight | 9.5 pounds |
| String Spacing | Narrow |
| String Tension | Medium |
| Size | 34" tall, 24" deep, 13" wide |
| Soundboard | Aircraft Birch |
| Body, Neck, Pillar | Cherry |
Optional Stand
Simple, elegant, and versatile - the stand for the Sonnet Harp is a great accessory.
Detachable arms can be installed at two heights - one for playing and one for display.
When not in use, you can remove the arms and place them in the cutouts. Magnets hold the arms in place. Fold up flat for easy storage or transort.
Click here to order the Sonnet Lap Harp Stand
Upgrades
Soundboard Upgrades
Our harps use an aircraft grade birch plywood. It has 6 layers of birch laminated together and is just 1/8" thick. We have used this same material on our soundboards for years because it provides exceptional strength and stability as well as a clear, consitent tone.
Birch, however, is a plain looking wood without much in the way of interesting grain patterns. There is nothing wrong with that. However, many harpists prefer something with more visual appeal. We have sourced a variety of interesting and gorgeous veneers that can be applied to the soundboard. Each veneer is unique and turns your soundboard into an eye-catching, head-turning, work of art.
Does adding a soundboard veneer effect the tone of the harp? Yes - it does, although not very much. Each veneer is slightly different but, in general, adding a soundboard veneer will trend the tone of the harp to be slightly warmer.
Click here to see available soundboard upgrades for the Sonnet Harp.
Here's a couple of pictures of our Sonnet Lap Harp with the quilted maple upgrade.
Vivid Color Upgrade
Vivid Color Harps
We have always loved the natural grain of the woods we use and didn't want the color to hide that; we wanted the color to accentuate the grain. Maple, being a wood that is lighter in color, makes the perfect canvas for our vivid color stains.
Maple is also available with some highly figured and beautiful grain patterns. We use select curly maple for the sides, neck, and pillar and offer a quilted maple veneer upgrade on the soundboard. The stain interacts with the figured grain patterns in exciting and surprising ways.
Maple is a harder wood than cherry so the vivid color version of any harp will weigh roughly 10% more than the standard version and the sound will tend to be slightly brighter.
Check out this photo gallery.
Resources
How to install a strap
Other Harp Related Resources
FAQ
The standard model weights just under 10 pounds. The Christy-Lyn edition and the vivid color models weigh about 11 pounds.
Yes! We designed the Sonnet to sit on your lap so that it is ready for you to play without needing much adjustment.
Whatever your body shape - we are confident you will be able to hold and play this harp. You can alway add a strap or use a a stand to put the harp in a position that works for you.
Yes - installing a strap is quite simple and you can do it yourself. Click here for a video instructional that will teach you how to install a strap.
Adding a strap to your Sonnet Lap harp does a couple of things. While seated, it allows you to hold the harp securely in your lap without using your hands. This frees up your hands to reach for a tuner, a tuning wrench, some music, or whatever. It also allows you to drop the harp between your legs, positioning the harp lower relative to your body. Some people find this more comfortable. Finally, it allows you to play the harp standing up.
Yes - we have designed a stand specifically for the Sonnet Lap Harp so you can play it like a floor harp. It folds flat for easy storage and transport.
Just like Baby Bear's bed - not too soft, not too hard. In other words - medium.
This is a tricky question. We don't stock other makers harps here so it's best if we don't answer that directly. We say the Sonnet has medium string tension. So if you have a harp with high string tension, this will feel a little lighter. And if you have a harp with low tension, this harp might feel a little stiffer.
Well - "Concert String Spacing" is the commonly accepted standard in the harp world. But you won't find a definition of what that actually means. So we measured string spacing on harps form several different makers that all claim to use concert string spacing.
We measured the span between C4 (middle C) and the C5 the C above middle C). We found that the average spacing across this octave was 98mm. So this is what we consider Concert String Spacing.
The distance across that span on the Sonnet Harp is 95mm, slightly narrower than Concert String Spacing.
If you want the answer to this question - you can measure the distance between C4 and C5 on the harp to which you would like to make the comparison.
We can't really answer this question. We can say it is too large to fit in an overhead compartment. However, in m experience, I have found airlines to be fairly accommodating with musical instruments. It is best to contact the airline and ask them directly.
You can order a complete set of replacement strings or individual strings here.
We used to offer this as an option but we no longer sell the A-A string set as of February, 2024. We will continue to stock and sell replacements for the A-A string set for a few years.
While some harpists enjoyed the lower range, the string set was ultimately more trouble than it was worth. It required very thick strings in the bass range which made lever regulation quite tricky.
