Our Harp Models Updated December 23, 2020

This page gives you an overview of the 5 harp models we offer. Each model also has its own page for more details.

The Swan, The Cygnet, Serenade

and The Newest addition to the Thormahlen Family 

                                the Clare and the Ceili

(pronounced Kay-lee)

We now make 5 models of harps. The Swan, Cygnet and Serenade have 36 strings and the Clare and Ceili have 34. They are all fully levered with Camac levers, and come with a case and a tuning key.

Read a summary of each harp model below or click on the above links for model details with pictures.

See our Comparison Chart for all of our harp models.
See our videos on line.

Our experience in working with classical and folk musicians from the novice to the professional player has led us to our current harp designs. All of our harps are designed for even string tension and concert spacing (the same string spacing found on most pedal harps). This medium string tension produces a full, rich tone that is balanced throughout the range of the harp, resulting in a harp that is responsive and inspirational to the player.

THE SWAN is our premium model. Starting at $6595 with nylon strings, $6895 with folk gut strings and now available with fluorocarbon strings for $6995. Shipping is $500 to anywhere in the US 46 states, $550 to Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Florida, and Canada.

• It has a staved back soundbox made of solid hardwood. Choices of woods include maple, walnut, cherry, and mahogany; and the exotic woods: bubinga, and koa. Other woods may be available upon request.
• It has a solid wood soundboard of spruce or cedar.
• The solid wood pillar is curved with a T-brace that is matched to the soundbox wood.
• The neck is piano pin block (also used on pedal harps) sandwiched between bookmatched pieces of wood that match the soundbox.
• This harp can be made with Savarez fluorocarbon, concert gut, folk harp lever gut or nylon strings. The spacing is standard and the tension is medium-high, with concert gut strings having the highest tension, and folk harp lever gut strings having the lowest.
• It stands 57 inches tall and weighs between 22 and 25 pounds depending on the choice of wood. If you'd like we can shorten your harp by cutting the legs down by 2 inches. Compare the Swans in the photo above with the waterfall to the Swan in the photo at the top of the page (which has shorter legs).
• This harp can be adorned with inlay around the soundboard or on the pillar. See inlay options.
• All of our harps come with a padded Cordura case, a full set of Camac levers, a tuning key, and an owner's manual.
• We have recently redesigned this harp making the bottom C bass string easier to reach and a little lighter in weight.

See details of the Swan and Cygnet models and endorsements of the Swan.

Hear Joanna Mell play a Thormahlen harp. All tunes except 4 are played on her Cherry Swan.

THE CLARE 34 is our newest addition to the Thormahlen family. It has 34 strings and has an identical staved back soundbox as the Swan. This harp is $6495 with nylon strings, $6795 with folk gut, and $6895 with Fluorocarbonstrings. Shipping is $500 to anywhere in the US 46 states, $550 to Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Florida and Canada.

• The solid hardwood options for the staved-back soundbox are the same as for the Swan: Choices of woods include maple, walnut, cherry, and mahogany; and the exotic woods: bubinga, and koa.
• The soundboard options are also the same as the Swan: spruce or cedar.
• The bass wires on the Clare are slightly shorter than on our Swan allowing us to use a shorter neck and pillar arrangement thus creating a smaller harp.
• The neck has the same construction style as the Swan; the pillar has a slight C curve.
• The Clare can be made with nylon, concert gut, folk gut or fluorocarbon strings.
• The Clare is 51 inches tall and weighs 21 lbs. It will fit in just about any car you might own. It is ideal for the harp player who wants to play in the Irish style.
• The string spacing is slightly narrower than our other harps and the folk gut strings give the harpist a light tension and a warm sound.
• The feet are the same as those used on the Cygnet. Taller feet are available (add $200)
• We have recently redesigned this harp making the bottom C bass string easier to reach and a little lighter in weight.

The relationship of this harp to the Ceili (described below) is the same as the relationship of our Cygnet to our Serenade (the same shape, but different construction)

See details of the Clare.

Hear Annalee play her koa Clare.

An interview on YouTube.

THE CYGNET is a baby Swan with the same number of strings (36) and the exact same staved back soundbox as the Swan. This harp is $6495 with nylon strings, $6795 with folk gut strings and $6895 with fluorocarbon strings. Shipping is $500 to anywhere in the US 46 states, $550 to Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Florida and Canada.

• The solid hardwood options for the staved-back soundbox are the same as for the Swan: maple, walnut, cherry, and mahogany; and the exotic woods: bubinga, and koa.
• The soundboard options are also the same as the Swan: spruce or cedar.
• The bass wires on the Cygnet are slightly shorter than on our Swan allowing us to use a shorter neck and pillar arrangement thus creating a smaller harp.
• The neck has the same construction as the Swan, the pillar has a slight C curve.
• We make this harp with Savarez fluorocarbon, concert gut, folk harp lever gut or nylon strings. The tension is slightly lighter than the Swan especially in the lower end of the harp.
• Standing at 52 inches and weighing 22-25 lbs, this harp is ideal for those who just want a smaller, lighter harp with slightly lighter tension, for those who play in hospital settings, for smaller adults and children or for someone looking to fit a full harp into a small car.
• This harp can be adorned with inlay around the soundboard or on the pillar. See inlay options.
• All of our harps come with a padded Cordura case, a full set of Camac levers, a tuning key, and an owner's manual.
• We have recently redesigned this harp making the bottom C bass string easier to reach and a little lighter in weight.

The relationship of this harp to the Serenade (described below) is the same as the relationship of our Clare to our Ceili (the same shape, but different construction)

See details of the Swan and Cygnet models and endorsements of the Cygnet.

THE CEILI 34 has the same neck and pillar design as the Clare with a flat back or semi-staved back soundbox made of laminated okume, which is an African Mahogany. It is similar to the Serenade in its construction and materials used. $4195 with nylon strings, $4495 with folk gut strings and $4595 with Flourocarbon strings. Shipping is $500 to anywhere in the US 46 states, $550 to Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Florida and Canada.

• The Ceili comes with Savarez Flouocarbon, Folk Gut or Nylon Strings. We have just instigated a new stringing pattern for the nylon harps making the string tension lighter and the tone clearer and slightly brighter. It is basically lightening all the guages by 1 standard string gauge.
• The Ceili is 51 inches tall and weighs 18 lbs. It will fit in just about any car you might own. It is ideal for the harp player who wants to play in the Irish style.
• Like the Clare the string spacing is slightly narrower than our other harps
• The construction of the soundbox is the same as the Serenade, the neck and pillar shape is also the same as the Serenade.
• There are six staining options on this harp: natural blond, amber, chestnut, walnut, and a very striking black stain (the black stain adds $300 to the price) and (see photos below). These are the same options as for the Serenade.
• The feet are the same as those used on the black Serenade in the picture below or the walnut stained picture to the right of this text. Taller feet are available (add $200)

The Ceili options:

• This harp can come with a flat back or a semi staved back
• This harp can be adorned with maple binding or pearl inlay on the pillar or around the soundboard.
• If you're tall, you can get taller feet.

See details of the Ceili and endorsements of the Ceili

THE SERENADE

The Serenade has a new pillar design (please go to our Serenade page to see what's new about it) with a flat back or semi-staved back soundbox made of laminated Okume, which is an African Mahogany. The neck is maple piano pin block, and to keep the weight at 20lbs, we make the pillar out of mahogany. This harp starts at $4195 with nylon strings, $4495 with folk gut, and $4595 with fluorocarbon strings. Shipping is $500 to anywhere in the US 46 states, $550 to Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Florida and Canada.

• The Serenade uses the same nylon string set as the Swan and Cygnet and has the lighter tension like the Cygnet. The Serenade is available with Savarez fluorocarbon, nylon or folk gut strings. We have just initiated a new stringing pattern for all the nylon harps making the string tension a little lighter and the tone clearer and slightly brighter. It is basically lightening all the gauges by 1 standard string gauge.
• The Serenade is 51 inches tall and weighs 20 lbs. It will fit in just about any car you might own. It is ideal for the harp student who wants to start with a less expensive and very nice instrument, for those who just want a smaller, lighter harp, for those who play in hospital settings, for smaller adults and children or for someone looking to fit a full sized harp into a small car. It would be a joy for any harper for a long, long time.
• There are five staining options on this harp: natural blond, amber, chestnut, walnut, and a very striking black stain (the black stain add $300 to the price). See photos above.
• Notice the new Cygnet style feet on the black harp in the photo above to the right that now come on all of our Serenades.Taller feet are available (add $200).
• Please note that the Serenade has a new pillar design that looks just like the Ceili harp. You can see it on the Serenade webpage (link above).
  

The Serenade options:

This harp can come with a flat back or a semi-staved back.

This harp can be adorned with maple binding or pearl inlay on the pillar or around the soundboard. We also have a special Serenade called The Black Pearl harp with soundboard inlay.

If you're tall, you can get taller feet.

See details of the Serenade and endorsements of the Serenade

The Serenade and Ceili are so light you can carry them by the pillar.

The flat back box fits very comfortably against your shoulder; however, because it was requested, we have designed a semi-staved back for this harp as well which gives even greater comfort. We have also just started making this harp with tall feet for the taller player.

 

In summary:

• The Swan, the Cygnet and the Clare have the same full staved back, solid wood soundbox. The Serenade and Ceili are available with a flat back or a semi-staved back.
• All of our harps can now be strung with nylon, lever gut or fluorocarbon strings.
• The Cygnet and Serenade have the same neck and pillar geometry although the Cygnet neck is made like the Swan neck in construction with bookmatched wood sandwiching the piano pin block.
• The Clare and the Ceili have the same neck and pillar geometry although the Clare neck is made like the Swan neck in construction with bookmatched wood sandwiching the piano pin block.
• The Ceili and the Serenade neck and pillar are made out of the same materials and now have very similar neck and pillar design and construction.
• The 7 lowest bass wires are the same on all 5 models no matter what string type you order.
• We can shorten the feet on our Swan model or we can make taller feet for the Cygnets, Clares, Serenades and Ceilis.
• All of our harps come with a padded Cordura case, a full set of Camac levers, a tuning key, and an owner's manual.

"Thank you so much for all of your help in selecting my harp. You have been a delight to speak with and very helpful. Your customer service is wonderful! Thank you again, Best regards, Serina B."

We have had some requests for cloth harp covers. Here is a link for some very nice ones made by sisters Julianne and Coralie. They cleverly call them jackets, gowns, and tunics.

Harp Couture

Read what our customers have to say about our harps on the endorsement page.

Here's a side trip you can take to learn more about shopping for a harp.