Have a question about your harp? Have a read through our frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered then please fill out our contact form and we will do our best to answer.
Construction materials
The Wee Nifty Harp is constructed using laminated birch plywood and is designed to be robust and durable. The harp is finished with three coats of a robust matt sealant called Invisible Oil. This finish retains that natural look of the plywood and is easy to dust clean with a soft cloth. The water-resistance of the finish means that you can wipe off spills or the wee ones grubby pawprints with a cloth lightly moistened with water. So, apart from keeping it clean and in tune, your harp’s construction materials require minimal effort to keep it in good playing order.
Cleaning
A Nifty Harp is coated with two coats of Invisible Oil. This is a protective matt finish chosen specifically to retain the natural look and feel of the timber, but also to be low maintenance. A dry duster is all that is needed for a quick dust down, while a slightly damp cloth will be all you need to remove spillages or marks.
Tuning
The harp is fitted with tapered tuning pegs for precise adjustment. Should you notice a peg becoming loose and the string’s tuning drifting off, simply apply pressure to the peg, towards the harp frame, when adjusting it with the tuning key – this will cause the taper of the peg to tighten again in the frame.
Very little adjustment is usually required to get a string to go into correct tuning, so don’t be too heavy-handed with the tuning key. Always use a chromatic tuner and adjust gently clockwise up to the point where the string is in tune. Oh, and never leave your tuning key attached to a tuning peg – it is likely to cause an accident!
Strings
When replacing a broken string, always use the correct string gauge and type, nylon or fluorocarbon. Strings specifically selected for Nifty Harps are available only on this site.
Note: You cannot mix string types – make sure you order the correct nylon or fluorocarbon replacement.
You can upgrade the standard nylon strings to fluorocarbon, but you must change all 24 at the same time – we provide a full string kit for that purpose.
Note: You do not require to change the wire-wound bass strings when changing from nylon to fluorocarbon.
Replacement strings are supplied pre-tied and cut to the correct length to make installation quick and easy.
Replacement tuning key
A tuning key is supplied with your harp. If you need a replacement, or maybe just a spare, keys can be ordered from our shop
Semitone levers
Nifty Harps come in two standard configurations: un-levered and fully levered.
In the early stages of learning, some teachers suggest that levers are not immediately required. We supply the un-levered version of our harps to make the initial purchase as affordable as possible. However, as your playing skills develop, you will likely want to be able to learn a broader range of music in different keys or play alongside other instruments without re-tuning the harp each time.
We specify Camac levers on our harps, primarily due to their accuracy, reliability and build quality. The levers are optimised to suit Nifty Harps, and the pre-drilled frames are prepared for the Camac lever dimensions, so we strongly recommend only selecting what you require from this site.
Lever upgrade options:
All of our harp frames are pre-drilled so that you have the option to retrofit our bespoke Camac levers. This can be done either individually, or by selecting our complete 27 lever upgrade pack.
Individual levers: Consult your harp teacher if considering this option. They may suggest adding only the levers needed to select the required key for specific pieces of music you are learning. This method would allow you to spread the cost of the upgrade.
Full 27 lever set: Upgrade your un-levered Nifty to the ultimate version for complete flexibility in playing all eight major and minor keys.
Lever replacements: If replacing a broken lever, please ensure you select the correct one using the list on the levers page on this site.
Lever fitting options:
At Home: As the frames are pre-drilled for the levers, it is possible for them to be fitted at home with care. It is a little fiddly, but not a difficult task. Installation tool and fitting/regulation instructions are included with the kit. £15 per lever, plus postage.
Bring your harp to the workshop: If you live near enough to the Scottish Borders, you can opt to make a booking to have your levers fitted here at the workshop. £15 per lever, no additional charges.
Send by carrier: If you are unable to get to the workshop in person, you can order levers and arrange to ship the harp to us, in its original packaging, via a carrier. If you no longer have the packaging, you can order a box and internal padding from us for £45.
You arrange to ship the harp to us, we fit the levers at £15 per lever and charge the relevant rate for the return delivery to you.
Transporting your harp
Please retain the box and internal packing, in which your harp was delivered, to provide effective transit protection; such as if having levers retro-fitted by us, return for repair or simply to transfer ownership.
Should you lose your original packaging you can get in touch with us and we can supply a replacement. We will, unfortunately, require to charge £45 including delivery for this service.
While laminated birch ply is certainly more resistant to impact and scratch damage than lacquered natural timber, great care should still be taken when moving your harp to ensure it stays in perfect condition. For the Wee Nifty, we can supply a lightweight, showerproof bag with Velcro closure and webbing carry handles, or a fully padded soft case with zip closure and webbing carry straps. For details, please see our accessory page on this site.
Storage
To prevent your harp being knocked over, and possibly damaged, it is wise to store it in a quiet corner, away from busy parts of the house. It can be left on its stand if you are using one, as it has larger feet for greater stability, but just ensure it is placed out the way.
Harp Bags
Nifty Harps are always safer in a protective bag when you are out and about.
For the Wee Nifty, we have created two options: a robust, medium-duty shower proof case with padding and a lightweight ripstop nylon bag. Both designs have carry handles.
The larger Big Nifty (to be launched in Autumn 2020) will have a medium-duty padded case option only.
Harp Stand
To encourage good playing technique, it is advised to use a stand to raise the harp up into the ideal playing position when seated. It is important not to feel like you are hanging onto the harp whilst playing – it should rest comfortably on the shoulder allowing free movement of your hands.
All Nifty harps have a threaded insert and two locating holes in their feet. The stand top plate has two brass locating pins and threaded thumb-screw bolt to make alignment, fitting or removal quick and easy.
We have developed a new flat-pack stand that is simple to assemble. The central polycarbonate pillar is a standard 470 mm high with suitable threaded rod and hardware. From Autumn 2020 we will offer alternative central pillar and hardware kits; short, to suit younger players or long, to enable the harp to be played comfortably while standing.
Pickups
All Nifty Harps have our bespoke piezo pickup system pre-installed inside the resonator. This allows the harp to be connected to external amplification, effects pedals or recording equipment.
The pickup system is also ideal for use with small in-line amplifiers to drive headphones. These provide a simple way to filter out distractions, enabling you to focus in on your playing when you are practising.