Roosebeck Baby Celtic Harp 12-String w/ Knotwork Design - Walnut Wood

When I was trying to decide whether or not to buy this harp, I noticed a few issues popping up in reviews and Id like to share my opinion on some of them.Initial state of harp:The harp comes with two sets of strings (one strung on and one spare) and a tuning key. A huge complaint that I saw pop up was that the harp wouldnt stay in tune. Now Ive been playing guitar most my life and if thats taught me one thing its that strings on string instruments take a bit to stretch and "settle in". For about a week my harp definitely fell out of tune a lot (especially the lower strings) but now that the strings have stretched out they stay in tune pretty well.Craftsmanship & sound quality:I tuned my harp from f4-c6 as recommended. On its way there I was a little afraid of a couple of the higher strings snapping but nothing did. My reccomendation is to just be slow & careful as the strings stretch. I found the harp has a nice tone in the f4-c6 range, but its nothing especially spectacular. If kept in lower tunings I could see the tone sounding much worse. I saw a few reviews of the wood starting to split and such. Ive only had this harp a little over a month now but its gotten a lot of use in that time and I see no signs of wear. Also the harp looks great. Part of the joy of owning it is just having it as a showpiece.Practicality:Admittedly this isnt a very practical instrument if you want to play harp traditionally. With only 12 strings youre very limited in what you can play. This is a small, relatively portable instrument thats great for playing melodies that dont include too wild a range of notes (but it is surprising what you can get done with just 12 notes). You wont, however, be playing any concerts with it unless youre in a medival travelling-minstrel style band (in which case Id love to know your band name).All in all if youre like me and you want a small harp to play with for fun, this is a fantastic instrument for you. If youre seriously looking to start learning proper harp or youre looking for a small harp with a full range, you should consider some larger and probably much more expensive harps.

My son wanted this. Ordered it. I went to tune it. Put on a clip on guitar tuner. 10 of the 12 strings are nice and tight and can be tuned no problem. the last two longest strings the tension of the strings just unwinds it. and NO they are not over tight. The metal shaft I guess uses nothing but the friction of the wooden hole drilled for it, which appears to be pre-drilled too large as there is not enough frictions to keep the shaft stationary. Out of the box these two were really really loose, that should have tipped me off. Now tomorrow is Christmas and I have a disappointed child to deal with. The build quality is otherwise okay, but there is some poor quality control.

The small harp was well packaged and I am very happy with the purchase. The hard itself is sturdy and well made, not too heavy with a better than expected sound. I bought this as a gift for my small granddaughter and it was truly perfect.

I bought this for my wife. She has always wanted one and is thrilled with this harp. For myself, I'm not impressed with the nylon strings, but they seem to do the job. Overall, and for the price, this is an excellent harp for beginners.