Over the past few years I’ve had several people request information on the stringing of the Mandolin Harp (Some people call it the Fretless Zither, but its maker named it the Mandolin Harp so I honor the person who built it).
It is true that they no longer make strings specifically for the Mandolin Harp, nor do they build the instrument itself anymore. Due to these factors we’re forced to improvise when choosing the best possible strings.
There may be subtle differences between your harp and mine, so I would recommend making your own adjustments when you see fit.
The most important factor to consider is how it sounds. It should sound bright and ethereal, like a harp. Assuming your harp has no major cracks in the wood or other structural issues, you should assume that it will sound beautiful when strung properly (structural problems can and should be tended by your local luthier).
I initialy had NO IDEA what to use to string this instrument, so I figured it would be a trial and error process- and it was. Juststrings.com was very cool. They let me return strings which I ordered and didn’t end up matching the instrument well. I explained what I was doing and they were very sympathetic to my cause.
One of my main goals was to get as much rust resistance in the strings as possible. Stringing the Mando Harp is not an easy task, so you want the job to last as long as possible. For the Melody strings (unwound strings) I made an obvious choice of Elixir Acoustic Guitar strings. This was based on years of playing them on my acoustic guitar. Their sound on the harp is completely different than a guitar sound because the tension is so much greater and the distance from bridge to tuning pegs is far shorter. They have proven to be a smart choice, as they have lasted several years without a diminishing of tone quality.
For the bass and chordal strings I used a combination of Autoharp strings and GHS Contact Core acoustic guitar strings. It is ESSENTIAL that the cores of the wound strings make contact with the bridge. If the wound part of the string contacts the bridge then you will most likely get a rattling sound that is very unharp-like. The string resonates at its core and must be grounded there.
**I've been digging up and reviewing some of my old purchase receipts. For the 4 Bass notes with largest Gauge strings I used Oscar Schmidt Auto Harp strings. I'm unsure of the exact gauge and you may have to troubleshoot that one on your own. All of the other wound strings I used were GHS Contact Core .26 Gauge. For the unwound string at the top of the chord I used a .14 gauge Elixir. For the melody strings I only used 3 different gauges: .16 and .18 and.22 , all unwound Elixir strings.
Here is an excellent instructional video for stringing a zither. Though the zither is a different instrument, they both have the same type of tuning pegs that screw directly into the wood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks1HqzwUcpw
That's it folks! Best of luck to you. Stay creative and stay Yourself.
ben
