In the mid-1990s, my acquaintance with world-renowned luthier, Dr. George Orthey, and my background in manufacturing presented me with an opportunity. In need of a supplier of fine tuners for his custom autoharps, George turned to me for design and production. Since then, the list of autoharp parts that I currently produce has grown to include additional fine tuner designs, electric pickups, lock bar slides, strings, and other miscellaneous parts used by autoharp luthiers around the world. When Dr. Orthey expressed an interest in having an apprentice trained to continue building autoharps of his design when he was no longer able to, the seed was planted!
I began my luthier apprenticeship with Dr. Orthey in 2007 and “graduated” in 2010 when my own autoharp workshop was completed and open for business. I now specialize in building custom autoharps as my full time occupation. These quality handcrafted instruments are constructed around a frame built using hard rock maple and maple laminate pin block materials.
All instruments feature quality quarter-sawn tops and backs. I offer a variety of wood combinations for the top, sides, and back of the instruments including walnut, cherry, East Indian rosewood, Sitka spruce, redwood, and western red cedar. These materials can be specifically selected to tailor the tonal qualities of your instrument to fit your particular needs. If you are considering the purchase of a luthier-built autoharp, whether chromatic or diatonic set-up, please consider a handmade autoharp by Schreiber Autoharps. I would love to be a part of your musical journey.
– Greg Schreiber