the carbon fiber distinction

The most stunning quality of the Heartland carbon fiber harps is their unparalleled light weight. The Air Serenity lap harp weighs only five pounds fully levered, the lever floor harps range between 10 and 13 pounds, and the 47-String Starlight Concert Grand pedal harp comes in at an astonishing 38 pounds!

The real secret to these super-lightweight harps is the incredible strength of the carbon fiber, especially compared to wood. In fact, carbon fiber reinforced composites are often stronger than steel. The body of the harps is hollow, both the soundbox and the neck/pillar. And the average thickness of the harp walls is only .035 inches—about as thick as six or seven sheets of paper. Whether transporting the harp around, or leaning it back on your shoulder (in the case of our Legend model), there is very little material in the harps to weigh them down, or put any significant weight on the shoulder.

Heartland carbon fiber harps stand out with their distinctively elegant Classic Black finish, and clean, curving lines. Up close, you can see the carbon fiber weave below a shiny, clear finish. To achieve this look, each harp is individually fabricated. The carbon fiber material is hand-laid into molds specific to each model.

There is also the option of a painted finish in any color you desire. To make your dream harp a reality, there is the option of custom hand painted artwork on the painted harps.

Most Heartland lever harps (except for the 36-string Legend model) feature the unique design of a curved soundbox, making it an aesthetically-pleasing harp of all curves. This design also provides the advantages of rigidity, strength, and comfort. The ergonomically curved design allows the harp to be pulled straight into the player, providing extra room in the upper octave for the right hand—helping to maintain better playing technique.

Heartland lever harps feature all gold hardware, including full sharping levers, tuning pins, bridge pins, and string eyelets. The gold hardware is further accented by gold pin striping down the center of the neck and pillar. These gold accents enhance the elegance, giving a rich, refined look to the harp.

Heartland carbon fiber harps have a rich tone (or resonance). Harpists often comment on the clear, bright voice of the Heartland harps. This is achieved by the incredibly thin structure of the harp body, and its relative hardness, which affects the level of sound absorption. Because the walls of the harp are so thin, they resonate incredibly well. A larger percentage of the energy imparted to the strings goes into sound production, equating to a louder harp with less effort.

The carbon fiber harps do not sound exactly like a comparable wood harp, but it is quite difficult to hear the difference. To hear how slight the difference is, check out our Carbon Fiber vs. Wood Harp Tasting.

Heartland painted harps have a little mellower tone, and are very slightly quieter than harps with the Classic Black finish. Because the walls of these harps are so thin, the paint adds enough to the thickness to alter the sound a bit. Some people have expressed a preference for one sound over the other, but the painted and Classic Black harps would have to be played side-by-side to hear the difference.

Because carbon fiber is unaffected by variations in temperature, our harps don’t contract and expand, as wood harps do. This means the harps will not require frequent tuning. Our carbon fiber harps allow you to enjoy more time playing your harp, and less time tuning it.

By nature, the carbon fiber harps are also highly durable, scratch resistant, water resistant, and impervious to extreme temperature and humidity. Virtually indestructible, the Heartland harps can be taken places that would easily damage a wood harp. They can also be played in various weather conditions, and even left in a vehicle without concern of damage due to temperature variations.

The Heartland carbon fiber harps truly bring a refinement to the entire harp experience, opening up a whole new world of playing and listening pleasure. We often hear from our customers that it takes them a while to get used to treating their harps in what would be an ill-advised way for a wooden harp.