The guitarp is the fusion of a guitar and a harp. In this case, a high-register harp. Designed by Phil deGruy and originally built in 1983 by Jimmy Foster in New Orleans, the guitarp has 7 strings (high A) for the guitar part and 10 tunable high strings for the harp part, tuned to the key of Db. There is no separation between the guitar and harp parts, enabling the right hand to do a 17 string arpeggio and such.

After the Foster Guitarp (which weighed more than me), I met Charlie Hunter, who hipped me to Ralph Novak (Novax Guitars). Ralph pioneered the “fanned-fret” system, and I immediately commissioned a fanned-fretted Guitarp, knowing it would enable me to tune my high A string up to pitch without fear of breaking the string. This was quite a breakthrough (after years of a nervous breakdown every time I tried to tune). Still heavy, yet nothing compared to the Foster, I started standing up to play and spent close to 17 years with the beautiful solid-body instrument. (See “gear”). Little did I know that I was slowly getting sciatica from the weight on my left shoulder. Then in 2016, enter Luthier, Renaissance Man Vince Guidroz of New Orleans Guitar Company. Vince created a beautiful work of art, and, in comparison, was much lighter than previous Guitarps.