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eric@phantasypsalteries.com
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Finishes:
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Buffed: Full Gloss—This is the standard finish
that I use on most psalteries. Multiple coats of shellac are built up,
allowed to cure, and then leveled and buffed up to a high gloss.
This finish allows the most light to reach the wood, and shows off the
color and figure of the wood the best. It is the clearest, and showiest
finish available.
To the left is a Cocobolo back, with a light-bulb being reflected off
the finish. This "mirror-effect" is much more evident in darker
woods than lighter; though a gloss finish will still show off the figure
in lighter woods as well.
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Rubbed Out: Satin—This finish still has a smooth
surface to the touch,
but the psaltery is rubbed with super fine steel wool (#0000) to knock the gloss down.
A satin finish scatters the light hitting the instrument, so the wood's
colors and figure look more subtle. The psaltery will have more of a soft,
diffuse
glow when viewed under most lighting.
At left is a Honduran Rosewood back with ebony binding. The satin
finish gives the psaltery a more subdued look.
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Linseed Oil: Flat—This finish is
the most natural-looking. Linseed oil is allowed to soak into the wood
grain, bringing up the color and grain patterns of the wood. Once dry, the
oil remains in the wood, and leaves no film on the wood surface like the
other wood finishes, so the wood's natural texture and sheen are
preserved.
Even though linseed oil helps preserve and beautify the wood, care must
be taken with this type of finish, as it offers less resistance to scuffs
and scratches than the other wood finish options.
To the left is a Curly Ash back with Bloodwood binding. The Linseed Oil
really does a good job at bringing out the figure of the wood!
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Stringing options: Standard stringing
is 30 wound strings in half-step intervals, going from G3 up 2 1/2 octaves to
C6. All of
the naturals are located on the right side of the instrument, and all of the
sharps/flats are on the left side. (Note: If you are left handed, you may want
to use the special order form to request a left-handed instrument, which will
have the natural and sharps/flats sides swapped, with the natural notes on the
left-hand side.)
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Nickel-plated wound—A plain steel music wire is
over-wound with smaller nickel-plated steel wires, giving the wire a greater overall
mass, while keeping all other properties of the string unchanged. What
this amounts to is the string's ability to sound lower notes without
increasing the length of the string, (or the length of the instrument.)
My standard
tuning scheme for wound strings is G3 to C6. That is to say, the lowest note is
the first G below middle C, and the highest notes is the second C above middle C.
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Phosphor-bronze wound—A plain steel music string is
over-wound with smaller bronze wires, giving the wire a greater overall
mass, while keeping all other properties of the string unchanged. What
this amounts to is the string's ability to sound lower notes without
increasing the length of the string, (or the length of the instrument.)
My standard
tuning scheme for wound strings is G3 to C6. That is to say, the lowest note is
the first G below middle C, and the highest notes is the second C above middle C.
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Plain steel—I offer this option for those wanting a
higher-pitched instrument. Varying diameters of steel music wire (from
.010" to .014") are used to create even tension and tone across
2 1/2 octaves (30 strings).
My tuning for plain steel strings is exactly one octave higher than
that of wound strings, and ranges from G4 to C7. That
is to say, the lowest note is the first G above middle C, and the highest note is
the third C above middle C.
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Pin Finishes:
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Nickel-Plated—These are the standard
pins used on nearly all bowed psalteries made to date. A plain steel pin
is plated in nickel to give it increased corrosion resistance and an
attractive silver appearance.
Visually, they match the nickel-plated wound strings well.
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Blackened Steel—These pins are in nearly all
regards identical to the common nickel-plated pins listed above, except
that instead of a nickel plating, the steel is blackened through a
chemical process to help increase corrosion resistance. The pin has a
distinctive satin black appearance.
Blackened pins are said to be less resistant to corrosion than
nickel-plated pins; yet I find this point to be somewhat moot, as the
first thing that is done to the hitch pins on all bowed psalteries is that
a notch is filed into the top of the pin so that the string can sit in a
groove. (Thereby removing any plating or coating on the very front tip of
the hitch pin.)
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Optional Modifications: The options
shown below are not standard on any of my psalteries, but may be added to any
custom-ordered psaltery by request.
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Tripod Mount Insert—I offer this option for those
that want to be able to hold their psaltery hands-free. (Useful for
playing with two bows.) A small threaded
insert is embedded into the wood of the back, enabling the instrument to be
mounted onto all standard 1/4" - 20 size camera tripods.
Since the tripod mount is in direct contact with the back, and the back
also has to be reinforced around the mounting area, there may be a
slight decrease in the resonance of tone with this option.
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Back Soundhole—A small 1 1/8" soundhole is drilled
in the upper back of the psaltery. This hole can be used as a finger hole
to help you hold the instrument, or to place a mic under the
instrument for amplification.
This soundhole is just a plain hole, with no rosette or any other
decorations.
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Back Soundhole Rosette—This option adds a
decorative rosette if a rear soundhole has been requested. Back rosettes
can be made from almost any wood species that's available for binding,
or back/sides.
To the left is a Cocobolo rosette inlaid into a Curly Maple back.
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Left-Handed Model—This
option simply reverses the right and left sides of the hitch pins, so that
the sharps are on the right, and the naturals are on the left. This can
make it easier for left-handed people to play the psaltery: though it can
also decrease the resale value of the instrument due to its unconventional
pin layout.
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Decorative Inlays: An inlay is when some of the wood is
removed, and the cavity is filled in with some other material. There is no set price or placement area for these inlays, and they will
be planned and priced on an individual basis. Currently, the following options
are available:
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Shell dots—Available in white, gold, and black
mother of pearl,
as well as Paua shell. Please see the descriptions of each in the note
markers section for pictures. Sizes range from 1/8" up to 3/8"
round. Priced per piece, inquire for exact quote on specific work. |
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Wood Lines—I can inlay wooden accent lines from any of
the available woods on the custom order page, including veneers. Please specify wood type and desired line width, from 1/8" to
1/2." Priced per inch, inquire for exact quote on specific work.
To the left is a psaltery with Padauk sides, with inlays of figured
maple.
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