Customer Comments & Projects
What Our Customers Are Saying & Doing
(Entries are published with permission, leaving out identifying information unless otherwise permitted.)
G.B. from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, April 2025:
G.B. purchased one of our pre-built, 26-string ParaHarp Harpune IIs in March 2025. Here is his review:
“As a long-time acoustic guitarist, I researched harps for months in order to find the perfect first harp to learn on. I finally came across John Kovac harps and, being intrigued by the unique Paraguayan design, I reached out to Davy with a few questions. Not only did he respond to my email within the hour, but he took time to thoroughly answer each of my questions and even scheduled a Zoom call to demo a harp I was inquiring about. After that meeting, I was sold on both the harp and the company."
"The pre-built harp arrived at my doorstep within the week, safe, secure, and ready to play right out of the box after a quick tune. My first impression: this harp is true handmade craftsmanship. My second impression: it sounds beautiful; the tone and resonance are stunning. And my third impression: it is an absolute pleasure to play."
"My whole experience with Davy and John Kovac harps was incredibly positive, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Plus, I know I found the perfect first harp because it keeps making me want to come back and play it more!”
[G.B., thanks for your kind words! As I already mentioned to you, it is the dream of every musical instrument maker to produce quality instruments that INSPIRE their owners. We here at John Kovac Harps by Davy C are elated you have enjoyed your harp so much, and we wish you the very best in your musical harp journey. - Davy]
G.B.'s new ParaHarp Harpune II:
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Oklahoma, USA, October 2024:
One of my customer families, W. & L. S., bought my own, slightly-used ParaHarp 34P, 34-string harps for herself & one of my new Harpune II, 26-string harps for her younger daughter so they could begin to learn to play the harp. To save on shipping costs, and so we wouldn't have to take the harps apart in order to ship them more economically & safely and to keep the harps in tune and ready to play, my wife, Jan & I drove nearly halfway to western Tennessee to deliver the two harps in person to L.S.
Here are L.'s kind comments about the harps she purchased & our interactions during the process.
From L.S:
"Yes, we… tuned both harps… they sound so lovely!"
"We had our first lessons and are enjoying them! The harp teacher was surprised by the [sound] quality of the harp. She has a concert harp and Lyon & Healy harps. Kudos to you!"
"While the concert harp was impressive to look at, I wasn't overly impressed with the sound being a lot better compared to how much more it cost."
"We are happy with your harps :) "
Pictures below:
The ParaHarp 34P that L.S. purchased for herself:
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The Western Red Cedar Harpune II that W. & L. S. purchased for their daughter:
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Further comments from L.S:
"Davy is very personable, patient with my many questions, and very accommodating. I highly recommend his quality structure and quality sounding harps at affordable/reasonable prices."
[L.S., thank you ever so much! It's been grand to work with Y'all to provide you & your daughter with our harps. We wish you great success & satisfaction in learning to play the harp! - Davy]
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Phoenix, Arizona, USA, August 2024:
Making House [of God] Calls
Our own harp maker, Davy Clark, took a cross-country vacation drive to Arizona from Kentucky this past summer 2024 to visit a favored Aunt & Uncle. While there, Davy took the opportunity to visit with one of his most recent customers at a Catholic Church's K-12 school, Our Lady of the Sun Academy coincidently only 20 minutes down the road from his hosting relatives' home in the Phoenix-Glendale area.
In particular, Sister Noel Marie had purchased a new, custom Deluxe Sound Board from Davy to install in her used John Kovac 36 string harp, whose original board had been recently damaged beyond repair.
So, while in Phoenix, Davy took a day to go to the academy where Sister Noel teaches to install the Sound Board & to get the harp re-strung & playing again. This, of course, puts a new meaning on "house calls" at 1,700 miles away from Davy's harp-making shop!
It was a fun time & a Godly pleasure to work with all the Nuns at the academy. Their hospitality was very kind & generous to this harp maker & his wife, Jan. Thanks for the awesome, home-cooked lunch, as well!
Plus, the Sound Board installation was a success. After adding a few strings & getting the harp all tuned up properly, it was finally making music again!
Our thanks go to Sisters Maria Antonia, Noel Marie, & Maria Giovanna, especially for your gracious hosting! And we give a special call-out to Mrs. Terri Connelly for her time with us & the help in coordinating our visit & the repair. (Terri originally purchased the above harp from my mentor, John Kovac, and later gifted it to Sister Noel.)
Pictures Below:
The Sisters with the repaired harp, in Sr. Noel's hands [center], & the new 26 string ParaHarp Davy gifted to Academy.
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The new Sound Board is installed with strings being added.
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Sister Noel & Davy adding strings to her restored harp
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Davy, Terri, & Sister Noel
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The Academy's front yard! Arizona desert & far away mountains & mesas!
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R.C. from Reno, Nevada, USA, April 2024:
R.C. very recently finished building a Kovac model 36 String Paraguayan harp using our Harpmaking Made Simple book by John Kovac. And he obtained his harp strings from us, as well. (Everything else he provided on his own.) As a beginning harpist, he's even used his new harp to learn his first song!
From R.C: "Hi. Thank you for the plans and strings. I successfully made it; a wonderful 36 string harp. I updated it a little. And, I use a closet bar for the pillar. It's all plywood and the sides are pine. And, instead of eyelets (grommets) I used aluminum wire and some nails. And, the sound is beautiful. I learned my first song. Thanks again." - Edited for grammar & American English by Davy Clark
A unique & creative application of an old Irish harp-making technique to keep the strings from tearing up the soundboard! (Below)
B.P. from Fort Worth, TX, USA, December 2023:
B.P. just finished making a 22-string Kovac Paraguayan harp from John Kovac's HMS book & our harp kit. Here are some of B.'s specifications:
- The soundboard is 2mm aircraft Finnish plywood, 5 ply, grain orientated horizontal.
- 3 coats of Mohawk instrument lacquer, "Nitrocellulose."
- Wood is Pecan.
B. followed our suggestion of placing note stamps onto the Neck for easier, accurate & quicker tuning!
[Well Done! - Davy]
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"Not too happy", December 2023:
Sadly, a valued customer is not too happy with John Kovac's CD, "World's Favorite Harp Tunes"
"I thought this was to be harp music with bass. There are a lot more instruments than that. I like some of the Spanish music, but I expected world harp to include other nationalities." - S.
Davy's Response:
Greetings, S:
First, thanks for purchasing John Kovac's CD of his "world's favorite" [harp] tunes.
I am sorry you were not happy with it. I had hoped my advertising would have been adequate to show the songs, contributing musicians, & various credits as printed on the back panel of the original CD jewel case.
I do try to show every detail possible about the Maestro's CD, DVD, & YouTube video selections. But I consider it impossible to provide every single last detail about any CD, DVD, video, book, or plans set we sell.
And, like all other music CDs around the world, the artists & producers who created it give it [their] best efforts through their own individual creative processes. The same is no different for John Kovac's heartfelt efforts to record his beloved harp in unique & interesting ways.
Finally, like all CD albums or old vinyl records of the past, each is a listening journey of discovery that cannot & most would say, should not be described in every tiny detail. I do not guarantee any particular listening experience for the CDs I sell, because listening experience opinions & tastes are about as unique as folks are living in the world; impossible to please everyone. (Yet, not because the recording is at fault.)
For instance, the bass used on the CD was created from a musically-appropriate, old-time washtub bass, not from some modern rock bass guitar. (The credit picture on the CD cover shows the upper portion of that instrument.)
So, for your sake, I was very disappointed to read your subject title. But, if you ever consider trying one of John's other CDs, drop me an email first, and maybe I could help to give you a better idea of the music included, other than whatever details & hints its CD cover might list. - Davy
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Gennaro "Gerry" Porcaro at Harps, etc, California, USA, March 2023:
"That client from this previous emailed chain loves her newly strung harp. Thank you so much for your help with that!"
[Thanks, Gerry! It's been grand working with you. - Davy]
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Front Royal, Virginia, USA, April 2022:
A very special endorsement (YouTube comment) from our late Founder, Maestro John Kovac, after playing our new folk harp in March 2022, the ParaHarp:
"Great harp & easy to play."
[Thanks, John! This means a whole lot, especially so, coming from yourself! - Davy]
Below: John Kovac & Friends playing dinner music at Thunwa Thai. (John is playing on the ParaHarp.)
By the way, we want to give a BIG shoutout to the owner of Thunwa Thai. Next time you are in Front Royal, VA, we highly recommend you give Thunwa a try! Excellent food, service & environment.
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J.U. from Kansas, USA, February 2022:
Davy built a new Neck/H.C. as a replacement for an older Kovac model 36 String Paraguayan harp, which Neck had broken apart. It was necessary to receive, reassemble the pieces, and exactly copy the old Neck's dimensions, etc., in order to create & use the new Neck on the existing harp.
And it had to be easy for the client to install the Neck themselves. The existing tuner hardware was reused. Davy also supplied a new string set for the old harp via the client's on-site measurements of the old string set per Davy's parameters.
"The harp works amazingly well... Thank you so much for all your work that made it possible!"
[You are very welcome! We are pleased the harp project was a success. - Davy]
Below: Picture of the rebuilt harp with the new Neck & String set installed by the owner.
Below: The harp's original Neck broken apart. John Kovac originally built the harp in 1993, using special flooring wood from an original home built in Virginia in the mid to late 1800s, as provided to John by his harp-buying client.
Below: The old Neck (reassembled) in front of the new Neck being built. The new Neck needed to precisely copy the old Neck in every detail in order for it to be guaranteed to function on the old harp as John Kovac originally engineered it.
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J. F. from South Carolina, USA, October 2021:
J.F. just finished a Harpune Kit for his Daughter.
"My new harp sounds real good. [Will be purchasing accessories] to make my granddaughter's a harp."
[Well done! - Davy]
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July 4th, USA, 2021:
Got this short email note from a future harp builder looking for one of our kits:
"Someone said u had the best kits..."
"I so want to play one of your (John Kovac) instruments its all I think about now for a month watching your [John's] videos [on YouTube]."
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P.P. from Texas, USA, June 2021:
Our customer, a first-time harp builder, built this beautiful model Kovac Harpune harp from our Plans. The woods chosen were Poplar for the harp and Luan for the Soundboard, and they fabricated their own Back Panel & Bottom Plate sound port for their own version of John Kovac's Harpune harp.
[Well done! - Davy]
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H.B. from New Hampshire, USA, Emails, May 2021:
#1: "Thank you so much. I love this CD [Isle Harp]. I use it in the morning in my preschool classes to welcome my students. I have art projects and activities set out for them, and they really love it."
"The copy you are sending me is going to be a gift for an art student I have in the afternoons who loves the CD, too."
"Now that I have your site, I will put it in my newsletter for my classes."
#2: "This music has been such a joy for my students for a few years now. I found my original copy in a thrift shop, and I went online searching for more copies. I have used this in my classrooms for over 400 students over the years, and I can honestly say it sets the tone for serenity, peace, and so much joy."
"The parents always comment on how much they love the music, scent of fresh lavender, and the plants in the room."
"I am incredibly grateful for this music, and I am so glad I found your site. This [virus] year has been challenging."
"Your music has made an impact on me and my students."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!"
[On behalf of Mr. Kovac, you are so very welcome. You've made our day! - Davy]
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G.D. from Illinois, USA, Email, March 2021:
From a DIY Maker of a Kovac Paraguayan model 36 String Harp Kit done in 2010:
[Luan multiply Soundboard; Western Red Cedar Box; Walnut Pillar]
"My daughter M____... wanted a harp. After I saw the cost of harps, I knew I needed another solution. Your book [Harpmaking Made Simple], which I still have, was the perfect solution. Being handy and with your book in hand, I built the harp."
"I attached a picture of the harp so you can see how I did. As you can see in the photograph, the harp was stunning."
"My sincere thanks for everything."
[On behalf of Mr. Kovac & myself, you are very welcome, and well done on the harp! - Davy]
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From A.S., USA, Email, March 2021
"Hello Mr. Kovac, I have for some time now wanted to have a way to tell you how much your CD "A Few of My Favorite Strings" has been enjoyed and also believe it or not how very amazingly therapeutically soothing to the 10 baby feral rescue kittens that my husband and I cared for until they were old enough to go to Foster care..."
"I found that when the kitties were getting unruly and I was exhausted that if I put the CD on they very quickly settled down and were lulled to sleep by the beautiful music. What a lifesaver it was, Thank You so much, I am still enjoying the CD and hope to find some more to add to my collection..."
"… I was just so amazed at the response I got from the kittens whenever I played the CD of John's, I thought at first it was a one-off but low and behold it worked every time, it was amazing..."
"Sincerely,"
A.S.
[Thanks, A.S., for your encouraging email! - Davy]
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P. from the USA, uploaded February 2021
36-string Paraguayan harp inspired by John Kovac's Harpmaking Made Simple Book. Notice all the carving on the Body & shaping of the Pillar! Plus, the room was saved on the Neck/Harmonic Curve for adding sharping levers.
Another harp well done!
Image below shows the harp's DIY build in process.
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D.G. from Flint, Michigan, October 2020
"Thanks! I just received my 26-string harp last weekend. I am waiting for the harp to settle in tune. But the sound is pretty. It is all I had hoped for but at a price that I could afford. I like that it is, as you say on your website, pretty lightweight so that my pre-teen daughter can easily carry it around and play it, which she hasn't stopped since we gave it to her (even though it needs tuning a lot at this time)."
"Even the low notes are strong sounding and not weak compared to that one brand with the tiny little harps. (I've previously owned one & we've tried a friend's.) Plus, the ringing is very pleasing for such a "smaller' harp!"
"Thanks for making these kits available. I recommend this harp and tell your customers they won't go wrong getting their starter instrument from you."
[Thanks, D.G! - Davy]
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J.S. from Ohio, September 2020
Harp Kits Finished, 36 string & 22 string Kovac models, complete with our Kovac harp kits.
"Thanks for your help, and for keeping John Kovac's designs available."
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M.W. from Arkansas, August 2020:
"The new website is great. The extra details, fuller product descriptions, and easy ordering are all appreciated improvements. I think the extra steps you have taken to make the harp building process look doable for beginners should be a real encouragement to many to give it a try. Especially welcome is your offer to provide guidance through the building process if there are unexpected issues that come up during the build."
"I started stringing my completed harp about 6 days ago. Still working on tuning but it is getting better each time. I have no prior woodworking experience. I had to buy several tools and a jigsaw. Still, I found the project doable and fun. I hope many others will be encouraged to try their hand at it."
"Enclosed is a picture. Thanks for the kit that made completion possible."
"You are providing a valuable service to us nervous do it your-selfers."
[Thanks much! - Davy]
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M.W. from Arkansas, July 2020:
"Harp kit arrived today. Very fast. Thank you for your speedy service and attention to detail. I will send pictures of the harp when complete... "
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D.L. from Lexington, Kentucky, 2019:
"I bought the Harpmaking Made Simply book. It even comes with the cutout templates for 3 different harps. I found the book very comprehensive. It includes many pictures of others who have used John Kovac's plans to make their own harps. I found this inspiring that I could make my own for less than I could [buy] a pre-made harp. John was quick to respond and threw in a free CD & one of his other books as a bonus. I am quite pleased with the purchase. Picture of my finished harp using Mr. Kovac's book is enclosed."
