Swedish Door Harps in America
The door harp originated in Scandinavia, primarily in Sweden, and has evolved over at least three centuries.  Some estimate these ornaments have been made for as long as 700 years, derived from a few styles of Chinese stringed instruments called the guqin and the ruan.  The made-in-America version was originally designed and produced about 30 years ago by Gary Upton of Gary Upton Woodworking based out of Grass Valley, California.  The design and production were transferred to Dale Apple of Applewoods Fine Woodworking.  After a few years, Dale took on Bob Murphy as an apprentice and Murphy took over the business on Dale’s retirement.  Bob renamed the business Moon Mountain Woods because of the inlaid scenes on many of the harps.  Once again, an apprenticeship and retirement led Todd Preimsberg to move from the hustle and bustle of the Seattle area to Oregon’s Willamette Valley and work with Bob Murphy.  Todd's previous business included designing and installing doors.  The door business took a toll on his body and Todd jumped at the chance to begin producing products weighing less than five pounds!  Todd is now continuing to produce the fine instruments first introduced to America by Gary Upton.

Hand-crafted in the U.S.A.