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Innovative harps are a hit By ANDREW SIROCCHI The Associated Press COOS BAY -- In a dusty warehouse building, its floor covered with wood chips and scattered pieces of lumber, John Westling is fulfilling a lifelong dream to bring joy through music into other people's lives. Working seven days a week with his assistant and fiancee Cindy Huddleston, Westling delicately planes, cuts and joins wooden pieces that will eventually turn into one of his expertly made and much sought-after harps. Sandpiper Instruments is the newest small business addition to the Business Enterprise Center in North Bend. Since relocating from Bellingham, Wash., Westling has taken a garage business to a new level. "It's a niche instrument," Westling said. "But the real niche is to be able to provide the means to play music." Gothics, Irish, Celtics, doubles and singles, Westling's range of harp-making is innovative and exhaustive -- but in the competitive business of making instruments, forging one's name in the industry is as important as making a beautifully sounding harp. It has taken years for Westling to hone his talent. He started the practice as a hobby in 1982, mainly by reading books and industry magazines. His big break came when Alfredo Ortiz, a harpist famous for playing traditional South American music, noticed one of his instruments and decided he would like to play one on stage. Their working relationship developed into a 12-year friendship during which Westling custom-made Ortiz's stage harps. Westling has focused much of his efforts on improving the Paraguayan harp, a unique instrument that gives off rich sounds yet is portable enough to hold over one's shoulder. "The more I built, the more people heard about them," he said, "but I was limited." Starting with a computer-generated design, Westling traces patterns on blank sheets of wood. It takes about 80 hours of hard work to build a harp. But in reality, Westling said it takes him two and a half months to create a harp from the time the wood gets carried through the door. Westling uses many of the North American hardwoods to produce his intricate instruments, including maple, cherry and walnut. The key to choosing what woods to use is knowing the difference between what types of resonance a particular wood gives off. "The harder the wood, the quicker the decay of the note," Westling said. Softer woods, like cedar, have a rounder sound that drones for longer periods of time, Westling said. One of his 36-string Paraguayan harps can weigh about 11 pounds and exert only 850 pounds of tension. A more elaborate, full-size pedal harp can weigh around 80 pounds and exert hundreds of pounds more in tension. The finishing of the product is the hardest part of the process. "It's such a tedious process getting to the point where there's no blemishes," Westling said. Westling's harps range in price from about $800 to more than $4,000. About 90 percent of his orders come from direct referrals from customers. The rest usually find him through his Internet site at www.piperharp.com . Westling has plans to expand the harp's presence on the South Coast. He intends to initiate a chapter of the harp society locally and already has plans to host the first meeting in January. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA