David Cureton


David Cureton first became interested in instrument making,
when he encountered a dulcimer maker and later a concert
harp maker while living on Saltspring Island in British
Columbia, Canada. The idea percolated as he endured a liberal
arts education and worked as a child care worker, carpenter
and treeplanter. He became deeply concerned with the enviromental
issues surrounding British Columbia logging and the wastage
he saw during fourteen years of reforestation work.
In 1988 he studied with well known west coast
luthier, Michael Dunn and was trained in the traditional
Spanish method of acoustic guitar building. In 1990, he
established his studio in Vancouver, BC, where he began
building and repairing acoustic guitars and harps.
Aware of the wastage in the logging industry
and the specific species that were being ignored, he began
designing musical instruments made from local woods. The
result was the enviromentally friendly Kootenay harp made
from local birch and cedar.
David Cureton received an award for design
of the Kootenay Harp at, "Out of the Woods 2000," the Fifth
Annual Kootenay Value Added Wood Forum. He now builds musical
instruments full time in Nelson, British Columbia.
One of David's harps is "The Kootenay Harp"
The Kootenay Harp is a high headed instrument with a great
sculptural look to it. It has 29 strings tuned "a" to "e''.
The sound boards are solid wood, with a choice of either
red cedar, larch or spruce. The body neck and pedestal are
made from local Kootenay birch. These instruments feature
a powerful sound, well balanced through their three and
a half octaves. A series of custom decorative schemes are
available including carved wood overlays, intarsia, painted
and carved designs for the box and head of the instrument.
This is an excellent instrument for the beginner or the
serious player. For more inquiries you can go to www.stringsbc.com-
Check it out.