Everything revolves around the harp
The company is still located at the place where the Veeh-Harfe was developed by Hermann Veeh, in Gülchsheim.
Since 1987 everything on his farm has revolved around the Veeh-Harfe. The farm has become a small craft business. Hermann Veeh’s children, Johanna Veeh-Krauss and Martin Veeh, run the family business, in which 15 employees work today. It is important to continue the life’s work of the father, because one can experience every day how much joy and fulfillment the Veeh-Harfe brings people.
The makers
Martin Veeh, a master craftsman, is responsible for the production of the instruments.
Johanna Veeh-Krauß, a social worker and a business economist (HWK), is responsible for sales and management.
The whole team
Together we are the “Veeh-Harfe makers”: The employees in the workshop, in the publishing house and in sales.
Head office
The company headquarters is still located today on Hermann Veeh’s farm in Gülchsheim, where the company was originally founded.
Our workshop, with its own paint shop, moved to Oellingen, 2 km away, in 2011. All instruments are now strung in Gülchsheim and begin their journey from there.
show room
Many Instruments and a Touch of History
A large selection of Veeh harps and accessories awaits you in our showroom in Gülchsheim. You’ll find Veeh harps ranging from classic entry-level instruments to exceptionally valuable one-of-a-kind pieces. All instruments are available for testing. On some weekends, the sales exhibition serves as a space for events. You can also learn about Hermann Veeh’s development of the Veeh harp here. Several display cases display prototypes of the Veeh harp, along with descriptions of the steps necessary to create the final model. Hermann Veeh visited his instruments daily until he was very old, sharing his thoughts with visitors.
The manufacturing workshop
From the trunk to the sound – a long way
Many steps are necessary for a tree to become a Veeh harp. Considering that it takes almost 100 years for a tree to grow strong enough to support a Veeh harp, one treats the wood with reverence. Not every tree is suitable for a musical instrument: it grows slowly, no event is allowed to disrupt the tree’s growth direction, no branch is allowed to cross the annual rings – then it is carefully felled and brought down to the valley.
The trunk is expertly cut and slowly dried. Joined in a mirror image, the wood finally reaches us – solid tonewood. We use almost exclusively European woods: maple for the back and sides, and spruce for the top. These woods have proven themselves extremely successful in instrument making – especially in violin making.
The first step is the selection of the wood. This determines the model it will be: with a rosette, with a mosaic ring, varnished, or oiled and waxed. All wooden parts should fit together to form a harmonious whole. Once the blank is assembled, the edges are milled and sanded. The harp should feel good and be comfortable to hold. The holes are drilled; a standard model requires a total of 100 holes. Now the surface: Naturally, oiled and waxed, or varnished in a satin or glossy finish.
No matter the surface, it takes time and many intermediate steps are required: oiling, waxing, priming, varnishing, drying, repeated sanding, and finally polishing. The more refined the surface, the more complex and risky the process. Finally, the pegs are pressed into the peg block, and the instrument is ready for stringing. The bridge posts and bridge are attached, the strings are threaded and mounted. Then the harp is tuned before it goes on sale. Each instrument is numbered and personalized – each harp bears the brand: Original Veeh-Harp.