Muriel Anderson has played several harp guitars over the course of her career, but her current touring instrument is a custom 20-string instrument built by Portland, Oregon, luthier Mike Doolin. Her goal in commissioning the instrument from Doolin, who is known for innovative designs that often include features like double cutaways or adjustable neck joints, was to create a nylon-string harp guitar that could fit into an airplane’s overhead compartment. The result is an instrument with a main body the size of a “requinto,” which means that the neck is two frets shorter than a typical guitar neck and is tuned to F# (a whole step above standard). The “harp” section includes seven bass strings with sharping levers (or as Muriel calls them “dragon whisperers”) that allow for quick retuning to open strings in various keys. There are also seven high-pitched “treble” strings on the main body, inspired by harp guitarist John Doan. The instrument has a German spruce top, cocobolo back and sides, and fan bracing with nine struts in a Hauser-style arrangement, which Doolin (who is currently on hiatus from building guitars) designed in consultation with acclaimed classical luthier Jeff Elliott. In this video, Muriel demonstrates the instrument with her lovely arrangement of Don McLean’s “Vincent.” Muriel endorses GHS strings and D-Tar electronics. murielanderson.com