The latest from here at Fretnot Laboratories is this custom thirty-seven string, fifteen bar diatonic in the keys of G and D. It features Daigle fine tuners, two lock bars, flat chord bar buttons, and five extra blank chord bars for future substitutions. A custom oval rosette was fashioned using walnut burl and plastic white-black-white purfling. Walnut burl also trims the tops of the chord bar covers and the tail end cover.

The one piece laminated frame,  laminated back, and Sitka spruce soundboard are trimmed with a cherry veneer. The cherry chord bars are complemented by walnut buttons, bridges, and walnut chord bar holders.

It was a real treat to correspond with the French musician who commissioned it and to eventually meet with him when he traveled to the USA to collect it. As he often travels from his home in Europe to Asia and North America, he was concerned about crossing international borders with an instrument made of wood species that might be endangered and regulated. It is a modern issue of concern. Some species of wood, particularly rosewoods and ebony, and shell products such as pearl are listed as endangered and prohibited from travel without certified documentation. If enforced by customs, the instrument may be confiscated or delayed for inspection.

To avoid any misunderstanding, this new autoharp was built with certified sustainable North American wood and accompanied by a document describing the walnut, cherry, and spruce content and their origins.