About Us
I'd like a quote here, something like "Pete's magnificent autoharps are not only beautiful, they are made with meticulous attention to detail that delivers the utmost sound quality." (or we can just say that, if Pete doesn't feel too shy about it) :-)
Our Founder, Pete d'Aigle
In 1969 or 1970, my dad told me I may some day find a way to combine my music and woodworking skills. Little did he know how true those words would be.​
I’ve been designing and inventing things for as long as I can remember – a rocket ship at age six, a carpenter’s pencil sharpener at age eleven, and a submarine at age twelve.
However as a third generation woodworker, my career began with building upscale Scandinavian furniture under the tutelage of my foreman John Hampton. To satisfy my love of music, I played drums three nights a week with Johnny Olsen and the Bandits (I was a Bandit).
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When music became a full time job with my own band, I got my first taste of lutherie by refurbishing band member’s guitars.
However traveling and nightlife began to conflict with family life, so woodworking once again became my full time venture. It was Polly, my wife, who encouraged me to begin building instruments such as dulcimers and Celtic harps, and after wrestling her Oscar Schmidt autoharp from her arms to learn to play, I knew it was time to design a better autoharp.
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I knew that designing a better autoharp was a destiny. I began to devour every morsel of information available on instrument building, and I picked the brains of everyone who knew anything about autoharps. Still working full time, it took at least a dozen years before I had an instrument ready for public display.
Folks often ask what is different about our autoharps from others. The ‘harps I build are a complete redesign from the inside out. My primary design goals are an autoharp that looks great, sounds great, is easy and comfortable to play, easy to maintain and tune, and stays in tune.
Our Seattle-Area Shop
It wasn't long before Pete outgrew his home woodworking shop, and began looking for a space where he could repair, refurbish, and display his autoharps for sale. When a perfect location was found near the Seattle airport, d'Aigle Autoharps and Folk Instrument Store became a reality in ____(year).
Here you can view in-stock d'Aigle Autoharps for sale, used autoharps and folk instruments, and speak with knowledgeable autoharp enthusiasts to learn more, answer questions, and share your autoharp passion.
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We offer a full range of options—from our Beginner's Package that comes complete with _____, to hand-made bespoke autoharps, customized and designed to your specifications, as well as a variety of parts and accessories.
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d’Aigle Autoharps and Folk Instruments
19106 Des Moines Memorial Drive South
SeaTac, WA 98148
206-439-3549
1-800-630-HARP (4277)
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Can't get to Seattle? Visit our online store >
Our Staff
John R. Gray III
John has been an artist, a woodworker, and a musician for most of his life. I've worked with John in three careers beginning in the mid-1970s. John played bass in my band for a number of years. We played dance music in clubs in the western states, Canada, and Alaska. Soon after retiring from full-time music he joined me in the home construction and remodeling business. And as I transitioned into the building of autoharps, John transitioned with me. John is a master craftsman/luthier, and his artwork can be found in our logo, and as decorations on our instruments. I continue to rely on John for ideas when I become stuck.
Greg Olson
Greg came to work with us in 2013. As a very young man, he brought skill and determination to build fine instruments. Greg had already built electric basses, and he quickly learned the ins and outs of our wood shop and has become an outstanding luthier in his own right. Greg builds basses under the name Olympic Instruments. His electric basses have stunning wood combinations that stand out in a crowd, and they are balanced and easy to play. His skills as an autoharp builder are unsurpassed. And, by the way, he is an excellent musician, playing bass in several bands.
Hal Weeks
Hal has been an autoharp teacher and technician for nearly forty years, primarily in Colorado and Arizona. Hal has a website and video catalog called “Stocking The Wild Autoharp”, which has a large and loyal international following. He took second place in the International Autoharp Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield KS several years ago, a contest he had not planned for nor had time to prepare for. Hal came to work at d'Aigle Autoharps in the summer of 2018, to help us with a backlog of work. Soon after, Hal specialized in various integral operations in the building of our autoharps, while continuing to teach, sell, and make videos, among many other autoharp-related endeavors. I sometimes wonder how he keeps it all moving at once.
Beth Lyons
Beth is a true “Daughter Of The Revolution” who came to work at d'Aigle Autoharps in 2019. What we needed was someone who could help out with shipping and receiving; what we got was a whole lot more. Beth is a natural organizer, and if you can imagine a person like that coming into a shop full of guys with, shall we say, not completely refined techniques in that particular genre, she has sought and succeeded to help bring us back on the tracks. Beth does everything, from handling orders as they come in, to managing stock in the store, to making our lives easier and cleaner in the shop, and helping with customers in the store. I am very proud of our crew, and those who have been with us in the past, musicians all, and all dedicated to serving our musical customers.
In Gratitude
My father, also a woodworker, received a book on woodworking as a gift from my mother in 1945, on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary. This short paragraph by John Ruskin (19th century) is on the inside cover. It embodies the spirit of what we try to be at d'Aigle Autoharps. ​​​
When we build, let us think that we build forever.
Let it not be for present delight nor for present use
alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will
thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on
stone, that a time is to come when those stones
will be held sacred because our hands have
touched them, and that men will say, as they look
upon the labor and wrought substance of them,
“See! This our father did for us.”
– John Ruskin
Over the years, the development of the d'Aigle Autoharp has involved many friends. This is a list of some of the people who have aided me directly in ways both large and small. This list continues to grow, as does my appreciation.
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Polly Daigle, my idea lady, chief editor, and life-long love; Keith Daigle, Repair Technician and Photographer; Jim Danson, Rick Hobert, and Milo Mateer, Machinists; Ted Ewing, Tool Master; Tom Fladmark, Custom Strings; George Orthey, Master Autoharp Luthier; Steve Smith, Moldable Synthetics; John Kooch, Composites Engineer; John Gray, Able Fortune, and Bob Taylor, Luthiers; Roby Ishii and Kim Kilpatrick, Vacuum Technology; Bob Lewis, Master Autoharp Technician; Cathy Britell, Musician and Autoharp Aficionado; Bob Fish, Graphic Artist.