WHEN his daughter said she would like a harp, her father was the man to make it. Shaun Newman of Crediton plays classical guitar. Fourteen years ago, after going to an instrument making evening class, he made a guitar for each of his three children and since then has not stopped making them.

Shaun then made a guitar for himself following that, friends asked for an instrument and the company director, now retired, carried on making various stringed instruments.

The gothic or renaissance harp he is currently making for his daughter is based on a drawing done in the 1960s which, in turn, is based on a medieval design, with 26 strings giving slightly more than three octaves.

His daughter works in a Steiner School in the South West, which has a philosophy of music. "I made her a small lyre with six strings, fun to make and it sounded nice," said Shaun.

"She asked for a harp for her birthday in September. I'm making this one with a flamed maple (rock maple) headstock, with satin maple for the pillar, English sycamore for the sound box with the string bar made from boxwood.

"My daughter plays the flute and has never played the harp, but will enrol for a course in the autumn. This size harp is easy to carry and I will be making a case, too," he added.

"I retired because I was getting so interested in making instruments and didn't want to leave it too late. As well as guitars for myself and my family, I have sold several to some pretty serious players, I've also made three mandolins, a lute, two 19th century mandolins and a tear-drop modern mandolin. I have used an 1880s design for a salon guitar, made a baroque guitar, acoustic guitar and several standard classicals, among other instruments."

On the walls of Shaun's workshop are the designs for many of these and he says that the 69 string hammered dulcimer that he made last year was "a real challenge".