Unicorn Strings Bowed Psalteries

While I review other psalteries from time to time, I'm profiling Unicorn Strings' psalteries specifically, since:

• They are the brand you're most likely to encounter when shopping the used market,

• They set a standard for quality and features that many other builders have tried to follow, and

• Most of what I will have to say about owning and playing Unicorn Strings psalteries applies to most other brands.

Because I have collected bowed psalteries for demonstrations, clinics, and articles, I have a few Unicorn Strings example, including a very early model, a very late model, and a few in between. All are delightful.

Their psalteries came with several helpful accessories inside a box that could serve as a carrying case in a pinch. If Gene could do anything to help you get off on the right foot, he would.

All of the Unicorn Strings Psalteries I've encountered had 30 strings, a little more than two octaves. They're diatonic, so they had the "natural" notes on one side and the sharps and flats on the other.

Gene was also very helpful when I needed any sort of assistance. Once when I needed a bow re-haired, the one I sent him got slightly damaged in the shop, and he sent me a brand new bow.

That was only a few months before they closed up shop, to my dismay.

By the way, my first bowed psaltery was a reasonably well-made kit-built instrument that I got third-hand, so I have no idea who built the kit or who put it together. But when I got my first Unicorn Strings instrument, the other one went back in the case and mostly stayed there.

Yes, other folks have made notable instruments, some with better features, exotic woods etc. Even a few that sound better. But for sheer consistency, knowing what you're getting and what you're going to get out of it, it's hard to beat a Unicorn Strings product.

Products Offered

• The Diamond psaltery has a natural finish (cedar, I believe). It simplified assembly by drilling a diamond pattern in the face. This was Unicorn Strings' most popular model and it's the one you're most likely to come across in secondhand markets. That said, it holds its own against many fancier psalteries.

• The Celtic psaltery also has a natural finish. It takes its name from a fancy rosette with a Celtic knot theme. The larger hole may make it a touch louder.

  By the way, the clear plastic strips that show the note names came with the Diamond as well. They are removable, of course.

• The Classic psaltery has a smooth black finish, but the same rosette as the "Celtic" model. I like its stunning appearance.

  I've also come across what might be a very early model that is made like the Diamond, but has a small rosette. There may be others, but so far these are the only models I've come across.

Accessories that came with the psalteries included.

• A horsehair bow, about 18" long. The horsehair is stretched tight from the factory. If your bow lost its horsehair, Gene would re-hair it for a reasonable fee. That said, a bow from any other American manufacturer should work just fine, if you don't get a usable bow with yours.

• A block of rosin

• A cardboard box that could double as a carrying case until you got a "good one."

• A standard tuning wrench, similar to that used on autoharps and zithers.

• Removable clear plastic strips with the note names.

• A booklet and a tape (later a DVD) to help you get started.

While they were in business, Unicorn Strings also offered a fine aftermarket "gig bag" and a handcrafted birch wooden case. I have been fortunate to collect two of the wooden cases, and they are well-crafted.

They also made stands for displaying your psaltery and for attaching to a camera tripod, which would allow you to play it with two bows at once.

Playing - Unicorn Strings' manual suggested the most common playing position for these - the wide part with the tuners pressed up against you waist or shoulder. It gave tips on rosining the bow and on drawing the bow across the strings for the most musical sound. If the psaltery is tuned and the bow is well-rosined, it's nearly impossible to get a bad sound out of one.

Tuning and Restringing - Tuning a bowed psaltery is a lot like tuning an autoharp or zither. The tuning wrench is similar and, in many cases, interchangeable.

If the psaltery is way out of tune, tuning to a keyboard first can help you get it close faster than trying to use a digital tuner - which may not guess properly which note you're trying to tune.

Unicorn Strings' psalteries have two unusual characteristics, compared to othe builders.

• As built, Unicorn Strings use one 10 gauge string for two different notes. It could probably be done on most bowed psalteries, since they tend to use similar hitch pins. And you can use other setups if you want to on the Unicorn Strings psalteries. But it makes sense when your string source provides only 30"- 36" strings, and the longest string on your psaltery is 18", to get double use out of it. The manual's pages about replacing strings are excerpted here.

• Unicorn Strings tuning pins go "backwards" compared to almost all other bowed psalteries out there. You may be used to "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey," but Unicorn Strings' tuning pegs go the other way.

  Is that "wrong"? In the decades since Unicorn Strings started manufacturing, most other cottage industries and quite a few hobbyists have set up their tuning pins differently. With the result that, 30+ years later, players insist that Unicorn Strings psalteries are "wrong." No, the Jaegers were pioneers who believed in quality and support, and it's nobody's fault that other builders chose not to follow their example.

Materials and Support - The Jaegers were heavily invested getting people interested in bowed psalteries and getting them off to a good start when they did make a purchase.

• The Unicorn Strings web page provided a brief introduction to the instrument:

• Each psaltery came with sheet of instructions for those too anxious to read the manual (or listen to the tape, or CD, or watch the DVD, depending on the era).

• Each psaltery came with a short manual that included instructions for playing and replacing strings, as well as several pages of simple songs to practice on. We have one on hand and hope to say more about that presently.

• Depending on the era, Unicorn Strings psalteries also came with a cassette tape, a CD, or a DVD with instructions. More on that below.

Not to mention that Gene was very helpful if you contacted him directly.

Closing - After some 40 years scrupously building and promoting a little instrument with a whole lot of potential, Unicorn Strings closed down without warning some time around 2022-2023.

I was in contact with Gene just months before the business shut down and had no idea they were that close to closing the doors. Our prayers are with the family, along with a heart of gratitude for seeing this instrument through so much growth over the years.

If you have an update you can share, either privately or for publication, please contact us and let us know.

Unicorn strings was undoubtedly a labor of love, and psaltery lovers owe a huge debt to its owners. Even if you bought your psaltery from someone else, that manufacturer was/is serving a market that might not even exist if Gene and Jessica Jaeger hadn't done everything they could to promote it.

Manual Reprint

Not only do I want to "set the record straignt;" I also want to see every Unicorn Strings psaltery bring as much joy as possible.

For those reasons, I've requested permission to reprint the manual, with some edits to help modern owners.

The basic file is formatted for a 5.5x8.5 page, so it will "waste paper" if you print it normally, but at least you can read it or use the pdf:

https://harpersguild.com/bowed_psaltery/unicorn_strings/manual/unicorn_strings_manual.pdf

If your printer prints double-sided, you can print a version that has the pages arranged so you can fold them into a booklet and staple them together. It's a very big file, though.

https://harpersguild.com/bowed_psaltery/unicorn_strings/manual/unicorn_strings_booklet.pdf

If you download either file, please let me know if you have any issues or see any glitches.

For More Information

• When You Unbox Your Bowed Psaltery - Unicorn Strings' "cheat sheet" guidelines for people who want to start playing without reading the manual.

• Unicorn Strings Web Description Unicorn Strings' description of bowed psalteries, from their former web page.

• Introduction to Bowed Psaltery - An overview of Bowed Psalteries in general.

• Bowed Psaltery Buyer's Guide from our sister site RiverboatMusic.com. Includes links to current manufacturers and recently discontinued ones that are still available in some areas.

• Bowed Psaltery Friends Facebook page.

• Bowed Psaltery Facebook page.

• Fretless Zither's archive of Bowed Zithers - discusses Ukelins and related instruments.

Conclusion

Like most of the articles on our HarpersGuild and CreekDontRise pages, this article came as a result of reader inquiries, and discovering that much of the "information" on these things was either patchy or unreliable. So I've picked up a few different pieces to make certain what I was writing about them was correct and tracked down what seem to be the most reliable sources of information.

That said, if you have a correction or a question, please contact me and I'll be glad to hear from you.

Also, if you make or play bowed psalteries, and want to provide additional information, corrections, etc. we'd be glad to hear from you.

Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."

And please stay in touch!

    - Paul Race

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