Hi Susan,

Sound to me like a standard 15-bar birchtop harp, not an Appalachian. The latter had the bars moved down toward the bottom of the instrument so it could be held Maybelle Carter style (i.e., verticle as opposed to on the lap) and strummed or picked between the bars and the tuning pegs.

This one can be altered for that style by just taking the bars off, carefully lining up off the existing holes and moving the bar down. Of course, if you want to play it on your lap, all that isn't necessary.

As for value, I bought a 15-bar birchtop about five years ago from a music store in Detroit for $55. It was in fine shape except for one broken string. I tuned it a half-step down so it and my other one can give me a much wider range of keys to play in.

cheers,

david