hello

i picked up a zither on ebay and have cleaned it up. i know nothing of zithers although i have just started playing autoharp. i have restored and played violins amongst other things for years so the wood side of restoration isnt a problem.

some pics below:

the issue i have is strings and guages. can i make my own using piano wire and guitar strings? the sets i have seen are really expensive. i understand that this is a concert zither? do you happen to know the string guages i need? i understand it will be munich tuning i use?

before restoration:

pic

after:

after restoration

isnt it a beauty? german, rosewood veneered, golden oak base, brass inlays all round the body and soundhole.

can you help at all? i really want to learn about these instruments and would welcome contact from any zither players/ autoharp restorers

sam :)