about our prices

We are a two person shop - George & Anwyn Leverett. When you order from us, there is no middle-man, no shop helpers, and no apprentices to drive up costs.

As such, we've had to be inventive in the way our shop is set up. Over the years, our shop has become very specifically tooled to make hurdy gurdies. We have jigs for all the various parts, enabling us to get our work done much more quickly and with repeatable accuracy.

Obviously some things can't be done in a production mode. Things like tap toning a soundboard, or making & setting up the 'dog' must be done one at a time with the utmost attention to detail. But then Items like the headstock or keyshafts can be made in production-without sacrificing tone or beauty .

Another factor: we live in a very rural area, where the cost of operating is considerably less than if we lived in a city. Setting up a woodshop in O'Brien, Oregon is entirely different than San Francisco or New York.

We use only the highest quality materials, hand selected hardwoods, and time tested building techniques for each instrument. All these factors come together to create a killer sounding, yet affordably priced instrument.

Indeed-not only are we able to provide full featured hurdy gurdies for the best prices around; we actually offer features that you won't find anywhere else, such as our innovation 'the Marshall Plate' (click for more details). If you were shopping for a guitar or mandolin, you can get an excellent instrument for $1,400.00. Why should hurdy gurdies be any different? We are very pleased to offer a great sounding Hurdy Gurdy in this price range.