American fretless harp guitarist Tim Donahue, known in metal circles for his MADMEN & SINNERS album from 2004 featuring DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie and a resident Japan, recently issued the following update:

"Thank you for everyone's concern for my well-being after experiencing the massive earthquake that struck on March 11th

I was in Tokyo when the quake struck. But fortunately, after a long and unforgettable ordeal trying to drive out of Tokyo, I was able to make it back to my home in Mishima (100km away). The mass exodus I saw throughout Tokyo was something right out of a movie. I have the utmost respect for the people of Japan- they really have it together in situations like I was in yesterday. The sheer number of people on the move was of historic proportions, yet everyone was so calm and collected in the face of calamity. Not once did I witness anything other than calm from everyone around me.

I was told that I could go to schools in Tokyo to spend the night, as the government designated 240 schools to take in people who couldn't return home because of trains that had stopped or roads that were impassable. And Tokyo wasn't even at the epicenter of the quake! Yet, in order to alleviate the exodus I described above, people were welcome to spend the night (with basic accomodations provided) at one of those 240 schools.

Countless times in my 30 years of living in Japan, I have often felt the warmth and hospitality of people here. It's no exaggeration to say many times I felt it is an honor for me to live in Japan. Last night was another time to feel such an honor.

My condolences to the many, many victims of this disaster. The scope of the devastation is still hard to fathom, as news reports try to keep up with the tragedy as it unfolds.

Thank you again for everyone's concern for me and my family. We are well but incredibly worried about how Japan can deal with this catastrophe. Please make a donation to help our Japanese friends here."

As previously reported, Donahue put his official signature harp guitar into production for the first time in 2010. Click here for the complete in-depth review. Pricing, order and warranty details are now available at this location.

Donahue has offered the following::

"A word about my manufacturer:

A number of years ago, two companies tried unsuccessfully to build TD harp guitar prototypes without adhering to my design and construction requirements. Since then, I didn't pursue production of my harp guitars again until requests for them increased due to my current work with ECLIPSE.

The wait is finally over! I'm happy to announce Japan's highly-respected Aska/Deviser Corp. has gotten the instrument right this time. Aska/Deviser Corp. stayed true to my design, proven over 25 years of recording and performing.

The mountains of Nagano, Japan have long been Japan's guitar manufacturing center. It is here that for decades, Momose Guitars made some of the most amazing acoustic instruments I've ever seen. Aska/Deviser Corp. is Momose's electric guitar division. With many guitar brands outsourcing to developing Asian countries for the sole purpose of lowering cost, quality is a problem. So I have opted to work with Aska/Deviser Corp. to manufacture my instruments 100% in Japan, at reasonable cost.

The future looks bright indeed. With Aska/Deviser's luthiery expertise and access to an incredible variety of woods, electronics and technology, I'm excited about developing these instruments well into the future."

Donahue has launched an official webpage for his line of harp guitars. It can be viewed here. His harp guitar specs can be found here.