My very first one was a small kit Dulcimer, which my daughter now has. No pictures.
These are typically about 3 inches deep, or so, only
because I wanted that sound .
All Dulcimers are three strings, having double-melody
strings and single drones.
The Oval one is double strung, all three strings,
doubled.
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My
best effort. Resonates at "C". Yellow Cedar (really really stinks when
fresh!) top, Indian Rosewood sides & fretboard, Padauk back, Rock Maple
Peg Box (wow, what a task to carve that one out!). Top has a strip of ebony
up the center and the back has a strip of Purple-Heart up the center. The
Purple-Heart is not visible anymore because the Padauk aged to brown, bummer
because it was really gorgeous when it was Purple/Orange. The "C" cutouts
are separate pieces and all pieces were bent using a Variac and a 200 Watt
soldering iron. The iron was held in a vise for the bending. Made in Milwaukie,
Oregon. Date of manufacture can be seen through the "F" hole. Stainless
Steel tail piece. Has one rectangular piece of abalone shell in the fretboard.
It is probably eight inches across the widest bout.
Back Side.
Bridge
detail.
Showing
the Peg Box and how it drops.
Nut
Detail. Showing Holly in the center of the fretboard.
Tailed-heart
dulcimer before the top broke. Walnut sides and "something" wood for the
back.
Bad
news the tailed heart top broke, so it's getting it's top replaced with
one carved out from a block of wood. Note how the sides were made to bend
easily. The guy who I was renting from let me use his radial arm saw for
those cuts. The oval one has similar sides. The "C" cutouts are separate
pieces bent around a Peanut-Butter jar. Hey, I was a bachelor when this
was made, and that's what I had available. Peg box is Walnut ahd Cherry.
Originally
the mahogany fretboard was designed to have tie-on gut frets. So the spacing
of all of the fretboard feet has clearance under the proper place for gut
tying.
Now
owned by Bill Correll, my wife's brother.
Made
from a tree in my wife's childhood front yard home, Ephrata WA. out of
Silver Maple. Top is book-matched as are the sides and back. all out of
the same block of Silver Maple. Fretboard and peg box is Walnut. The Blue
spots are a scanner defect that I did not see until I was done scanning,
sorry. Recently, the violin pegs were changed out for gold guitar tuners.
Note the knot holes in front and back, they match! Made in Milwaukie Oregon.
Peg
Box detail.
Back.
Bridge
detail. Stainless Steel tail piece, drilled for ball-end strings. This
dulcimer and the oval one above, I kept.