Decatur, Indiana: The New Dulcimer

After Jane’s visit to Folkcraft Instruments in Woodburn, Indiana in September, she ordered a new dulcimer.  She went to Folkcraft for Dulcimer Club November 28, and got to see it under construction

Top

Side

From the bottom

It was exciting to see the instrument close to being finished, and a week later it was all done.

Builder Jim Ash, Jane, and owner/builder Richard Ash in front of Folkcraft’s sales wall.

First song:  “Southwind”, which was the first song Jane presented to a dulcimer group–in Orlando, about 1990.

Richard was kind enough to show Dave and Jane the shop.  Of particular interest was the tool used to bend the sides of Jane’s instrument.

This tool was made in 1972 by Howard Rugg using a heater from a thrift-store waffle iron.

Somebody at Folkcraft has a sense of humor.

Here is a more detailed introduction to the instrument.  In September, Jane played about 15 instruments in the Folkcraft showroom, listening for “her” sound in different woods.  She chose butternut for the top and walnut for the sides.

The instrument has three strings.  Traditional dulcimers are strung with four strings, with the two highest strings being tuned the same.  Jane often plays melody on the middle and bass strings and so prefers only one treble string.  She likes the contemporary look of a flat head and loved how Folkcraft “stripes” it to match the lower part of the instrument.

The instrument has a pick-up and pre-amp made by Fishman.

The pick-up is the piece of metal right above the Folkcraft logo.  The pre-amp is pictured below.

The Seahorse-F sound holes were designed by Folkcraft.

The bridge is raised as is the back.  This allows for more sustain.

When Jane introduced the new instrument in a FaceBook post, several friends expressed interest in how it sounds.  Here we go!

The first song is “Black Mountain Rag”, a piece Doc and Merle Watson played.

Next is part of “Cowboy Waltz” by Woody Guthrie, with the amplifier.

Finally, here’s Jane playing the dulcimer and singing the last verse of “Craggy Knob” by Robert Bruce Cumming.