JOAT responds:

Wed, Dec 15, 2004, 1:31am (Silvan) tells
us:
Dad has one of these things, sni they're not terribly complicated.
snip How much do woods matter? snip

I made a dulcimer. Many moons back, when I was assignned to Disney
East. But I didn't call it a mountain dulcimer. That somds like
something made up by some city folk, something like farm table, or
harvest table, rather than just a table.

Yeah, well...I think it comes from record marketing of "mountain" music. We
called it hillbilly music in the good old non-PC days.


Mine was more an elongaed oval shape. A block of wood at each end,
slotted to hold the sides. 1/8" luan plywood for the body. Don't
recall what the other wood was. Did use frets, but only because I had
fret wire. The wires, were that, wire.

I've seen two types, your tear drop and a figure eight type. Both sound great
in competent hands.

I think the Foxfire books have something on making dulcimers,

I kept some of the old Foxfire books after my divorce. I noticed in Books A
Million some time ago that they have newer editions. Must be up to version
40031 or so by now.

Charlie Self
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." Sir Winston
Churchill