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Instruments for Sale
Dragonheart
- Design based on Thomas Dulcimer in the Smithsonian collection, Washington, D.C.
- Top & Back: Highly figured spalted maple with purpleheart binding
- Sides: Maple
- Head & tailpiece: Maple with purpleheart embellishments
- Fingerboard: Salvaged Pine with maple laminate
- Tuning pegs: Hand-carved maple
Dragons have always been a part of Chinese culture and are very numerous during the Chinese New Year festivals. In Europe, they have also been the subject of many folk tales. Lately, dragons have become extremely popular once again in books and movies. Dragonheart is an all maple Mountain dulcimer with heart-shaped soundholes and purpleheart eyes, tongue, and binding. Besides being a beautiful piece of wall sculpture, it's a truly wonderful sounding instrument too.
E-mail or call for price and availability.
The Gryphon
- Design based on Thomas Dulcimer in the Smithsonian collection, Washington, D.C.
- Top: Salvaged 150-year-old Douglas fir
- Sides & Back: Black walnut with flamed maple binding
- Head & tailpiece: Black walnut
- Fingerboard: Salvaged Pine with Black walnut laminate
- Tuning pegs: Hand-carved maple
I've always been interested in gargoyle sculptures and reading about the legends of mythological beasts and characters. In the earliest complete publication of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Sir John Tenniel created some of the greatest illustrations to appear in the 140+ years Alice has been around. One wonderful illustration is of a resting gryphon (see detail page), which was the inspiration for my head carving.
Sold at the
ACC San Francisco Fine Craft Show, 2006!
If you would like a similar instrument, please contact
me.
John Muir
- Design based on Thomas Dulcimer in the Smithsonian collection, Washington, D.C.
- Top & back: Birdseye Maple
- Sides: Birdseye maple with black walnut strip
- Head & tailpiece: Maple
- Fingerboard: Redwood with maple laminate
- Tuning pegs: Hand-carved maple
Last year, I thought about entering the Yosemite Renaissance Art Exhibition. The theme is, as always, "Yosemite." I figured they get a lot of entries of bears, waterfalls, Half Dome, etc., so I thought I'd do someting different and make a dulcimer with a carving of John Muir, naturalist and one of Yosemite's biggest supporters. Of course, it took me too long to complete, so I missed the jury deadline. I made nearly all the dulcimer with birdseye maple. I carved dogwood blossoms on the pegheads. Maple and dogwood are native to the Yosemite region. Oh, and it has a beautiful tone too.
E-mail or call for price and availability.
Lily of the West
- Design based on Thomas Dulcimer in the Smithsonian collection, Washington, D.C.
- Top, Sides & back: Eastern black walnut
- Head& tailpiece: Eastern black walnut
- Fingerboard: Pine with Eastern black walnut laminate
- Tuning pegs: Hand-carved maple stained black
My newest singing maiden is named after the fickle Flora, the Lily of the West. (An 18th-19th century folksong from the period of Western expansion.) I'm very pleased with the sound and ease of playing on this instrument. I finished this September, 2004, just in time to use it on the last song I recorded on my new folk music CD, Calling Me Home.
Click here for a short sound clip of the title song.
E-mail or call for price and availability.
Concert Coog Moon
- Original Design
- Top: Redwood
- Sides & back: Koa (with decorative binding)
- Head & Tailpiece: Eastern black walnut
- Fingerboard: Spruce and mahogany
- Tuning pegs: Beech
A prospective customer asked if I could build a larger, louder dulcimer for performances. Even though he didn't buy an instrument, I got to thinking about creating a larger instrument. This is the result. It has koa sides and back and a redwood top with decorative binding similar to a guitar. There are six strings, all doubled like a 12-string guitar. The bass string is doubled with an octave string. The sound is loud, but not too loud. The doubled strings give it a fuller, almost guitar like tone.
SOLD