The Satyr

Traditional teardrop design
Koa, cherry, salvaged maple, recycled pine, kingwood, tagua nut

In the 1970s I drew a picture of a satyr head planning to carve it on a violin peg head. Recently, I found this picture, which was deteriorating because it was on old non-acid free paper, and scanned it into my computer, where I improved the contrast, printed it out, and used it as a reference for this new dulcimer, "The Satyr." This instrument has a koa top and back, salvaged maple sides, and a maple fingerboard laminate over recycled pine. The head and tailpiece are cherry, and the hand-carved head has horms carved from tagua nut pieces. The tuning pegs are kingwood.

E-mail or call for price and availability.

The Songcatcher

Traditional teardrop design
Eastern black walnut, maple, recycled pine

Many peoples of the Americas play the mountain dulcimer. Besides the traditional European descendants who live in the Appalachians, I know of a Hawaiian who does music of the Islands on a dulcimer, I saw an African-American play gospel and old slave-era songs on a dulcimer; I've heard of a Mexican-American who plays folk music on one; and, I know of one American Indian who played the dulcimer once in a while, Buffy Saint Marie. As I carved the head on this piece, and it started to become my Songcatcher, I tried to envision my own Indian ancestry, the tiny part of me that goes back around four or five generations to some Northwest or Northern Plains tribe. (I assume, since my family came from Northeastern Oregon.) This instrument has black walnut top, sides, back, head, tailpiece, and fingerboard laminate over recycled pine. The tuning pegs are maple carved into the shape of arrowheads.

Ol' Black Joe

Traditional teardrop design
Cocobolo, Eastern black walnut, spalted maple, recycled pine

Dulcimers have been around in their current forms since the mid-1800s. They are commonly associated with the ancestors of European immigrants, but because many Southern states, like Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina, were (and still are) centers of dulcimer development and playing, I've assumed that some slaves might have taken up the instrument. I have not found any documented proof, yet, but it is possible to have happened.

With that in mind, I created "Ol' Black Joe." I found a copy of an 1865-75 tin-type photo of an ex-slave on the internet, and used his likeness for the black walnut dulcimer head carving. The tuning pegs are Gaboon ebony, and the sound hole carvings are of spalted maple. It's a very lovely sounding instrument.

Sold at the ACC San Francisco Fine Craft Show, 2006!

Tennessee Red Caesar

Traditional teardrop design
Tennessee red cedar, recycled redwood, recycled pine, oak, bocote

This dulcimer is primarily a softwood instrument. The red cedar sides and back are a semi-hard aromatic softwood mainly known for closet and blanket chest lining. (You won't get moths in this dulcimer!) The top is redwood resawn from a good kiln-dried piece left over from other projects. The head and tailpiece are hand-carved oak.

E-mail or call for price and availability.

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(Past Coog Instruments Dulcimers)