Mountain Dulcimer
The mountain or Appalachian Dulcimer is a fretted
instrument of the zither family and was originally found
in Southern mountain cultures.While some music scholars think the mountain dulcimer may be a descendent of
the European zither brought to the United States by
German immigrants,the true origins will likely be forever
unknown.We do know that it doesn’t exist in any other
folk culture in the world.
McSpadden
Dulcimers
There are three or four common dulcimer shapes each
with a distinctive sound.The most common shape is the
hourglass which produces a rich bass sound.The teardrop
shaped dulcimer produces a lighter tone that blends well
in bluegrass ensembles.
nylon case, $345 with deluxe case
FM-12CC, all cherry. Same as above except for cherry top.
Our Price $280 including nylon case,
$330 with deluxe case
FM-12CS, same as above except with spruce top.
Our Price $290 including nylon case,
$340 with deluxe case
The first dulcimers can be traced to the early-19th century. Because of its simple construction, dulcimers were
often made and then sold from the back of wagons along
with other common items. One such early instrument
maker was J. Edward Thomas of Knott County, Kentucky.
Historical records show he made dulcimers between 1871
and 1930 and sold them from the back of a mule cart as
he traveled through mountain communities.
In the early 20th century, scholars such as I.G. Greer saw
the mountain dulcimer as a symbol of Appalachia and
rallied to preserve its heritage and music.Musicians such
as Kentuckian Jean Ritchie furthered the cause by bringing the mountain instrument to national and international audiences just as America began to rediscover its
folk music traditions.
FM-12CR, cherry with redwood top.One of the most powerful sounding dulcimers we carry. Same dimensions as all M12 series.Cherry and redwood both darken to rich red-brown
color with age. Our Price $295 including
M-12CS, same as above except with scroll peghead and 4 to
1 planetary tuners. Our Price $305 including
nylon case, $355 with deluxe case
M-12CR, same as directly above except with redwood top.
Our Price $310 including nylon case,
$360 with deluxe case
M-12CC, same as previous model except for cherry top.
Our Price $295 including nylon case,
$345 with deluxe case
Teardrop Models
McSpadden dulcimers are produced at the Dulcimer Shoppe
in Mountain View, Arkansas, where a group of dedicated
craftsman have been making superior instruments since
1967. Their dulcimers balance tradition and innovation and
are thoughtfully designed to the last detail. Available in a
variety of shapes, peghead styles, and woods, McSpadden
instruments are distinguished by these features:
• a laminated fretboard of walnut, cherry or other hard
wood
• accurately spaced frets
• a body of walnut, cherry, or other hard wood and a face of
the same wood or of spruce or redwood
• carefully fitted joints
• a hand-rubbed protective finish
• a lifetime warranty to the original owner
Hourglass Models
FM-12W, all walnut, flat peghead, Gotoh tuners. 36 1/4”
long, 7” wide, 2 3/4” deep (including fretboard).
T -34W, all walnut, teardrop shape, same dimensions as M12 series. Scroll peghead, 4 to 1 planetary tuners. Quieter
than M-12 series but more resonant than Sweet Song dulcimers. Our Price $295 including nylon
case, $345 with deluxe case
T-34S, walnut and spruce. Same as above except for spruce
top. Our Price $305 including nylon
case, $355 with deluxe case
T-34WR, walnut and redwood. Same as above except for
redwood top. Our Price $310 including
nylon case, $360 with deluxe case
T-34CC, all cherry. Same as above except for all cherry.
Our Price $295 including nylon case,
$345 with deluxe case
T-34CS, cherry and spruce. Same as above except for spruce
top. Our Price $305 including nylon
case, $355 with deluxe case
T-34CR, cherry and redwood. Same as above except for redwood top. Our Price $310 including
nylon case, $360 with deluxe case
Our Price $280 including nylon
case, $330 with deluxe case
FM-12S, same as above but with spruce top.
Our Price $290 including nylon
case, $340 with deluxe case
M-12S, walnut with spruce top.Scroll peghead,our own 4-1
geared tuners. Same dimensions as FM-12W.
Sweet Song Models
SS-W Sweet Song, all walnut. Smaller than “M” models.
Gotoh (small,enclosed-machine,geared 16-1) tuners for ease
of fine-tuning. Over-all dimensions: 35” long, 6 5/8” wide, 2
9/16”depth (including fretboard).Excellent dulcimer for children and/or those who enjoy playing in their own home.
Our Price $305 including nylon
case, $355 with deluxe case
Our Price $260 including nylon case
M-12W, same as above but with walnut top.
SS-S Sweet Song, walnut with spruce top, otherwise same
as above.
Our Price $295 including nylon
case, $345 with deluxe case
Our Price $270 including nylon case
Blue Lion
Blue Lion dulcimers represent the exquisite craftsmanship of
Robert and Janita Baker.These hand-crafted dulcimers have
achieved a stellar reputation among players for their beauty
and meticulous attention to detail. Wade Hampton Miller,
former U.S. Mountain Dulcimer National Champ, says,
“Nobody else seems to be able to even come close to matching Blue Lion’s quality at Blue Lion’s price”.
Black Mountain
Dulcimers
Folkcraft
Dulcimers
Since 1971, Black Mountain Instruments has been making
superior quality, reasonably priced dulcimers. The exclusive
Black Mountain handmade process insures that each dulcimer has the best tone and most beautiful finish.Here are a
few of our favorites, but remember we can get any instruments in the line.
Built by experienced craftspeople in northwest Connecticut,
Folkcraft dulcimers are designed with tone, volume, responsiveness,and aesthetics being their foremost considerations.
Each instrument is the direct result of combining select
woods, careful construction techniques, and special tone
hole designs to achieve a unique tonal character all its own.
Model 51
Traditional Hourglass Models
This hourglass shaped dulcimer has rare Black Walnut back
and sides with a Redwood top. The Walnut fingerboard has
mother-of-pearl position dots and both the top and back are
bookmatched.Deluxe geared tuners. Our Price $250
These instruments provide clean note definition and have
good volume.The FSH-W is made of solid Walnut and has a
warm mellow sound. The FSH-Ch is made of solid Cherry
with and has a bright sound. Finished Walnut
Model 81
model Our Price $290, Finished
Cherry model Our Price $290
This hourglass shaped dulcimer has a longer scale and deeper body which give it more volume and a richer tone. They
feature scroll heads, heartshaped sound holes, four string set
up, nickel/silver fretted fingerboards with mother of pearl
position dots, deluxe chrome mechanical tuning machines
and bookmatched solid wood tops and backs.A solid vertically “grained redwood or Cedar top and solid walnut back,sides,
head and fingerboard. The combination of woods give this
instrument a round, mellow tone. Our Price $469
TC - Teardrop Cherry
The tone of the Traditional Teardrop emphasizes lower frequencies. Our Price $310
H&H Enterprise
Dulcimers
Professional (HH-005)
An entry level dulcimer;it has a bright and responsive tone,and
is ideal for the beginning to intermediate player. Solid cherry
back and sides,western red cedar top. Our Price $320
Hourglass design, solid walnut body, variety of wood available for soundboard. Our Price $250 and up
Cedar Creek (HH-007)
IC - Style I Cherry
Available with either the partial scroll peghead or a flat guitar-style peghead at no extra charge. Solid bookmatched
cherry back and sides, western red cedar top, Rosewood nut
and saddle. Our Price $385
Traditional Teardrop Model
Hourglass design, laminated birch body with walnut head,
tail, and fret board. Our Price $200
Black Mountain Dulcimer — 81 (top), 51 (bottom)
Mountain Dulcimer- Accessories
Music Folk carries the widest selection of mountain dulcimers
and mountain dulcimers accessories in the area.Here’s a brief
sampling of some of our customer’s favorite items, but contact us for help in meeting your special needs.
Riverlark Squeakless Special (RL-PSQ).
Our Price $5.00
Blue Lion Custom Fit Bass hard case. Fits the Bass models.(CUST-BASS). Our Price $155
Strings
Blue Lion Bass Dulcimer Set (BASSDULCSTR).
Blue Lion Unfitted Hard Case (UNFIT-HARD).
McSpadden Ionian Set. Medium Guage (IONIANSET).
Our Price $7.00
Our Price $155
Our Price $4.00
D’Addario J-64 Nickel Mountain Dulcimer Set
(1995413010). Our Price $3.50
McSpadden Small Nylon Gig Bag (NYLON-GINGER).
Martin M640 Nickel Mountain Dulcimer Set
(729789106405). Our Price $3.90
McSpadden Standard Nylon Gig Bag (NYLON-STAND).
Capos
Harptone Narrow Hourglass chip case (111D).
McSpadden Mixolydian Set. Light Guage (MIXOLYDISET).
Our Price $4.00
Jean Schilling Double Melody 4 String Light Guage
(SD-1). Our Price $4.40
Jean Schilling Double Melody 4 String Medium Guage
(DM4MEDIUM). Our Price $5.50
Our Price $4.95
Blue Lion Dulcimer String Set (DULCSTRINGS).
Dudley Wood Craft Quick Trip Capo (1014FOLK).
Blue Lion Custom Fit I-II hard case.Fits most Blue Lion
models (CUSTFIT-I-II). Our Price $155
Our Price 40
Our Price $40
Our Price $25
Our Price $34.50
Blue Lion Plush chip case (PLUSHCHIP).
Jean Schilling Double Melody 4 String Heavy Guage
(DM4HEAVY). Our Price $5.50
Sweetwater Capo (5073P). Our Price $11.95
Our Price $45
Jean Schilling 5-String Set (5-STRINGSET).
Our Price $15
Our Price $6.50
Riverlark Squeakless Light Guage (RL-ASQ).
Our Price $4.95
Riverlark Squeakless Regular Guage (RL-G).
Our Price $3.15
Ron Ewing Walnut Capo (EWINGCAPO).
Basic chip case (3123). Our Price $35
Cases
Miscellaneous Mountain Dulcimer
Accessories (see page 34 for pick-ups)
McSpadden Deluxe Standard hard case (DELUXESTAND). Our Price $90.00
Our Price $10.00
McSpadden Wrist Rest (WRISTREST).