March 2016 archive

Fretboard Preparation

It’s important that the fretboard is as close to perfect as possible. In this case, that means it must be completely flat and level. No matter how beautiful an instrument is, if the sound is not right it’s basically wall art. The strum hollow must be first cut on a table saw and then shaped …

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The Next Dulcimer

Starting from Scratch A new custom instrument begins with preliminary sketches and design choices aided by the wishes of the client. Jean has ordered a 3-stringed teardrop dulcimer with an added fret between the first and second frets. Here I am sketching the design on folded butcher paper.           This dulcimer …

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Project Complete

The repair project has been completed successfully. Now to clear the bench for my next creation!

Repair Work

Note: This first post appears to all happen in one day, but in fact, took place over a week and a half. Future postings will be more current. Most recently. I have been commissioned to work on a “problem” dulcimer. The “fingerboard” on top of the oak fretboard was actually a dark stain. The main …

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