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Folk Notes Hammered Dulcimer Page
The
history of the hammered dulcimer began in the middle eastern area
formerly known as Persia.
Hammered dulcimers in that part of the world are called Santoors.
Hammered dulcimers were brought to europe in the
12th century by the moors or the crusaders. A type of hammered
dulcimer
has been played in Ireland since the beginning of the 12th
century. The earliest known mention of a hammered dulcimer in America
was in 1717. Hammered dulcimers were built in small shops in
America during the 19th century, and even sold in mail order catalogs,
such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. By the middle of the
20th century though, hammered dulcimers had practically disappeared in
this country, probably due to the popularity and availability of
pianos.
The folk revival period of the 1960's brought about a renewed interest
in hammered dulcimers and now there are builders and clubs in many
parts of the country. I often call hammered dulcimers,
'a piano
without the gearbox', because instead of having mechanical links from
the keys to the
hammers, you have to pick up the hammers and hit the
strings yourself. A hammered dulcimer, which has the strings mounted on
top of a soundbox instead of inside the box like a piano, has a
similiar, yet different sound. The hammered dulcimer player
has direct control over the volume, sustain, and other elements that go
into the sound of a hammered dulcimer, by varying how and where they
strike the
strings and the hammers they use. Chris Foss began building hammered dulcimers in 1992 with 12/11 Hammered Dulcimer kits. As he has learned and experimented with various design elements, the quality has gotten to where he is today offering the best hammered dulcimer value for the money in his Songbird line of hammered dulcimers. It is a family run business, as Chris and his wife Melanie run their shop together, doing everything from shaping the wood to stringing and set-up of the dulcimers. The
Songbird Phoebe hammered dulcimer (below)
has a laminated
birch soundboard which can withstand changes in temperature and
humidity and
hold up well in less than ideal conditions such as
Rendezvous', or Renaissance Fairs, which go on regardless of the
weather. The Phoebe compares favorably to full sized
hammered dulcimers costing much more, and has been used by players to
place at or near the top in several regional and national
competitions. The 16/15 Phoebe
package is a great buy for budget conscious first time buyers
wanting a full sized hammered
dulcimer that will meet their musical
needs for years to come.
 The Phoebe and all
hammered dulcimers we
sell, comes with wooden hammers and a tuning wrench, as well as
a nylon padded case with large pocket and shoulder strap. The
Phoebe hammered dulcimer package also includes a hammered dulcimer
teaching book with an instructional CD,
electronic clip-on tuner, and
dulcimer stand. We now have
Phoebe
Hammered dulcimers in both
natural(light) and walnut
colors.  Hear the Songbird Phoebe To purchase instruments or other items with no 'Buy' button, CALL - 260, 220-1961 The Songbird Wood Thrush Dulcimer is a 16/15 Walnut stained Poplar, solid wood dulcimer with a big voice at a budget price. The 16/15 Wood Thrush is made entirely of Poplar except for the pin blocks which are Maple.  Poplar is a fast growing
relative of Cottonwood that grows in the south, and is widely used as
interior parts in cabinetry. It is also an excellent tone wood, and has
been used for millions of Auotharps, Guitars, and Banjos. The only
thing is that it isn't particularly beautiful, but takes a wonderful
stain. So Chris stains the Wood Thrush with his proprietary red-brown
walnut color, which it is very pretty. The sound is just great; bright,
but with clear definition of the notes, tons of tone, and nice sustain. The $629
package price includes dulcimer, case wrench, hammers, tuner, tuning
clip,
book/CD and stand.Songbird WoodThrush 16/15
Hammered Dulcimer Package w/stand-$679.00
Click "Buy" to order. Allow 1 -3 weeks for delivery.Please
specify seated, or standing hammered dulcimer stand,
in the text box on the order page. Thanks
Hear
the
Songbird Wood Thrush
Jake's Cabin Dulcimers, the portable dulcimers with the BIG sound! Jake's Cabin Traveler, nylon padded case, hammers, tuning wrench, playing leg, electronic tuner-$495.00 Jake's Cabin Traveler - Full sized sound in a conveniently sized package!
This instrument has full string
spacing and plays just like a
regular 15/14. It is missing the lowest string on the treble
bridge (the G# and the F#) and the highest string on the bass
bridge(the C above the B flat, also on the treble bridge). Scales
for the keys of A, D, G, C
start on the treble bridge and D, G, C, F on the bass side.
Price - $355.00
.
TK O'Brien's Backpacker Package -
$200.00
We have Double Sided
hammers available from $28-$35. Call!
Folk, Old-Time,
& Dulcimer Festival Guide  Membership Not RequiredPlease Call during normal business hours only. Area code 260, 220-1961. Fort Wayne, Indiana |
TK
O'Brien's
12/11
hammered dulcimer
has an attractive black lacquered soundboard and rosette
soundholes of laser
cut
solid maple. With a
2 1/2 octave range, it is a good starter
instrument for the novice
or a
very nice portable instrument for the multi-instrumentalist or
casual
dulcimist. It has a table top playing leg, so
a traveller can carry
everything they need to enjoy playing it in the
heavily padded carry
bag. 
For
frequent
travellers who
want the ultimate in portability from a hammered dulcimer, we
carry 