Vintage  Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer

                         offered by Serenity’s Musical Instrument Company

This dulcimer was restored by me, Serenity Rose and my Grandpa.  I will use the money for my college funds, gymnastics equipment, or maybe for the ice cream truck when I see him pass by again.   It is a real pleasure to play as a solo instrument as well as in the more traditional role as accompaniment to voice.  It is a relatively large instrument.  The string length (VSL) is 28 ¼ inches.  And the fingerboard is wide enough to accommodate five strings.  In one of the photos you will notice that we have removed a “6 ½” fret (which was put in the wrong place) and filled in the wood.  If you want a “6 ½” fret we will install one – in the right place.  Just let us know when you buy it.  We will also put on whatever strings you would prefer and tune it to your liking.The construction is mostly mahogany which has been stained to a dark Walnut colour to match the fingerboard which is a tropical hardwood.  The top is … Formica!  Do not laugh.  It has been used on guitars and ukuleles before.  Even the fabled Martin Guitar company used it.  They produced a famous model which was all Formica, except for the neck.  It was not a cheap ’toy guitar’ – it sold for $599 in the 1960’s.  Formica is actually an ideal material for a soundboard – much more stable and repeatable than ‘tonewoods’ like spruce or cedar and the tone is wonderfully pure and brilliant.  We gave it a nice black lacquer finish so it would not look so much like a kitchen counter top.The Head and Tail pieces are beautifully carved – nicest we have yet seen on a dulcimer.The edges are bound with black bandings.The nut, bridge, tuner knobs and other hardware are all black Delrin, to match the black top.The tuners are new, with adjustable friction for easy and stable tuning.With five strings you can set the high two close together and tune them in unison, or perhaps a minor third, as the ‘melody string’ in typical dulcimer fashion.  Or space them and use them as individual strings.  This would allow tuning like a Sitar, in fifths, or whatever works for the song you want to play.Our restoration has brought it to even better than its original new condition.  It was stripped down to bare wood, sealed with shellac, then finished with many coats of lacquer, scraped with glass in the traditional way between coats, then buffed to a final polish.  It comes with a real feather plectrum, a complimentary copy of Jean Ritchie’s ‘Dulcimer Book’ and my grandpa’s arrangements of ‘Pretty Saro,’ ‘Colorado Trail’ and ‘Sweet Betsy from Pike.’You will love it for sure – because we do! Sincerely;Serenity and her G’Pa