c.1995 Homemade Kit Appalachian Dulcimer

This is a homemade dulcimer from a kit, made -- who knows? Probably the mid-90s. It's actually one of the better-sounding hourglass dulcimers I've played, thanks in no small part to a good spruce top rather than a hardwood top. All I did was restring it and set it up to play correctly for standard "DAD" tuning with a doubled melody course.

Simple guitar-style tuners work loads easier than the standard violin-style pegs.

The heart-shaped soundholes aren't perfectly cut but they are very cute.

This has fiddle-style (overhanging) edges that give it a folky, fun appeal.

The back and sides appear to be laminate but the top is solid.

This dulcimer was originally part of the Skanktone Guitars collection. Skanktone was run by Joe Schenkman of right-here-in-Rochester, Vermont, and specialized in fun, funky, wonky, and wild old guitars (among other things). He amassed a very cool personal collection that's been off-and-on stored for a number of years and now a fair number of the quirky and fun vintage items are being sold through Antebellum. Thanks for sharing the toys, Joe!