John C. Knopf
John C. Knopf
@john-c-knopf
7 years ago
385 posts

An intriguing puzzlement!  I would not have believed that Homer Ledford would leave one of his dulcimers unmarked.

Probably just another "dulcimer history mystery"...

Dan
Dan
@dan
7 years ago
180 posts

Thank you.

Dan
Dan
@dan
7 years ago
180 posts

May be a question for the ages? We know it is a Homer without question, he made mistakes from time to time, he may have missed a label. There were many years he was making six or seven pieces a week! Let me know if you want to "add" it as is to the registry....

 

dulcimoredan@gmail.com

Robin Clark
Robin Clark
@robin-clark
7 years ago
239 posts

My guess is that the dulcimer could be a more recent Ledford rather than an early one.  He was often asked for his 'old style' 3 strings with staple frets even at a time when most players wanted 4 string dulcimers with guitar frets.  I have no idea why there's no label?  Is it possible the number is scratched or pencilled on the inside somewhere?

I've just wound up a guitar business.  We would badge and number all our guitars.  But sometimes we got the numbers and letters out of sequence when we stamped them (it is easy to do if you are a bit dyslexic !); sometimes I'd allocated batches of numbers to an assistant but then they didn't use them all; sometimes customers wanted a special number; sometimes customers didn't want the badge on the outside so we hid it internally or didn't fit one at all; sometimes we wrote the number in pencil internally rather than stamping the headstock; sometimes folks wanted no markings on the guitar.  In years to come anyone trying to trace the lineage one of the 1200 or so guitars I produced could well find anomalies in about 5% of cases.  So I'm not too surprised that a Ledford without a label has turned up - musical instrument workshops are a little more 'organic' than say an aircraft parts factory!!!

Dan
Dan
@dan
7 years ago
180 posts

Suaimhneas:


Good Day,


 


     I recently obtained a Homer Ledford dulcimer and it is unmarked completley on the inside without a date,name and/or number. The back of the tailpiece has his signature carved dogwood flower along with his initial "L." Its made out of walnut and poplar, I will post pics. My question is to anyone who may know or know someone that may know any further details about this dulcimer and its build date or the number and why it is unmarked inside.



 


It is possible the label was lost, I'm not aware of Homer "not" labeling any of his pieces. The staple frets dates it back a little ways, if you study the registry you may be able to guesstimate a date line of the latter part of the use of them. I say latter part because we know about when he started using "hearts", and about when he started "full" fret.


http://www.backroombluegrassband.com/hlccbweb/instruments/instruments.htm