Forum Activity for @scott-callow

Know this craftsman? C. S. Jennings, Nitro, West Virginia

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Thanks Linda so much for the articles. They make my instrument even more special.

The music store did get back to me, but they have no memory of the C.S. Jennings. The man who responded will pass on my craftsman's name to someone else just in case it rings a bell. The store is still run by a Gorby so its a family run biz I assume that has survived so far.  

I looked up the address on Google maps and found a small house in what is now considered Charleston (between a church and a tatoo parlor). I thought it might be his shop but its a home with no outbuildings. Maybe he had a shop in the basement and sold the dulcimers out of his home and not the store, but bought a Mel Bay book from Gorby's for each customer. Or maybe #103 was his personal dulcimer. I'll never know, but being a son of an American Historian, I am pleased to play a bit of dulcimer Americana. Thanks again Linda and Ken.

Know this craftsman? C. S. Jennings, Nitro, West Virginia

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Thanks so much Ken. I emailed the shop to see if there is any memory of CS but from the website it looks like they focus on HS bands and guitars. Didnt see a dulcimer on the website. Didnt look hard either though. I’ll share the reply if anything interesting comes up. 

Know this craftsman? C. S. Jennings, Nitro, West Virginia

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

My dulcimer was a gift from my sister-in-law who found it at CA thrift shop. I call it a tear-box shaped dulcimer, mostly a long rectangular box with a tapered tear-drop styled top. I added a 6+ fret to this 1976 built dulcimer.

For anyone interested, it's an odd bird. It has 28 7/8 in. VSL to a movable bridge - sort of like a banjo. Overall length is 39 1/2 inches (The only affordable case I could find that it fit was a soft rifle case that I adorned with patches of musical notes and a Celtic knot and I keep a kazoo on the outside gun cartridge holders to avoid misidentification.) The box is 31 1/4 X 6 1/2 X 2 1/2 inches.  It has good volume and excellent sustain. 

Anyone know anything about builder? C. Swanson Jennings from Nitro, W. VA 

Or the town or region?

Or the music shop it came from?  Gorby's Music in So. Charleston, W. VA

updated by @scott-callow: 01/09/22 12:19:44AM

Frame Drums

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

I asked my kids to get me a bodhran kit from McNeela's for Xmas because the up / down tipper motion is very similar to strumming and I thought if I played it while listening to Irish, Finnish and other folk music, the muscle memory would help me develop my strumming versatility.  Anyone have any experience with this?