No one in our family plays instruments so would you have any ideal what I should ask for this Mark Blair dulcimer or any suggestions on a member that might like to have it?
Another possibility if you aren't interested in the money would be to donate it to the Appalachian Dulcimer Museum in Sperryville, VA. I'm sure John Hallberg would be interested if he doesn't already have one.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
@ken-longfield , you never fail to amaze me with how much you know about dulcimers and their makers.
Thanks, Strumelia. I've been around the Appalachian dulcimer world since the late 1960s. Over the years I've met many folks in this community. If I hadn't worked most weekends since 1969 I might have met more. Keeping my eyes and ears open I learned about the history of and people who love the Appalachian dulcimer. I'm still learning and enjoy every new encounter with dulcimer folk and history.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I agree with John and olddog75 that $300 is a fair price if you are looking to get it in to the hands of someone who will enjoy playing it. Of course you can always ask for more and if it doesn't sell lower the price. It just depends upon whether you want to get it in the hands of a player or try to make money.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
$300 sounds like a good, solid value to me. It's a beauty!
Searching google for Mark Blair dulcimers, I found one on the reverb.com website marked "sold". It was a teardrop with wormy chestnut top and walnut sides and back. The price was $250.00. It showed as listed eight years ago, but no indication of when it actually sold, though I can't see a company keeping a dulcimer on it's site for eight years. Looks like Ken's estimate is very valid, maybe leaning a little toward the $300 side nowadays? Hope this helps..
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No one in our family plays instruments so would you have any ideal what I should ask for this Mark Blair dulcimer or any suggestions on a member that might like to have it?
I only knew of Carol (I believe she was connected to the Smithsonian some way) so it is good to know about the work she and Mark did together. His instruments are beauties!
@ken-longfield , you never fail to amaze me with how much you know about dulcimers and their makers.
Mark Blair made some wonderful dulcimers. He, along with his wife Carol, wrote a couple of books of music for Appalachian dulcimer. One is a book of hymns, Best Loved Hymns for Appalachian Dulcimer and the other was a book of Christmas hymns. I think the latter might have been self published. Back in November, 2024 I spent some time with his wife, Carol, and their son. We had a good time reminiscing about the dulcimer community around Washington, D.C. in the lat 1960s and 1970s. Looking at the Facebook page John suggested I see that he made 700 dulcimers. I would consider him one of the "revival" builders.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Look up "Mark Blair Dulcimers" on Facebook. There is a page there of photos of Mark's work. He passed away several years ago according to the posts there.
Thanks for the on finding the info. There are two stickers inside. The first one says it was custom built especially for my mother and father in law. The second has the maker
525. 11-83
Blair Dulcimers
Handcrafted Mountain Dulcimers
1704 Trenton Drive
Alexandria, Virginia 22308
My father in law pastors a Baptist church in Alexandria.
Vicrich, you have a beautiful dulcimer there!
I don't recognize it right off, either, but it seems to be well-designed and assembled by somebody. The soundhole patterns intrigue me. They remind me somewhat of Ben Seymour's hole patterns on his Galax dulcimers.
Robin, it is a possibility. I don't have the Foxfire plans in front of me to compare, but from the photos posted there are differences from the Mize dulcimers I've seen. The tuning pegs are not quite the same shape and the end block is different from Mize dulcimers. I can't see the peg head well enough to make a comparison. Folks who use plans like Mize's are known to make modifications that appeal to the builder. If the owner of this dulcimer does find a label inside we will know for sure.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
@ken-longfield Elements of the instrument remind me of a Mize-- what do you think? I'm wondering whether a highly skilled woodworker built it based on Bob Mize's piece in Foxfire and/or patterned this one off an actual Mize instrument. The tuning pegs look to be nicely hand-carved (and Bob Mize's carved pegs were lovely). I could be way off track with this line of thinking, though.
I agree- use a flashlight to really look inside there, peering in at various angles. It happens, but it's rare that a dulcimer that nice would have no label inside at all.
Perhaps this is too obvious, akin to telling you to turn your computer off and then on again, but have you looked into the soundholes to see if there is any information about the luthier? You might have to shine a flashlight in there to see.
FWIW, the wood is beautiful, and the instrument appears to be in pristine condition. Barring any new information, @ken-longfield's estimates about its value are likely pretty accurate.
The dulcimer looks familiar but I can't place it with a builder at the moment. It appears to be well built and the wood is very nice. I think the to is butternut and the rest of the dulcimer is walnut. It has a 6 1/2 fret but not 13 1/2 fret (octave). Wood tuning pegs are not something most players appreciate these days. On a good day you might be able to sell it for $300 - $350 but without the builder's name that could be a very optimistic. In reality it may only bring between $200 - $300.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I have no ideal what this dulcimer is valued. I found it in my deceased mother in laws house. Any help would be appreciated. Pictures are attached but I couldn't find any name or label on it.
