As others have said, the instrument looks very nice and was likely very well made.

To determine if the instrument is good for a beginner, I would like more information about the action and the VSL (vibrating string length).  If you plan to play in a noter/drone style, those issues may matter little. But if you play to play with your fingers, then the action or height of the strings is very important. And if you plan to play chords, then a shorter VSL will be easier (though anything in the 25"-28" range should be OK).  And as @Nate says, you will likely want to string it as a three course instrument rather than a four course instrument. It is hard to tell from the photo whether the notches exist in the nut and bridge to facilitate that.

It is hard to find a well-built dulcimer for less than $300, so the price seems fair for such a pretty instrument, but if you will be required to spend more on repairs and other modifications, it may not be worth it.

--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator

As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie

The instrument has really cool decoration and definitely seems like a good deal at that price, though I'm not sure how much it would cost to repair the soundboard, per what Ken mentioned. For your question about if the instrument is well suited to a beginner, a four course equidistant setup can often be considered more difficult than a three course setup. Four string equidistant is not necessarily the easiest for a beginner, however if you are ambitious, it might be a fun challenge. Four string equidistant definitely works great for finger picking!

Wow, beautifully made!  It’s worth doing what Ken has suggested and if intonation is good (which I am sure it is having been built by a good luthier), this should be a great investment.

It is a beautiful mountain dulcimer!   With a bit of work from a luthier, it could be nicely set up to play.  

That's a very nice looking dulcimer and appears to be well constructed which I would expect from a violin maker. A concern I have 's the cracked sound hole on the treble side, lower bout. It looks like it needs to be repaired. Wittner tuners can be put on this instrument. If the holes are too large, they can be plugged and re-drilled. If too small, they can be made larger. The dulcimer does not have a 6 1/2 fret which is popular with finger pickers, but one can be added. I think it would be a good instrument for any player with a little attention to things I mentioned. It might need an adjustment to the action and I have no idea if it is fretted for equal or just temperament. Something I would do if it were my instrument would be to get rid of the current string anchor and replace it with four screws or brass plated nails, one for each string. That will make replacing strings easier.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hello,

I am considering purchase of my first mountain dulcimer (well second if you could the one I bought at a barn sale for decoration, cracked top...) 

I am new to the instrument. I currently play cape Breton style fiddle, and my primary violin was made by Canadian luthier Otis Thomas. 

I love his work, and the dulcimer I am considering was made by him as well. He thinks heade it about 50 years ago but doesn't recall who commissioned it.

Asking price is 300 plus shipping which seems reasonable I think. I'm not too concerned about the price.

I do want to make sure it's the right set up for a beginner. I'm interested in finger picking but more generally at working towards proficiency. My wife is also interested in learning but doesn't have much experience with stringed instruments.

I don't know much about dulcimers and the various set ups. Will this one work?

I'm not too worried about compression pegs though I do wonder if they can be changed to whitener internal time tuner pegs.

Thoughts and insights appreciated!

Warmly,

Michael