Depth in a dulcimer; or rather overall cubic content of the body, generally means the builder is trying to make both a louder and more bass/baritone sound; it's not a result of building for playing on a table. Sometimes the deep/wide body is called a "church" dulcimer, supposedly because the larger volume could be used for hymn accompaniment in the tiny rural churches of Appalachia.One thing to look at in the early dulcimers is how thin the wood was relative to the overall dimensions. A beginning dulcimer builder often makes them unnecessarily thick. There's one photo of a dulcimer "frame" that appears to have the sides nearly the dimensions of a 1x2", and another that shows the same dulcimer, obviously finished, that must be 4 ft from scroll end to tail end! Look at the dimensions of a TMB - 14" wide, nearly 4" deep, 27" long; but with 3/8" thick top and back!! That's 3 times the "normal" thickness. But the replica I played, sounded wonderful!!!!!

Ken, thanks for the maker refs, I'll check them out. I also get hypnotized when I look at Keith Young's 1830's replica! Can't afford it right now. If you have a copy of Ralph Lee Smith's The Story of the Dulcimer, you'll see what I'm referring to on p 39 in figure 63, dulcimer no. 47, what he calls early Galax-style. For the probable age, check the catalog listings starting on pg 61. I see a lot of depth on these early MDs, wonder if it's about standing/playing at a table, being handed down from scheithold and scandinavian dulcimer playing? Ever since I saw these early Virginia ellipticals/teardrops, I've been hungering to acquire one (my two MDs are hourglass). Something about the amount of wood you have on display with a Galax in front of you pulls me in even more (haven't held one in my hands yet.) Of course, I forget they're for making music not just looking at! Ken Hulme said:

Wayne - what do you mean by "look Galax"?The quintessential Galax dulcimer is an elliptical shape - not a teardrop - with very deep sides (approx 3"), wide body (9" or more), scroll head, and often a doubled back.An elliptical shape has the wide spot at the center of the length of the body, A teardrop shape has the wide spot 3/5th or so aft of the center of the body.Elliptical dulcimers with scroll heads showed up in Virginia as early as 1835. But they were not deep/wide bodies; they were narrow/slimKeith Young makes a replica 1830s Virginia of $400 (the one I lust after). Bill Berg/Mountain Made Music makes two ellipticals $135 and $160. Ron Ewing makes them too, write for a quote. I believe harpmaker Dave Lynch also makes a true elliptical, call/write/email him.

Thanks, all and sorry to be replying late (taxes & spring cleaning), I'm not used to blogging, seems odd to reply in a discussion a week later. I've definitely fallen in love with the look of the Galax style dulcimer, but would rather have charm & sweetness when I sit down to play (for now). I don't have my two dulcimers handy to measure, but have found the fretboard depths (around an inch+) not to be a problem so far when noting. Both teardrops, one short with wide bouts, neither very deep. I won't know how to judge their sound until I've done more listening and playing, with a variety of strings and tunings. I'm still in the honeymoon period when any music 'we' make seems wondrous! I will likely go ahead and get the June Apple teardrop. Now have to look at my wood choices. There's a discussion on that elsewhere here. I have a choice of black walnut, cherry, sycamore, & ambrosia maple. Leaning toward the sycamore. Aren't there dulcimers that look Galax showing up in the middle of the 19th c?

What Lisa said!Fretboard height and dulcimer height are two different things. When someone says XYZ dulcimer is 1.25" deep they are referring only to the height of the sides; not the fretboard. Fretboard height only matters if you're a Noter & Drone player. And then, you want a fretboard at lest 3/4" high, and preferably higher ( up to 1.5") so there is plenty of room for your knuckles to clear the soundboard.Not just the depth of the sides, but the overall volume of a dulcimer affects it's sound quality. Wider/deeper dulcimers tend to have a deeper, mellower sound. Narrow/thin dulcimers tend towards a higher pitched but silvery sound. That's the sound of the old time dulcimers. Galax dulcimer are a special case. I'm not sure how old the Galax dulcimer tradition is.. whether it goes back farther than WWI for example.

{{ I thought that these early instruments had the kind of depth you see on a Galax. }}Galax dulcimers are and always were much deeper in the sound box than your typical Kentucky style hourglass...even back in the early 1900's. If you are not getting a Galax and if you are not looking for a powerful volume for now, then shallow sound boxes are quite traditional and can give a charming old fashioned sweet sound. I love them myself. However- if you play with a noter you won't want your fretboard to be less than 1" high up off the soundboard, or you won't have enough room for your hand holding the noter.


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I'm looking to spend tax money on something impractical and essential-- a new dulcimer. This dulcimer doesn't need to be loud (I have neighbors just downstairs) or distinguished in sound, it's really for learning (i'll reward myself with a Galax some day). I'm considering the June Apple Juniper or Teardrop which are inexpensive, but i noticed that the depth measures at 1 3/4 ". Is this meant to be both soundboard and fretboard? Seems a little thin, especially for the Juniper which is billed as 'early' in style, but I thought that these early instruments had the kind of depth you see on a Galax. Maybe June Apple is just keeping their cost/price for this model low by leaving out some wood. I'm running this question by them at the same time. Also, any opinions about June Apple's dulcimers?
updated by @wayne-grachow: 06/08/16 09:24:05PM