james kaulback

I got hooked on dulcimers about 40 years ago, and decided to try to make them. After a few years of making a traditional steam bent sides, I tried something rather radical, and began forming sides by cutting them out on a band saw. This opened a whole new world of unusual designs. I cut the sides in a serpentine fashion and even cut some at a 15 degree angle. Most of my fret boards are also cut in a similar serpentine fashion. I put a block of wood around each sound hole before I drill it, giving the illusion that the top is deeper than the standard 1/8 inch. Since the sides are at least 1/4 inch thick, I use my router to round off the sides. This gives them a starting to melt look. I stopped making them about 30 years ago, and started again 4 years ago. I resumed my odd ball style, and tried a few out of exotic hardwoods such as zebra wood canary wood and paduk. I have developed my own playing style of finger picking that does not require a pick. Mostly I play while watching TV, and rely on muscle memory to find the proper frets. Since I am running out of wall space and corners, I have been trying to sell some. Soon, I will be putting some on EBay and Etsy.