Spruce On Top, Or Spruce On The Back?

A recent discussion coalesced in a thread below, which I thought deserved its own tread.

I’m in the middle of two builds, which are my first two builds ever. I’m a rookie with a lot of questions.

Never being a traditionalist, I’m looking at different options before I just start gluing things together.

Ken Hulme made a statement about the back of the dulcimer being where the sound actually emanates. His statement got me pondering this whole building process. If the back has more sound resonance than the top, why wouldn’t it make more sense to put the spruce on the bottom, and then put the black walnut on the top? I know this idea runs against conventional thinking, and I’m certainly not trying to be a dulcimer building innovator. And, like Ken said, it’s kind of a shame to put that pretty walnut on the back, where no one can see it.

Devil’s Advocate: If we put the soundboard on the back, where it’s suppose to be, maybe it would lessen the need for possum boards, double backs, Galax, etc.?

Bob chimed in and thought that spruce on the back would be a dud, but he didn’t really offer any cohesive evidence to back that up.

After thinking about it, I would prefer the walnut on top because of its more appealing appearance. The spruce bottom would definitely need feet because of it being a softer wood.

More opinions please!!!