What Is The Best Laminated Hammer Dulcimer

The national instrument of iran although it is also found in the traditional music of kashmir and jammu the santoor or hammered dulcimer is a very old and intriguing instrument.

What is the best laminated hammer dulcimer.

Most often the hammered dulcimer is tuned to the circle of fifths. This 13 12 2 1 2 plus octave instrument has a baltic birch ply top and back solid maple side rails and solid walnut top and bottom rails. So if that takes 100 off the cost of the instrument don t feel bad as long as the top is solid. Please allow up to 2 3 weeks for delivery the 16 15 phoebe is the best sounding most reliable full size entry level hammered dulcimer on the market today.

All hammered dulcimers are handcrafted in the usa jake s cabin dulcimers blowing rock nc jake s cabin dulcimers formerly rick thum hammered dulcimers meadowlark. On our local craig s list today there are two hammered dulcimers one overpriced for its age and condition and one solid topped reputable model that. Another feature that often varies form hammered dulcimer to hammered dulcimer is the tuning system. While some believe that the instrument dates back to the times of mesopotamia which was somewhere around 1600 911 bc and babylonia others think that this instrument is so old that it is almost impossible to track.

Using laminated back and sides has relatively little effect on the sound. The hammered dulcimer i play most often because it s so portable is a meadowlark a laminated but very sweet student instrument i got for less than half of list price from a local retiree. If the top is laminated see if you can get the dulcimer for free because that s about what it s worth. Choice of wood for the top is important too.

Cedar is the most. Tuning to the fifth will be familiar to players of the string family violin viola and cello. The top and back are of a high tech laminated material called baltic birch which is made in russia.