Folkcraft Instruments has been crafting handmade mountain dulcimers since 1968. We've been providing the best dulcimers, plus the dulcimer cases, tab books, dulcimer string sets, and everything else a mountain dulcimer player needs. We even provide dulcimer parts - machine heads and wood parts - for builders of all skill levels. We're happy to build a custom mountain dulcimer for you, make you a custom instrument case, or make you a custom string set. All of our dulcimers are handmade in the USA.
Featured products
Folkcraft customers speak out!
from 2574 reviewsMandy is one patient, lovely lady! We decided it would be best if I got the book etc online as the postage to England would have been costly. I don't think it's my age, 68 yrs, but I really am rubbish at computer stuff... Thankfully my musical ability is better 🤣. After 24 hours Mandy had talked me through to the stage of printing the book and having the audio thingy on my home screen. I am so pleased and looking forward to playing the hymns.
Thank you for all you do Mandy 🙏
Sending a big hug
Maria x
WOW - This HI-LO nut is absolutely genius. You get 2 completely different instruments in 1. Playing in the HI position, you have a dobro (get a tone bar for it) or if you got the pickup - a lap steel guitar!!! Playing in the LO position you get a surprisingly comfortable 23” VSL which really feels good on my hands (and I got it fretted chromatically). The sound from the resonator cone is a very pleasant and almost electric sound. Hearing different resonator guitar models, sometimes you get a very unlikeable clunky metal sound, that is not at all what this is!! It’s really nice.
Photos and a VIDEO of me playing it in the HI position below using a tone bar.
I haven’t put this down in the few days I’ve had it so far, and I’ve even already taken it to our church practice and played with 3 guitars and you can hear it so much better now!!
It is really easy to play. You can get half steps with a little practice (though the included fingering chart is for a diatonic scale only). I’ve really enjoyed playing it.
Between this book and the first edition, there are so many songs from my younger years that are fun to learn how to play.... and I already know the words!
The dulcimer exceeded my expectations. It has a wonderful mellow sound and I am so pleased with the construction and looks of the instrument. Every time I see it I want to pick it up and play it. The 24” VSL is perfect for my ‘older’ hands. I would recommend the California style to anyone due to the mellow, sweet sound. I am so glad I made the decision to purchase from Folkcraft.
Quality . Fast service, good communication. Very well done.
I like the Herdim picks. I especially like playing with the blue pick.
This book is well made, nice spiral binding, lots of good ol' tunes, essay to read. A few standards I think are missing, but then one book cannot possibly cover all the good songs. The cd's are helpful, but are midis files, not an actual dulcimer, but they achieve their goal of getting the song into the readers head.
Great tunes arranged in a pleasing manner! I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who wants to play with other dulcimers. Thank you Lorinda Jones for a great book!
I received my 3 walnut noters, and am using them on my mountain dulcimers.
Thank you
Tom Ziech
This dulcimer is beautiful! Great sustain mellow sound with the Galax bottom and a lot easier to play with shorter 25” VSL. I’m finding my flat picking is better as well.
I haven't had a chance to use the parts I purchased to restore my "new-to-me" vintage dulcimer, but it was great to be able to find all the bits I needed in one place. Richard offered some valuable advice.
Thanks
The book contains easy to follow and play songs. I really like the way the tabs are written. They have the note values as part of the tab numbers which makes the songs easier to play for me. The songs are well laid out in the book. If there are 2 pages of the song, the songs are on facing pages so it makes them very easy to play as the page changes. I really like the spiral bound book. Very easy to lay out flat on a music stand. No fumbling with changing pages and trying to get the book to lay flat on the stand like many other books. I am somewhere between beginner and intermediate and I found the tabs easy to play at my level. The songs would be perfect for anyone beginner or more skilled. The book has increased my ability to more more smoothly on the fretboard and increased my confidence in myself. Highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I have tried a number of picks on my dulcimer and these provide the best sound of any I own. Many of the ones I had produced a clicking and twanging sound. These do not for me. The thickness/firmness and flexibility is perfect. The size is perfect to me. The groves in the picks make them very easy to hand on to and they do not slip in my fingers like other picks.