Roosebeck Mountain Dulcimer 5-String Cutaway Upper Bout F-Holes Scrolled Pegbox
The Cutaway Dulcimer plays the same and sounds the same as a traditional mountain dulcimer. One side, however, is narrower which allows the dulcimer to be played in a "guitar position" in addition to the normal "lap position". Thus the fingering is inverted from normal style. It is kind of a missing link between the traditional mountain dulcimer and our "stick style" Wildwood Dulcimer. The inverted fingerings are a little easier for guitar players but it still produces the rich, full sound of a mountain dulcimer. When you want to play in a traditional style, lay it flat and play it like any other mountain dulcimer.
The solid spruce soundboard features three F-holes. The back, sides, and fret board, are sheesham. The fret board has arches underneath allowing free space between the soundboard and the fret board. The carved scroll peg head features gold colored, geared 4:1 banjo style tuners. Many tunings will work, but we recommend the traditional DAD to make it easy to pick up and play. A pick and noter are included.
Traditionally, mountain dulcimers had three, equally spaced, strings: a melody string, a middle string, and a bass string. Later developments created a 4-string dulcimer by changing the string spacing and doubling the melody string. Doubling the melody string created greater volume to the melody line. Contemporary dulcimers, such as ours, include extra notches on the nut to allow more personalized string patterns. The inside doubled melody string can be removed completely to revert to the traditional 3-string set-up. Or the Inside melody string and the middle string can both be moved over one notch to create an equal spacing between all four strings. Find the set-up that works best for you.
Product codes ending in "-1(S)" or "-2(S)" are blemished. These products are new and unused with superficial blemishes that may include, blisters in the finish, scratches, dents, stains, discoloration, rust or pitting on metals, imperfect glazes, non-structural repairs such as putty in nail holes, or other surface marks.
"-1(S)" product has minor blemishes and "-2(S)" product has moderate blemishes and/or minor repairs. The irregularity does not affect the playability or sound quality of the instrument.
Product codes ending in "-3(S)" and "-4(S)" are also new and unused, but came to manufacturer needing repairs. If it's a "-3(S)," the product has been repaired, but if it's a "-4(S)," it will still require significant repairs when received by the customer.
Product codes ending in "PROP" are unable to be played and are for display purposes only.
SPECIAL NOTE ON STRINGS:
There is no warranty on strings. Manufacturers recommend that you change the strings on your instrument as soon as you receive it. Your instrument has completed a long journey before it ever begins the final leg to your home. During this time the elements affect the strings and may shorten their lifespan. It occasionally happens that a string will fail during that final leg of the journey. Therefore, it is recommended that you purchase a replacement set of strings and consider changing your strings soon after it arrives. If you are a student you may want to change your strings every 3-4 months. If you are a rock star you may need to change your strings every week. If you store your instrument, you should consider changing the strings when you pick it up again.
Please note:
For safety during shipping, the manufacturer don't tune the instruments before sending them to customers.