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.
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Folkcraft customers speak out!
from 2492 reviewsJohn and Karen are excellent teachers for the mountain dulcimer. They have had many years of teaching experience in their careers. They explain things well and demonstrate what they are teaching. It is a pleasure to see them together in concert.
Love the songbook. Great assortment of songs.
Two groups that I play with have purchased this book. It is perfect for playing with seniors who love to sing. Judy has made it so easy to print the lyrics. I have made songbooks which I take to nursing homes and other senior living facilities. Songs are written with easy to read tablature. A good purchase!!
I installed these on a customers dulcimer that previously had friction tuners. I had a few questions about the conversion, and Richard was very helpful answereing my questions. I was impressed with the overall quality of the tuners and the conversion went without a hitch. Thanks, Richard for the info and a great quality product at a very reasonable price. -Daniel
Let me say with emphasis, this instrument is beautiful to the eye, extremely well crafted and its sweet sound is mesmerizing! I don’t think I could be more pleased. I especially like 26 inch VSL with its sustain. Once I found the “sweet spot,” I’ve enjoyed it even more. When I show it to my friends, they cannot believe how good it looks and how well it projects its beautiful tone. I’m looking forward to learning to utilize the extra frets as I continue my dulcimer journey! Thank you, Richard Ash, and your luthiers for building this instrument for me!
The sound, quality, and beauty of this instrument is amazing!
love the 2in strap
Happy with the tuner. Easy to use
I bought a pack of 12 "Folkcraft® Plain Steel Strings with Loop Ends to use on our DAA Lap Dulcimers as middle strings. As far as I am concerned, steel strings are pretty much the same, but I have found the Folkcraft gives good, prompt service and good prices on bulk packs.
Replacing all the strings at once made my dulcimer sound better than it has in years and the staff were patient and helpful in helping me make sure I had the right set for my dulcimer.
This has quickly become one of my favorite books. The parts are written beautifully. I look forward to playing these every time I sit down to practice.
I did switch back to the Original 4 String Baritone Dulcimer strings & to get the .013 Strings in the Treble position to ring clear enough, I had to extend the scale length by 5 extra inches from 29 inches to 34 inches. Thankfully these strings were actually made 3 feet longer than guitar strings.
I’m much impressed with the cardboard kit. Went together easily. I supplemented the instructions with the video. I didn’t put the fret board on until the top was on, it made it easier to put the top on. I had Folkcraft install the frets and tuners to save some time. I clear coated the body after it was all assembled and it makes the cardboard a little darker and more wood like. It is going to a 7 year old so I thought clear coating might protect it a bit from dirty hands! The sound is better than you would think for a cardboard instrument. All pieces fit well with not having to modify anything.
I should have looked more closely. I was wanting to play these on a period instrument, an ancestor of the mountain dulcimer called a scheitholt. These were tuned DAA and mostly played noter-style, from what I've been able to tell.
So, while this book is great, it is DAD and uses 6 1/2 fret, which wasn't available on period instruments. So...I'll keep looking.
This strap works great for my mountain dulcimer. It is quick release on both ends making it easy to put on and take off. I love that there were multiple colors to choose from so I could get one to match my case. I would definitely purchase this again.