Appalachian dulcimer

ALTERNATE NAME(S)

Fretted zither
Mountain dulcimer

Date1880 ca.

Place MadeHarlan County, Kentucky, United States, North America

Modelnone

Serial No.none

Signednone
MarkingsDiscoloration on backside of instrument, most likely wear from playing and uneven varnish.
DescriptionHour-glass shaped
4 strings
body: wooden (walnut), box body with top and bottom extending slightly beyond sides; sides tucked into slots cut into end blocks; body expands gradually from pegbox to top bouts, narrows to waist, expands to bottom bouts, and narrows to tailpiece
pegbox: carved-out, wooden pegbox, closed back; simplified scroll with three-dimensional carving on proximal and dorsal planes, not the laterals
nut: wooden nut set into groove carved on fretboard/box-side of joint between fretboard/box and pegbox; four slits cut into nut as string guides
bridge: wooden bridge set into groove carved on fretboard/box; four slits cut into bridge as string guides
saddle: metal wire saddle set into edge of wooden fretboard/box
fretboard/box: fretboard carved out on underside forming the typical “u”-shaped fretboard/box - glued; depressed portion of fretboard/box begins after last fret and extends to bridge; fretboard/box extends to ends of sound box
strings: four metal strings, one missing; tied around metal screws and wrapped at pegs
tuning pegs: four, wooden (maple), turned, laterally-inserted, friction pegs with articulated grips
end button: two metal screws driven into endblock act as end buttons; two strings attached at each screw
sound holes: two, small heart-shaped soundholes cut through top - located centrally on lower bout; one on each side of fretboard/box
Dimensionslength: 36 in (762 mm)
width:
upper bout: 5.625 in (142.88 mm)
lower bout: 7.125 in (180.98 mm)
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Published ReferencesSmith, L. Allen. A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri, 1983, 93.

Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979

Object number01123

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