This Vintage Richard & Denise Wilson Hour Glass 4 String Dulcimer is in excellent condition. It is very unusual in that it has 2 Canadian Geese inlaid on the back as well as a cattail inlaid on the front. It measures 35 x 6 3/4 x 2 1/2, It has the classic heart sound holes and also geese sound holes. Weight is approximately 1lb 7oz (659g). Their dulcimers are very light and responsive, with an easy action and good projection. They have a good balanced sound across the strings. Has their names, place, and date this dulcimer was made attached to the inside. A little history:
Richard was a skilled carpenter but had to find a new career after the early 70s housing slump. His parents got him interested in the dulcimer and after building a kit, he and his wife decided to make their own. Early on, they had to choose between buying a sofa for their apartment and a band saw. They chose the latter, converting the living room into a workshop and living in the bedroom! Richard specialized in the acoustics and the construction, while his wife did the ornamentation (inlays and sound holes). Decorations included mother-of-pearl unicorns, sailboats and birds; sound holes ranged from hearts, seagulls to cherries. He estimated that each dulcimer took from 13 to 150 hours to make. Between 1974 and 1985 they claimed to have made over 2000 instruments, traveling from art fair to art fair across the country and selling them for between $110 and $1100.
The craftsmanship on these dulcimers is excellent from the distinctive hand carved tapering scroll/peg box to the elegant swirling heart sound holes. They have a well-proportioned, shallow walnut body, book matched on both back and top (the back on this one is darker wood), two layer walnut fingerboard (1981) and walnut end stock/peg box. Even the hand carved pegs look like walnut. There is a floating bridge.

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