Design Your Own FolkRoots® D Series Mountain Dulcimer

Sweet Kitty

Love my Sweet Kitty dulcimer! Named for the "walking cat" sound holes. The 23" vsl is perfect for me.

Custom MaxDAD

I ordered a custom walnut MaxDAD with a Galax back and Fishman pickup. It has an excellent action allowing for fluid changing of chords or quick scale runs. I was amazed at the volume and sustain. It is beautiful too. You can tell great pains were taken to make sure it looked perfect. The side panels were matched. The Galax back looked like it was from the exact same board as the actual back, matching each other perfectly. They chose some beautiful walnut with great figure on the back and sides. The grain direction on the fingerboard will make sure the wood doesn’t swell vertically and change the action. Every little detail was addressed. There was great pride taken in building it both for form and function. On the electric side, the preamp is excellent. I barely need any gain on my Fishman Loudbox Mini. It sounds great through the amp, and I love the ability to blend the mic and piezo pickups. Yes, there are two pickups in one for this particular pickup option. There are so many possibilities to play with the sound. The bass sounds amazing through the amp. You really need a pickup system to get the most out of the bass of the MaxDAD. With the preamp settings, the chromatic scale, and the two extra strings, I have so much more I can do now. I will be playing and learning quite a lot with all the extra features packed into this beautiful instrument.

A DAA Teardrop Dulcimer

The dulcimer has been wonderful to play, with the main point being the 25 inch VSL, which makes it much easier to play the DAA chords. My previous DAA dulcimer had a 28.5 inch VSL, which became more difficult to play as I aged. In addition, the teardrop body shape, with a Walnut body and Butternut soundboard, has a lovely sound which was enjoyed playing Christmas Carols during the holidays at Assisted Living and Nursing Homes. It was a pleasure to receive this dulcimer, especially since I had it made for me by Folkcraft Instruments and it has allowed me to play everything I enjoy, including the Hymns and Folk Songs we will start playing again. Having the 1.5 fret installed allows me to make some chords, such as C, F and 7th chords, that occur in some songs. This is not common in DAA dulcimers, but I recommend it. This has been an excellent experience and I highly recommend Folkcraft Instruments for dulcimers, including DAA dulcimers.